As 2025 draws to a close and the busy Christmas period begins, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the past year at FCA.
From the Big Sing Off and recognition from Ofsted to having one of our foster parents featured on Katie Piper’s Weekend Escapes, 2025 has been an incredible journey.
But we couldn’t do it without you, our dedicated foster parents. Every day you show up for vulnerable children and provide therapeutic foster care, which helps them build a brighter future.
So join us as we celebrate our proudest achievements as a community this year and look forward to the new year.
FCA reflections on a new year
When you foster with FCA, you don’t do it alone; you’re part of a community committed to helping you, your family, and the children you foster thrive.
Whether you’ve been fostering with us for a while and want to relive some of the best moments of 2025, or are new to FCA and want to see what it’s really like to foster with us, let’s explore the highlights of the past 12 months.
Rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted
Three of our fantastic teams were rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted this year:
- Thames Valley: Received their second consecutive ‘Outstanding’ rating from Ofsted, who said, ‘Children in the care of FCA Thames Valley make exceptional progress while living with their foster families.’
- North East: In 2022, FCA North East received a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating, but earlier this year, they were commended for ‘helping children to settle, build trusted relationships with their foster families and feel loved and cared for’ and became recognised as ‘Outstanding.’
- Yorks and Lincs: Stepped up from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’ in May this year, with Ofsted praising the team for being ‘relentless in wanting to do the right thing for the children.’
The Ofsted reports included comments from children, such as ‘Life is amazing right now because I feel loved,’ and from foster parents who said things like, ‘They are genuine people and listen when you have any problems.’
These results and remarks demonstrate our commitment supporting foster parents and changing the lives of vulnerable children and young people.
Participation dream teams
Every region at FCA has a participation team that helps children and young people build their confidence and connect with others by delivering activities and events for our foster families throughout the year.
From celebrations and fun days to picnics and days out, our participation dream teams work tirelessly to help foster children make new positive memories. Here are just some of the highlights from this year:
- Annual Achievements Day: In January, FCA Yorks and Lincs celebrated the achievements of children and young people with a day of music, dancing, and joy.
- Life Skills Weekend: During the Easter holidays, FCA Midlands hosted a residential life skills weekend in Cannock Chase, where children learned how to cook, budget and work as a team, while also taking part in fun activities.
- Charity Fun Day: In June, every region of FCA and FCA Scotland came together to raise money for charity by getting active and and taking on the Going the Extra Mile challenge. This involved walking, running, dancing or cycling as many miles as possible over a weekend. We managed to cover over 2,850 miles and raised an incredible £3,854.
- Festival of Achievement: FCA Midlands hosted a Festival of Achievement to celebrate the accomplishments of children and young people. From rolling out a red carpet and fancy dress theme to unicorn pony rides, circus skills workshops, and pedal carts, the day was truly unforgettable.
- Fun Fest: This summer, FCA South Western’s fun fest gave foster families across the region a chance to relax, have fun, and connect with others. From a bouncy castle and live music to crafts, face painting and the chance to sit inside a real fire engine, the team pulled out all the stops and made the day truly special.
The Big Sing Off
The Big Sing Off is our annual show-stopping event, which brings children, young people, foster parents, and our incredible teams together for a day of fun, laughter, and singing.
This year’s theme was ‘Heroes and Villains,’ inspiring some creative costumes and song choices, such as FCA Yorks and Lincs’ rendition of Revolting Children from the musical Matilda, which won them first place.
From bouncy castles, magic mirrors and candy floss to DJ workshops, face painting, and a silent disco, the event was packed with activities for the whole family to enjoy.
One of our foster parents said, “What a brilliant day! It was so lovely to be able to get involved and see the smiles on the children’s faces. I had a cry at a couple of the choirs – amazing! Can’t wait for next year.”
From fostering stories to national TV
Throughout the year, many of our foster parents have shared their fostering stories with us, from what inspired them to begin their journey to the ups and downs of foster parent life; every single one is truly inspiring.
We love seeing our foster parents celebrated for their role in changing the outcomes of children and young people, which is why we were so pleased when Helen Warren, who’s been fostering with us for 25 years, was featured on national TV.
Helen was nominated by her foster son, William, to share her story and receive a makeover on Katie Piper’s Weekend Escapes, to thank her for the profound impact she had on his life.
If you’d like to catch up with the episode, head over to ITVX.
Looking forward
Before we start looking forward to 2026, we’d like to take a moment to thank our children, young people, foster parents, and teams for making 2025 such a success.
In 2026, we aim to continue helping children and young people heal from their past experiences, have new positive experiences, and build a beautiful future. But we need your help to do it.
Figures from The Fostering Network reveal that approximately 36,000 children move into care every year in the UK. However, the number of foster parents available to care for these children has fallen, resulting in a shortfall of more than 6,000 foster parents.
We need more people with room in their hearts and homes to become foster parents, so these children get a second chance at a happy childhood.
If you’d like to learn more about fostering a child, call us on 0800 023 4561 or submit an enquiry form, and our team will be in touch.
