What Soundly Fostering Stands For
Soundly Fostering was founded in 2021 by Joy O’Brien-Miller and Katharina (Kat) Carter with a clear intention: to build a small, independent agency where fostering is grounded in honesty, thoughtful practice, and meaningful relationships.
After years of working in increasingly corporate settings, Joy and Kat felt something important was being lost: the human side of fostering. Decisions were drifting further from the work and with processes replacing relationships, real support felt distant.
Soundly was created to bring that closeness back. Staying small is not an accident, it’s a choice that allows us to know our carers personally, to understand each child’s circumstances, and to respond thoughtfully rather than procedurally.
Soundly Fostering exists for one reason: to make fostering feel clear, human, and well supported.
What Guides Our Work
Our Mission
Our mission is to show up for our carers and children. To show up for carers and children with honesty, steadiness, and care by offering thoughtful support that helps children feel safe enough to grow.
Our Vision
A future where children feel secure and understood, and where thoughtful support is the norm, not the exception. A future where our small team can keep making a real difference by staying present, honest, and deeply committed.
Our Values
Integrity
We act with honesty and principle, even when decisions are difficult. Integrity guides how we show up, how we speak, and how we support the people we work with.
Humility
We never assume we have all the answers. We listen, reflect, and keep learning
Trust
Trust is built in the everyday moments with consistent visits, clear communication, and familiar faces.
Unlimited Support
When life gets difficult, our support doesn’t stop at fostering. We stay beside carers through personal challenges too, because real care doesn’t have borders.
Compassion
We are personally present. We show up with warmth, patience, and understanding.
Empathy
We take time to understand what someone is carrying, not just what’s happening on paper.
Determination
We stay when it matters. We don't step back when things require effort or courage.
Meet the People Behind Soundly Fostering
We bring decades of experience, but what defines us most is our willingness to turn up in the moments that matter. We stay involved, we think carefully, we take time, and we support carers and children in ways that feel steady.
Joy O'Brien-Miller
Joy has worked as a social worker for over 30 years and grew up in a fostering household. She understands both professionally and personally what steady care looks like.
She is known for her calm presence and her ability to hold difficult moments with clarity and care. Joy believes that when carers feel supported and understood, children are safer and more able to grow.
Her leadership is grounded in integrity, emotional courage, and the belief that thoughtful support changes lives.
Katharina Carter
Kat became a social worker because of her values like honesty, respect, and empathy. Over more than a decade in fostering and Local Authority work, she saw how easily the human side of fostering could be overshadowed by process.
Soundly Fostering was created to protect that human element.
Kat is thoughtful, open, and determined. She believes fostering requires consistent presence, reflective conversations, and the kind of honesty that helps carers feel supported rather than judged.
Clare Aston
Clare brings nearly 30 years of fostering experience and a steady, ethical approach to every decision she makes. She is known for her fairness, insight, and calm clarity, helping ensure that children are cared for by carers who feel supported and well understood.
Her role goes beyond decision making, as Clare takes time to see the person behind the report. Her thoughtful oversight adds to carers feeling confident in their strengths.
Work with a team that shows up when it matters
Working at Soundly means being part of a small team that values presence over process. We support carers through complex moments, unexpected challenges, and the parts of life that don't fit neatly into a job description. If a carer is struggling, professionally or personally, we're there. That's the work. It takes people who care deeply, think reflectively, and act with integrity, even when situations feel demanding or uncertain.
If you believe in thoughtful practice, honest conversations, and doing what's right for children, you'll feel at home here.
Your experience matters. Your presence matters. And the difference you make here is felt.
If you think you have value to add to the Soundly Fostering team and align with our ethos, please send through your CV and we will get back to you if we have any vacancies.