The Mosaic Foster Care Annual Conference – a day celebrating our fostering community with learning, laughter and honest reflection
It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces – and to welcome some new ones – at the Mosaic Foster Care Annual Conference at The Rayleigh Club golf resort in Essex.
As every year, the aim of the 2025 event was to give us time to step away from the day-to-day and come together as one community – a chance to reflect, recharge and remind ourselves why we do what we do.
For our team, foster parents and extended professionals, it felt less like a conference and more like a warm family reunion.
A day all about connection and care in our fostering community
At Mosaic Foster Care, we recognise the importance of connection and we see ourselves as one big family supporting each other. That philosophy underpins everything we do – and it was clear throughout the day that our community feels the same way.
From the first hello of the morning to the last goodbye, the room was filled with conversation, empathy and shared understanding.
After Mosaic Registered Fostering Manager Greg De Smidt welcomed delegates, Mosaic Foster Care Director Andre Palmer reflected on the previous 12 months’ successes as well as looking ahead to 2026.
Why our approach to managing trauma cannot be uniform
Then, keynote speaker Ariel Nathanson took to the podium. Consultant child, adolescent and adult psychotherapist Ariel has worked in the NHS for more than 25 years, specialising in the assessment and treatment of highly complex patients.
He works with young people and adults with difficulties including anxiety, depression, loss, trauma, relationship problems, obsessional and intrusive thoughts, eating issues and compulsive addictive behaviours.
In his fascinating hour-long talk, Ariel started by looking at the relationship between quantum physics and the human reaction to trauma. Examining the topic of care under the shadow of trauma from a number of different angles, Ariel demonstrated how trauma can affect every child differently and, therefore, our response to their reactions should not be uniform.
In a powerful demonstration, Ariel showed how even water in molecular form changes and deteriorates when exposed to a lack of empathy.
His words resonated strongly with everyone in the room, reminding us that while therapeutic theory provides the framework, it’s empathy and consistency that bring about real healing.
A unique opportunity to share experiences and understanding
Throughout the day, conversations kept circling back to one message: fostering is both a professional role and an act of shared humanity. By bringing foster parents, support workers, therapists, teachers and social workers together, we create the conditions for children to feel safe, valued and understood.
Foster parents told their stories, shared their learnings and caught up with old friends in a warm, friendly, supportive environment.
After the keynote, our breakout sessions and Q&A with Ariel, Greg, Andre and Mosaic’s Therapeutic Lead Aly Thompson gave space for everyone to connect.
Our fostering community’s openness to share and support one another stands out
Afterwards, Andre said: “What stood out most to me today was the energy in the room – the openness of our foster parents to share experiences and to listen to one another.
“Some talked about the challenges they’ve faced while others shared moments of joy and pride that have shaped their fostering journey. Each story reminded us that we’re stronger when we learn together.
“These achievements over the past year are a collective effort. Every success story starts with teamwork – between our foster parents, our social workers, our therapeutic team, and our wider Mosaic community.”
The power of belonging is essential when fostering
At the heart of the day was a simple truth that underpins Mosaic Foster Care’s central philosophy – when we come together, we remind ourselves fostering isn’t something any of us does alone.
We heard again and again how much it means to our foster parents to know that help is never far away – that they can pick up the phone and speak to someone who truly understands.
It’s always reassuring to know that the guidance of a supervising social worker or our therapeutic lead is never far away – but the connections between our foster parents represent a huge strength for Mosaic as an organisation.
Bringing so many of our wonderful foster parents together face to face under the same roof is a great reminder of how strong we are and we all left feeling proud – not just of what Mosaic has achieved but of that community we have built.
Our annual conference is a highlight of the year because it captures who we are – one big family, united by the shared goal of giving every child the chance to heal and thrive in a nurturing home.
We’re grateful to everyone who joined us – our foster parents, team members, guests, and, of course, Ariel Nathanson for his thoughtful and inspiring contribution.
About Mosaic Foster Care
Mosaic Foster Care is an independent fostering agency providing Ofsted Outstanding rated therapeutic foster care across Essex, Suffolk, Bedfordshire including Milton Keynes, Hertfordshire, North Kent, Northamptonshire and Worcestershire. Our mission is to ensure every child in our care thrives in a stable, nurturing home. We achieve this by providing long-term foster placements and by carefully matching children and foster parents. We keep caseloads small and embed in-house professionally delivered therapy and youth support into everyday practice – so no child is ever left waiting for the critical support they need. Foster parents receive more than £700 per week after training and benefit from ongoing professional development, and a community that truly understands the rewards and challenges of fostering.