In this episode of Let’s Talk About Fostering, Faye chats to married couple Andy and Mike, who foster with therapeutic fostering agency ISP in the Midlands.

They share their journey from first conversations about starting a family to becoming full-time foster parents to two amazing 13-year-olds.

In this episode, we cover:

- Why Andy and Mike chose fostering to grow their family

- What children in care may have been through – and why that matters

- What therapeutic fostering is (and how it differs from “traditional” parenting)

- The reality of the assessment and life-story process

- How being a same-sex couple was received in the fostering community

- Working alongside fostering, then moving into full-time fostering

- Supporting children with additional needs and autism

- Building a sibling-like bond between two unrelated children

- Involving birth families and keeping relationships positive

- Why you don’t need previous parenting experience to foster

- The truth about money, fostering allowances and mortgages

- Quickfire FAQs: working, renting, being single, having your own children, being LGBTQ+

- Favourite fostering moments that remind them “this is why we do it”

In this episode, we explore how foster parents strengthen communities, support children, and work closely with local services to create lasting change.

We sit down with Theresa, a foster parent from Fosterplus in Gloucestershire and Jim, who is responsible for a number of our individual fostering agencies here at Polaris. We will explore how foster parents help shape stronger, safer, and more supportive communities across the UK.

From building trust with birth families to navigating complex care needs, this conversation highlights the real experiences and incredible impact foster parents make every day.

What we cover:

- How foster carers support wider communities

- Why collaboration with professionals is essential

- The challenges and rewards of long-term care

- Practical advice for future foster parents

Thinking about becoming a foster parent but not sure where to start?

In this episode of Let’s Talk About Fostering, host Faye chats with Alison, a single foster parent with Foster Care Associates, about what it’s really like at the very beginning of your fostering journey.

Alison has been fostering teenagers since 2017. She talks honestly about leaving her job after 32 years, going through the assessment and panel process, the training, and what it felt like to welcome a young person into her home for the very first time.

In this episode, we cover:

- What to think about if you’re right at the start of your fostering journey

- Why you don’t have to fit a “perfect” mould to foster

- The reality of the assessment and panel process

- What training looks like – and why you don’t need experience to begin

- How it feels to say yes to your first foster child

- The importance of support networks and community for foster carers

- Why teenagers in care need understanding, empathy and playfulness

Welcome to the very first episode of Let’s Talk About Fostering — the podcast from the Polaris Community, hosted by Faye.

In this episode, Faye is joined by Polaris CEO Jo August, who has 35+ years’ experience working across children’s services — and who also grew up in a fostering household. Jo shares her journey into social care, explains what Polaris does across fostering, residential care, schools and adoption, and challenges common misconceptions about foster care and children in care.

We also talk about:

- Why Jo prefers the term “foster parent” over “foster carer”

- The real impact of foster care (beyond the simplified definitions)

- Why outcomes in foster care aren’t always “headline” moments — and why small wins matter

- How to support children who foster (birth children in fostering households)

- The qualities that help foster parents thrive: emotional intelligence and resilience