Interview with co-founder Lesley Fitzgerald

To mark our 19^th anniversary this month, we spoke to Lesley Fitzgerald who co-founded Fitzgerald Fostering in January 2007 with fellow social worker, James Townend. Lesley retired in 2024 but has remained involved as a member of our fostering panel and a Trustee for The Fitzgerald Foundation.

What was your motivation when you co-founded Fitzgerald Fostering?

James and I had worked together at local authorities for over 15 years and have always been committed to providing an excellent service for children. We felt that by setting up a fostering agency together, we could have more autonomy and do things differently,  providing a child-centred service which really values foster carers. From the outset, our focus was on giving foster carers the training, support, skills, supervision and guidance they need to provide the best possible care and outcomes for the children in their care.

Running our own organisation also meant that we would have control over how we managed our time and the resources available to us. In our first year, we invested in a dedicated therapist, and appointed Baljit Kaur, who has played a key role over the last 19 years in helping our foster carers and children to build strong, trusting relationships.

What values were most important to you when shaping Fitzgerald Fostering, and why?

Fitzgerald Fostering has always been, and continues to be, driven by the belief that children who can’t live with their birth families should have the opportunity to live in a home where they are loved and cared for, just like any other child. Most of the children needing foster care have experienced trauma, and matching them with the right foster carer to support their needs is crucial to the success of any placement and has been a key factor for us in the decision making for every placement.

Fostering can be challenging – that’s why outstanding training for foster carers and 24/7 support are at the heart of what Fitzgerald Fostering offers. From the very beginning, we wanted our foster carers and the young people they look after to feel part of ‘the Fitzgerald Fostering family’, to have a support network and a sense of belonging.

Collaboration and feeling supported are very important values at Fitzgerald Fostering –  we never want our foster carers to feel that they are tackling challenges alone. We are with them every step of the way to help the children in their care to thrive.

How have you seen fostering change since Fitzgerald Fostering first began?

I have seen a great deal of change in terms of the regulation of fostering services over the years. This is a positive thing and has always been welcomed by us. Sadly, year on year there is a greater demand for foster placements and this brings  an increased pressure on the sector to find more foster carers. It is important that we continue to promote the need for more people to come forward to foster.

What Fitzgerald Fostering achievements are you most proud of?

For me, the biggest achievements are seeing the difference that our foster carers have made to the lives of the children in their care. We see it time and time again. Children’s experience with our foster carers really is life changing – and I can’t thank our foster carers enough for the incredible job they do.

I have loved working in this sector and seeing such positive outcomes for children. It’s been so rewarding to have such an amazing team of staff members and foster carers, all working together to achieve the same aim, which is to strive to do whatever is best for each foster child. I am so proud of the fact that our foster carers feel valued and the children in their care feel loved and cared for – that’s exactly what we set out to achieve when we set up the agency.

Many of our team members and our foster carers have been with us for many years, which is very unusual in the fostering sector. This speaks volumes about the way we work, the relationships we build, and the support we give – it’s something that truly sets Fitzgerald Fostering apart.

Tell us about your role on the fostering panel and what experience you bring to this.

When I retired, I was happy to remain involved through the agency’s fostering panel. Although I’m no longer part of the day-to-day running of Fitzgerald Fostering, I remain  invested in the team, our foster carers and the continued success of the agency because I believe it makes such a positive difference to so many people.

The panel plays an important role in the approval of new carers and in reviewing the existing foster carers, and I’m able to draw on my experience to contribute to this process.

Tell us about your involvement with the Fitzgerald Foundation and why did you decide to take on this role during your retirement?

The Fitzgerald Foundation is a fantastic initiative and I love the fact that we can continue to support the children who have been and are part of the Fitzgerald Fostering family as they transition out of foster care. This ties in with our ethos of ensuring that young people who haven’t been able to live with their birth families have access to the same opportunities as their peers.

As a Trustee of the charity, I am involved in the grant decision making process. When young people turn 18 and leave the care system, they often need practical or financial help that is not always provided elsewhere. This is exactly the kind of support offered through The Fitzgerald Foundation to the young people who have been looked after by our foster carers can make a huge difference in their next life stage.

How are you enjoying retirement – and is there anything you miss about working at Fitzgerald Fostering?

Working with Fitzgerald Fostering was fulfilling on a number of levels including the difference it made to those involved in and cared for by the organisation, the people I had the opportunity to work with over a number of years, who shared our values and commitment to building a service that was consistently rated as outstanding  by Ofsted because of the care provided. I feel very fortunate to have had a such a positive working experience for so many years. The great thing about my situation is that I get to enjoy my retirement  whilst still staying involved with Fitzgerald Fostering through the panel and The Foundation. I  still get to go to the agency’s social events with our foster carers and team members, too. I still feel very much involved, and the team knows that if they ever need me, I’ll do whatever I can to support them.

What hopes/aspirations do you have for Fitzgerald Fostering in the future?

More of the same! I know that team are committed to providing the best service that they can for the children we care for and they will not lose sight of that. My biggest hope is that every child we support is able to thrive in a safe, nurturing home, and every foster carer feels fully supported and proud to be part of the Fitzgerald Fostering family. I would love to see more people come forward to foster, as I have said the difference carers make can be life changing for the children cared for but the rewards in providing that care are also great.

If you live in Farnham, Slough, Reading, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Wokingham or the surrounding area and are considering fostering, please contact us to find out more or call us on 01753550031