FCA History
Foster Care Associates has been in existence as an independent fostering agency since 1994, starting life in the Midlands as a small locally based company. It was founded by two very determined, energetic and creative individuals, Jim Cockburn and Jan Rees.
Jim had spent most of his working life as a social worker and team manager in local authority social work, and Jan had run a pre school nursery as well as worked as a foster carer for many years. Their paths had crossed professionally, and in their shared concern and commitment to children in the care system, the idea for Foster Care Associates was born.
Both had experienced in their work a gap in provision for children who were deemed by local authorities to be “difficult to place”. Many of these children were inappropriately placed in residential children’s homes, or had suffered a series of foster placement break downs which were often the result of lack of support to the carer and the child.
They had a shared firm belief that every child should have the opportunity to have a positive experience of family life, with all that it entails, in order to maximise their opportunity for growth and development. They knew that there were foster carers and other professionals who had the commitment to welcome into their homes some of the most challenging children, but they also knew that this was not a job that could be done in isolation. What was needed also was a team of professional support around the foster home including social work, education, therapy and support staff, combined with quality training, respite breaks, and support groups, a support package which was comprehensive and cohesive, and able to respond flexibly to the needs of both carer and child at any given time.
In the early 1990s there were very few independent fostering agencies in the UK and most of these were in the South East of England. Setting up such an agency in an environment which was not always receptive to new ways of working was no mean feat. However with the support of a few experienced foster carers and a small team of very dedicated staff the agency was launched, and within a very short space of time began to evidence very positive outcomes for some very difficult children and young people.
From its foundation around Jan Rees’ kitchen table, the organisation grew and expanded very rapidly, gaining momentum as its favourable reputation and creative responses to meeting children’s needs encouraged others to take notice.
Through their experience in the Midlands, and the gradual setting up of offices in other parts of England, Jim and Jan realised that the need that they had identified locally was replicated up and down the country, and they felt that it was important to provide a service to children closer to home, wherever that child was living. Their views were confirmed by ever increasing referrals from local authorities seeking a quality service which could meet the needs of some of their most challenging children.
A collection of regional offices were established and brought together as one National company in January 2002, and Foster Care Associates has now become the largest independent fostering agency in the UK with 17 regions and over 80 area offices, enabling teams of staff and foster carers to provide a service to children and young people throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
