A Day of Shared Thinking: Understanding Community Foster Care's Therapeutic Model

"Why are we here?"

That was the question that opened Community Foster Care's Therapeutic Development Day.

Facilitated by Christina Saltmarsh, Dr Anna Fussell and Dr Tessa Weir Jeffries, the day brought together staff, trustees and panel members to explore something that sits at the very heart of our organisation: what do we actually mean when we describe Community Foster Care as therapeutic?

The day began by reconnecting us with our purpose and the reason we do this work. Woven into the programme was a presentation from Emma Weaver Registered Manager, who explored Community Foster Care's Pirate Spirit philosophy and challenged us to think about therapeutic practice through the lens of social justice. Emma reminded us that supporting children is not simply about helping them navigate existing systems; sometimes it requires us to challenge those systems when they are not serving children well. She linked this directly to our purpose of enabling children to thrive in loving families and encouraged us to be courageous in questioning practices, processes and assumptions that can stand in the way of better outcomes for children.

Particularly powerful was a video celebrating the achievements of children and young people whom Community Foster Care has supported over the years. The video brought the discussion back to what is most important: real children, real lives and real outcomes. It reminded staff, trustees and panel members of what can be achieved when relationships endure, when adults remain thoughtful and curious, and when children are given the opportunity to thrive. For many attendees, this was an emotional moment. Before exploring theories, interventions and systems, it reconnected everyone with the human impact of the work and the reasons they first chose to be part of it. The video helped answer the opening question of the day — why are we here? — not through theory, but through the stories and achievements of the children themselves.

This theme felt particularly relevant as we explored our therapeutic model.

Unlike many therapeutic approaches, Community Foster Care's model is not a branded package, a bolt-on intervention, or a programme delivered in isolation. It is not based upon attending a training course and then attempting to retrofit therapeutic ideas into practice. Nor is it about referring families to a separate psychology service while the wider system continues unchanged.

Instead, our ambition is to embed therapeutic thinking throughout everything we do.

Our model draws upon research, established good practice, systems psychodynamic thinking, therapeutic parenting theory, reflective practice and many years of learning alongside children, foster carers and professionals. It influences how we recruit and assess foster carers, how we train and supervise staff, how we understand children's experiences, how we support foster families and how we work with the wider professional network around a child. The intervention continuum explored during the day demonstrated the breadth of this integrated approach, from assessment and preparation through to reflective supervision, life story work, professional network meetings and therapeutic consultation.

Throughout the morning participants explored the intervention cards and considered how the many different parts of the model fit together. However, one of the most important conversations was not about individual interventions, but about the principles that underpin them.

These became our four cornerstones.

At CFC, our approach is...

1. We start with the story

We seek to understand people through their story.

Whether we are thinking about a child, a foster carer, a colleague or another professional, our starting point is curiosity. We recognise that behaviour only makes sense when understood within the context of experience.

This principle is reflected throughout our model. From our ‘What’s my Story’ to therapeutic assessments, we seek first to understand what has happened before deciding what needs to happen next. By understanding a child's story, we are better able to understand their needs, their behaviours, their relationships and their potential for growth.

2. We stay relational

We recognise that we shape and are shaped by every interaction.

Relationships are not simply the backdrop to fostering; they are the vehicle through which change happens.

Every interaction matters. Whether between child and foster carer, foster carer and supervising social worker, or professionals working together around a child, relationships have the capacity to heal, to hinder, to strengthen understanding and to create opportunities for growth. Our model therefore places relationships at its centre.

3. We think together

We use networks and shared thinking to hold complexity.

One of the most powerful experiences of the day was a professional network role-play exercise. Participants took on different professional roles within a meeting while others observed from outside the discussion.

What emerged was not simply a debate about decisions and actions. Participants began to notice the emotions, tensions, assumptions and dynamics operating beneath the surface. The exercise brought systems psychodynamic ideas to life and demonstrated why shared thinking is so important when working with children who have experienced developmental and relational trauma. Holding complexity requires more than expertise; it requires collaboration, curiosity and the willingness to think together.

4. We protect thinking

We create space for reflection, supervision and support so new thinking can emerge.

Good decisions require good thinking, and good thinking requires space.

This principle sits at the heart of reflective supervision, clinical consultation, professional network meetings and many other aspects of our practice. By creating contained spaces where people can reflect, question, wonder and learn together, we are better able to support children, families and one another.

What did we learn?

One of the most encouraging aspects of the day was seeing people begin to recognise the breadth, depth and coherence of Community Foster Care's therapeutic offer.

At the same time, the day surfaced some important reflections.

Many participants described feeling inspired by the model and positive about its potential. However, some also spoke honestly about feeling overwhelmed by its scale and complexity. In particular, social workers reflected on questions about confidence, capacity and capability. Could they fully understand the model? Did they have the space and support required to deliver it consistently? Were there parts of the approach that still felt difficult to articulate?

These reflections were not experienced as criticism of the model. Rather, they represented an honest engagement with what it means to embed therapeutic thinking across an organisation and wider professional system.

In many ways, these feelings reinforced one of our cornerstones: We protect thinking.

If we want practitioners to remain curious, reflective and relational, we must continue to create the conditions in which they can learn, develop and think together. Protecting thinking is not something we do only for children and foster carers. It is something we must do for ourselves as professionals.

What happens next?

The development day was not an end point. It was the beginning of the next phase.

Participants identified a number of important next steps:

• Developing clearer processes for establishing therapeutic packages and interventions.

• Creating resources that help foster carers better understand the therapeutic model and its language.

• Expanding and explaining each of the four cornerstones so that staff, carers, trustees and panel members can use them confidently.

• Continuing to map how the different interventions connect across a child's journey.

• Building confidence and capability across the organisation so that staff feel equipped to deliver the model.

• Strengthening our ability to embed therapeutic thinking not only within Community Foster Care but across the wider professional networks that support children and families.

Perhaps the most important learning from the day was recognising that understanding a therapeutic model is not the same as living it.

The challenge ahead is not simply to create better diagrams or clearer descriptions. It is to continue building a shared language and shared understanding across our entire community.

Because ultimately, our therapeutic model can be distilled into four simple ideas:

We start with the story.
We stay relational.
We think together.
We protect thinking.

Those principles are simple to say, but they challenge us every day to remain curious, reflective and courageous.

And perhaps that is what being a little bit pirate means too. Having the courage to think differently, challenge when necessary, stay true to our purpose and keep children firmly at the centre of the story.