Press and Publications
Telephone: 07926 693105
E-mail: rolfe.pearce@fcrspecialist.com
Address: Halifax West Yorkshire
Rolfe is available for comment on a Range of Topics but his specialism is Foster Carer Recruitment.
Finding the Next Generation of Foster Carers
Independent Expert Commentary on Foster Carer Recruitment
Rolfe Pearce MBA is an independent UK foster carer recruitment specialist, former foster carer and experienced professional recruiter.
He is available to provide informed, practical and solutions-focused commentary on foster carer recruitment, retention, the applicant journey and the wider challenges facing Local Authorities, Independent Fostering Agencies and Regional Care Cooperatives.
Rolfe brings together more than 35 years of professional recruitment experience, 13 years working directly within foster carer recruitment and 10 years of lived experience as an approved foster carer.
For interviews, expert comment, articles, podcasts or speaking enquiries, contact:
Rolfe Pearce MBA
Email: rolfe.pearce@fcrspecialist.com
Website: www.fcrspecialist.com
About Rolfe Pearce
Rolfe Pearce MBA is a UK foster carer recruitment specialist with more than 35 years of professional recruitment experience.
His career includes 13 years working directly within foster carer recruitment for both Local Authorities and Independent Fostering Agencies. He also has 10 years of lived experience as an approved foster carer and received a national Foster Carer of Distinction award.
This combination gives Rolfe a distinctive understanding of foster carer recruitment from three connected perspectives:
- as a professional recruiter;
- as someone who has worked inside fostering services; and
- as a former foster carer who experienced the recruitment and assessment journey personally.
Rolfe works with fostering providers to improve the complete recruitment journey, from visibility and first enquiry through to assessment, approval and retention.
He is the creator of the F.O.S.T.E.R System, the F.O.U.N.D Framework and FosterWave.
His public commentary is independent, evidence-led and focused on practical solutions rather than criticism for its own sake.
Short Biography for Publication
Rolfe Pearce MBA is an independent UK foster carer recruitment specialist with more than 35 years of professional recruitment experience. He has spent 13 years working within Local Authority and Independent Fostering Agency recruitment and was an approved foster carer for 10 years. He is the creator of the F.O.S.T.E.R System, the F.O.U.N.D Framework and FosterWave.
Areas of Expert Commentary
Rolfe is available to comment on:
- the national shortage of foster carers;
- why foster carer enquiries do not always progress;
- recruitment conversion and applicant drop-out;
- the difference between marketing and recruitment;
- the foster carer applicant experience;
- foster carer retention;
- recruitment by Local Authorities and Independent Fostering Agencies;
- Regional Care Cooperatives and regional recruitment models;
- recruitment spending and value for money;
- foster carer allowances and financial sustainability;
- the recruitment and support of single foster carers;
- recruiting carers for teenagers, sibling groups and children with more complex needs;
- the effect of assessment timescales on recruitment;
- community-based foster carer recruitment;
- AI-assisted search and how people research fostering services;
- digital visibility for fostering providers;
- how smaller fostering services can compete with national organisations;
- the role of existing foster carers in recruitment;
- recruitment data, performance and accountability; and
- practical reform of the foster carer recruitment journey.
Answers to Questions foor the Press and Media
Why a quote from Rolfe Pearce MBA is relevant and of the Moment
A Solutions-Focused Perspective
The shortage of foster carers cannot be solved by advertising alone.
Marketing can create awareness and generate enquiries, but recruitment must turn appropriate interest into informed applicants, completed assessments, approved foster carers and stable placements for children.
Rolfe’s work examines the whole recruitment system.
This includes how people find a fostering service, what information they receive, how quickly they are contacted, what happens during assessment and why suitable applicants sometimes disengage.
His commentary aims to explain what is happening, identify where systems may be falling short and offer practical solutions that Local Authorities, IFAs and national organisations can realistically consider.
Frequently Asked Media Questions
What makes Rolfe Pearce qualified to comment on foster carer recruitment?
Rolfe brings together three forms of relevant experience.
He has more than 35 years of professional recruitment experience, including senior recruitment and recruitment-system roles.
He has spent 13 years working directly within foster carer recruitment for Local Authorities and Independent Fostering Agencies.
He was also an approved foster carer for 10 years and received a Foster Carer of Distinction award.
This means his analysis is informed by professional recruitment expertise, operational fostering-sector experience and lived experience of the foster carer journey.
Is Rolfe speaking independently?
Unless otherwise stated, Rolfe speaks independently as a foster carer recruitment specialist.
He does not automatically speak on behalf of any Local Authority, IFA, membership body, client or commercial partner.
Where a current client relationship, partnership or commercial interest is directly relevant to a discussion, this will be declared.
Can Rolfe provide evidence and sources?
Yes.
Where possible, Rolfe supports his commentary with published government data, regulator reports, sector research, Local Authority documents and other reliable public sources.
He distinguishes between established evidence, professional observation and personal opinion.
Where a figure or claim cannot be independently verified, that limitation will be explained clearly.
Can Rolfe discuss controversial issues?
Yes, where he can make an informed and constructive contribution.
This may include foster carer allowances, private and public provision, recruitment spending, regional reform, Local Authority sufficiency, assessment timescales and the financial viability of fostering.
The intention is not to generate controversy for attention. Rolfe’s approach is to acknowledge different perspectives, explain the problem and propose practical solutions.
Can Rolfe provide case studies?
Case studies and practical examples can be provided where information is already public or the relevant organisation has given permission.
Where confidentiality applies, examples may be anonymised or presented as broader patterns without identifying individual organisations, applicants, foster carers or children.
Is Rolfe available for rapid media comment?
Yes.
Rolfe is available for:
- written expert comment;
- telephone interviews;
- Microsoft Teams interviews;
- podcasts;
- webinars;
- panel discussions;
- opinion articles;
- conference contributions; and
- broadcast discussions.
For time-sensitive enquiries, please provide the publication, subject, deadline and format required.
Selected Commentary
Recruitment is not the same as marketing
“Marketing creates awareness and enquiries. Recruitment must turn that interest into suitable, approved and retained foster carers. Increasing advertising without examining what happens after the enquiry risks sending more people into a process that is already losing them.”
Rolfe Pearce MBA, Foster Carer Recruitment Specialist
Enquiry numbers do not tell the whole story
“A high number of enquiries can create false confidence. The important questions are how many people were contacted, how many progressed, where they disengaged and how many suitable foster carers were ultimately approved and retained.”
Rolfe Pearce MBA, Foster Carer Recruitment Specialist
Recruitment should reflect the needs of children
“The purpose of foster carer recruitment is not simply to approve more households. It is to recruit and support the range of carers needed for children, including teenagers, sibling groups and children requiring more specialist support.”
Rolfe Pearce MBA, Foster Carer Recruitment Specialist
The sector needs a sustained national conversation
“Fostering cannot rely on short annual campaigns that disappear after a few weeks. We need an ongoing national conversation, supported by communities, businesses, existing foster carers and trusted local organisations.”
Rolfe Pearce MBA, Foster Carer Recruitment Specialist
Smaller providers can still compete
“Smaller fostering services may not be able to match the advertising budgets of national groups, but they can compete through local relevance, personal relationships, faster communication and a clearer explanation of what genuinely makes their service different.”
Rolfe Pearce MBA, Foster Carer Recruitment Specialist
Frameworks and Programmes
The F.O.S.T.E.R System
The F.O.S.T.E.R System examines the complete foster carer recruitment and retention journey:
Find – Offer – Simplify – Trust – Equip – Retain
It helps fostering providers examine how they attract prospective carers, explain their offer, remove unnecessary friction, build trust, prepare carers and support them to remain fostering.
The F.O.U.N.D Framework
The F.O.U.N.D Framework helps fostering providers improve their visibility through traditional search and AI-assisted research:
Findable – Organised – Useful – Noticed – Data and Structure
It examines whether a fostering service can be found, understood, trusted and referenced when people use Google, ChatGPT, Copilot and other digital tools to research fostering.
FosterWave
FosterWave is a community-based model designed to widen the national conversation about fostering.
It aims to involve individuals, community groups, businesses and existing foster carers in helping more people hear about fostering through trusted relationships.
The model is intended to complement existing recruitment and advertising rather than replace it.
Interviews, Articles and Speaking Enquiries
Rolfe welcomes enquiries from:
- national and regional journalists;
- children’s social care publications;
- Local Government publications;
- television and radio producers;
- podcast hosts;
- conference organisers;
- membership bodies;
- research organisations; and
- professional and academic publications.
Topics can be discussed in advance, and written commentary can be provided where a live interview is not practical.
For media, press or speaking enquiries, contact:
Rolfe Pearce MBA
Foster Carer Recruitment Specialist
Email: rolfe.pearce@fcrspecialist.com
Website: www.fcrspecialist.com
Please include the subject, publication or programme, required format and deadline.