Who this article is for: people interested in becoming foster carers.
Foster and kinship carers can make a lasting difference in the lives of children and young people, often in ways that extend far beyond childhood.
By providing a safe home, trusted relationships and a sense of belonging, carers help children understand that they are valued, worthy and loved.
Anchor Community Care CEO, Heidi Tucker used her speech at our recent Carer Appreciation Dinner to reflect on the profound and generational impact of foster and kinship care, and how the belief carers show children today can help shape their futures for years to come.
Read Heidi’s speech in full below.
Heidi Tucker Speech – Carer Appreciation Dinner 2026
This year at Anchor, we’re celebrating our 50th anniversary and I’d like to pay tribute to the many incredible carers who have shaped Anchor over the years.
I also want to recognise the work done by former managers, team leaders and case managers in the foster care and kinship care teams at Anchor.
We’ve been digging through our archives and have found hundreds of photographs of carers, care families and staff from over that 50 year journey that show how care families have been a part of Anchor’s DNA from the very beginning.
It’s incredible to think about all the people who have called themselves an Anchor Foster Carer and supported children and young people across five decades.
Kinship care also shines brightly in Anchor’s history, with recent decades seeing Kinship care growing in demand as an option to ensure children stay within their families and communities.
Anchor’s kinship care journey began in 2010 and it’s amazing to have supported Kinship families for over 15 years. I’d also like to acknowledge our Kinship case manager, Cathy, who has been with Anchor for 22 years and has been a part of the Kinship team since day one.
I think the real story is how fostering and kinship care compliment and support each other in ensuring children’s best interests. We have many carers here tonight who have supported each other’s children at one point or another, and the shared dedication between our carers is something that I am particularly proud of at Anchor.
Thinking about 50 years of Anchor really highlights how special the work is that you do. You’re a part of something that has spanned generations and will continue to have an impact for generations to come.
The truth is that your work is what keeps the out of home care sector ticking. Your commitment to supporting the children in your care is what makes the difference during a very raw and challenging time in these young lives.
These children are currently living through something that will take them a long time to come to terms with. A long time to heal from. A long time to find peace with who they are and where they fit in the world.
But, in the midst of that, you’re there to give them a safe and caring space that they can call home and feel like they belong.
More than that, you give them yourselves – a person they can trust and be safe with.
You’re someone to champion and celebrate them and remind them how unique and incredible they are. Or sometimes, just as importantly, help them to feel like they fit in.
Right now, you are all playing an important role in this journey with them.
I don’t know what they’ll think or feel when they’re adults and they look back on their childhoods. But I believe, because of you, they will grow up to be an adult who knows what it means to be valued and worthy and loved.
So, thank you for the work you do. It’s big work. Lifetime big.
The Big Role your Biological Children Play in a Carer Household
Finally, I’d like to also pay my highest regard and thanks to all your biological children and other family members who play an active role in your lives as carers.
Your biological children may not be accredited foster carers, or recognised as kinship carers in their own right, but they’re a vital part of the experiences of the children and young people who are placed in your care.
Whether they go on to become carers themselves or not, they represent the next generation of caring and compassionate people in our society. They carry the best values into the future, ensuring that long after we’re gone, our community will still have people that stand up and believe that all children deserve safe and happy homes.
And that brings me back to my sentiments about Anchor’s 50th anniversary and the generational impact that your work as carers helps to create.
Your work shapes society for the better in enormous ways. It means that in 50 years’ time, they’ll be celebrating Anchor’s 100th anniversary, and still be remarking about how the work you do shines so brightly.
Thank you for contributing to our past 50 years.
Thank you for your incredible strength and resilience that holds the present together.
And thank you for changing the future for children and young people in care.
Thank you.
Interested in becoming a Foster Carer?
You can join our community of carers and be a safe and supportive presence in children and young people’s lives.
