Membership issue led to support being…
Membership issue led to support being withdrawn two days before an investigation meeting
My initial experience with Foster Support was positive, and I would previously have recommended them to other foster carers. Unfortunately, the handling of a membership issue changed that.
I completed what I believed to be the household membership registration on their website and called back to confirm this, asking them to check. I also offered to pay for the previous three months because our case was already ongoing, but was told this was unnecessary.
They subsequently advised that they had no record of my membership and withdrew support just two days before an investigation meeting scheduled to last ten hours. I cannot confirm whether my online registration completed successfully, but I acted in good faith and was willing to pay.
This left us facing a lengthy investigation meeting without the representation we had expected. I had initially understood that they could support us throughout the meeting, but was later told they had never heard of a meeting lasting so long and could not support the full duration. The uncertainty around their availability, followed by the withdrawal of support over membership, added considerable stress at an already difficult time.
I found the email stating that I had not joined when asked accusatory and dismissive. Only after I challenged this was I asked which name and email address I had used so that further checks could be made. I would have expected those details to be requested before support was withdrawn.
When I explained the upset this had caused and confirmed that I no longer wished to proceed, the response was simply: “Received and understood.”
I expected greater empathy, clearer communication and a constructive approach to resolving a possible membership misunderstanding, particularly with an investigation meeting only two days away. Based on this experience, I would no longer feel comfortable recommending the service to other foster carers.