Vicki Jones serves as the founding Chair, bringing 14 years of experience as a foster carer & Parent and child carer, dedicated to creating safe, nurturing spaces where children and families can flourish. Her family includes her husband Andy, their three adult birth children, and a bonus son who joined them at 14 and has remained a cherished part of their family ever since — a reflection of their long‑standing commitment to permanence, belonging, and lifelong support. They also have 2 beloved dogs. Vicki’s practice is shaped by lived experience of neurodivergence and many years of hands‑on support for neurodivergent children and parents. She has walked alongside families during some of their most vulnerable moments, offering patience, empathy, and steady, grounded guidance. As Chair, Vicki embodies the heart of C.A.R.E.S. — championing foster carers, uplifting families, and ensuring that every foster carer and every child feels seen, supported, and valued. She is driven by a commitment to strengthening carer representation, promoting consistent and high‑quality support, building a strong fostering community, and advocating for positive, sustainable outcomes for children in partnership with the Corporate Parent.

I’m Cindy Morris, a long-standing foster carer specialising in teenagers. Having grown up in care myself, I bring a personal understanding to my fostering alongside my professional roles as a Retention Ambassador for Surrey County Council’s fostering service and a Fostering Buddy, and I sit as an independent member on several fostering panels. As a proud member of C.A.R.E.S. — Carers Advocating, Representing, Empowering & Supporting — I’m here to offer support and advice to carers, independently of the service, and to help shape fostering for the better, for both children and carers. I believe strongly in the value of the work carers do, and that fostering is about mutual growth — I’ve learned as much from the young people in my care as I hope they’ve learned from me. That belief drives everything I do.

Father of 3 children, grandfather to 3 and foster carer for 11 years and I will help those I can who need it in this world and the next. I’m also a big movie fan, do you know which movie I parodied? On a more serious note, I am in a supporting role to my wife Ally who is an amazing carer. I follow her putting children’s safety, welfare and comfort ahead of any other consideration. Being a less active member of team Johnson left me with a need to find a way of helping more with foster caring when I’m not in my other role as a full time IT Manager. Joining an association that promotes, supports and helps to recruit new foster carers is my chosen path so I find myself here at CARES offering what I can of my experience. I will say I was gobsmacked how much more emotionally involving it is than I ever anticipated. A bit about my past, I was a youth worker for about 10 years working with children from secondary school age to adulthood which was quite a learning experience. It helped me improve as a father (I have 3 adult children who make me very proud ) and I hope I contributed to many young people becoming better versions of themselves. I also worked in fundraising for charities in more than one capacity over the last 25 years including as a member on the board of TVA (now VASE), a transition I helped to make before stepping down. Currently help to run a community radio station and even have a go 'spinning the decks'🎶 which I very much enjoy. My vision....., no, my mission is to help improve the perception of foster carers and foster caring so more of us are aware of how much loving, heart and self (including the part that leaves with children or young people in our care when they depart) goes into being a foster carer. This message will self-destruct in 10 seconds💣…… Not!🤩

Helen and her husband Ross’ fostering journey started in January 2012 and they have fostered over 35 children, including 10 sets of Parent and Child and facilitated one adoption and seeing some children returning to their own families. They now concentrate on Parent and Child Specialist & General Foster Carers. Ross was initially the main foster carer but in September 2018 Helen retired from the NHS after 33 years, having been a Specialist Safeguarding Nurse and previously Family Nurse Partnership Supervisor Programme for young families and babies/toddlers. Helen became the stay-at-home Foster Carer specialising in Parent and Child; Helen had always wanted to offer Parent and Child placements, whilst longer term decisions are made for children and families within the Public Law Outline/Court decisions. ​​Ross now works in the sports industry as a golf caddy/football referee/cricket coach at a local school. We have 2 adult boys of our own; Morgan(25) just returned from university (psychology) and Jake(30) who is a Royal Marine Commando. The family cats are always popular: Miss Flo and Miss Tilly. Helen previously sat on the health committees as a foster carer for the previous association. She is passionate about children being able to return or stay with families when this is safe and in the child’s best interest; Helen works with the families of these children to help repair family relationships. Within C.A.R.E.S Helen wants to focus on support and advocating for foster carers on an individual human level and to see foster carers being integral to the foundations of a fostering service. Helen also wants foster carers to have meaningful friendships with other foster carer families as this has been proven time and time again to increase resilience and keep foster carers fostering!! Helen in her spare time…. Loves to create and make: knitting, sewing, mixed media, soft furnishings, gardening.

Hi, I'm Cheryl, and I'm proud to serve as Secretary of C.A.R.E.S., as well as being an Emergency Duty Foster Carer here in Surrey. Our family has been fostering for over 16 years, and it truly is a family affair. I'm supported by my wonderful husband Bruce and our son Cameron, who joined our family through adoption at the age of one and is now 22. Our loyal Labrador Shadow is very much part of the team too! Our former foster daughter, now in her mid-twenties, has gone on to live independently — she has so much to be proud of — and we continue to support a number of young adults who have lived with us over the years and remain very dear to us. For us, fostering has created an extended family that we cherish. At the heart of everything I do is a belief that the best outcomes for children in care are achieved when foster carers and social workers work together — openly, therapeutically, and with genuine curiosity about each child's needs and potential. I'm passionate about ensuring the children and young people in our care have real choices in their lives, and I work hard to help make that a reality. I also feel strongly about care experienced young people — young people who have been in our care don't stop needing support the moment they turn 18. Ensuring that care experienced young people can access meaningful support and services as they move into independence is something I am deeply committed to, and it's a cause I will continue to advocate for through my role at C.A.R.E.S. As Secretary of C.A.R.E.S., I'm committed to making sure your voice is heard and that foster carers across Surrey have access to the meaningful support and services they deserve. I'm here to represent you, work alongside you, and champion the incredible work you do every single day. Please don't hesitate to reach out — I'd love to connect.