Mosaic Foster Care has been recognised as UK Small Business of the Year at The UK Business Awards 2026.

The award recognises the thoughtful, values-led approach that underpins the work carried out by Mosaic Foster Care. In one of the UK’s most challenging care sectors, it reflects the agency’s ongoing commitment to providing safe, stable homes for children and young people while supporting foster parents with the training, therapeutic expertise and practical support they need to thrive.

At the heart of this approach is SMILE, Mosaic Foster Care’s in-house therapeutic framework that brings together reflective practice, experiential training and rapid-response professional support. Rather than being treated as an add-on, SMILE is embedded throughout the organisation, helping to create the conditions for more stable, therapeutic fostering.

Following the award win, Business Awards UK spoke with Mosaic Foster Care’s Director, Andre Palmer, about Mosaic’s purpose, growth, challenges and what comes next.

Inside Mosaic Foster Care: long-term therapeutic fostering with a clear purpose

Andre said: “We’re focused on providing safe, stable homes for children and young people who need long term therapeutic care. Our role is to recruit, train, and support foster carers, ensuring they have everything they need to provide high-quality care.

“I’m responsible for leading the overall strategy and growth of the organisation, while making sure we stay true to our core purpose – delivering the best possible outcomes for the children we support. That means balancing commercial performance with quality of care and building a strong team and culture that puts people first.”

Purpose, people and consistency: what drives Mosaic Foster Care’s award-winning success

Andre explained:

“I’d attribute our success to a clear sense of purpose, combined with consistent execution. We’ve always been very focused on why we exist – improving outcomes for children and supporting foster families for the long term – and that shapes every decision we make.

“Alongside that, we’ve invested heavily in people. The quality, commitment and values of our team and foster parents are what really set us apart. If you get that right, everything else follows.

“Finally, we’ve stayed disciplined, doing the basics well, listening to feedback and continuously improving rather than chasing quick wins. That combination of purpose, people and consistency has been the foundation of our growth.”

Growing a foster care agency without compromising children’s outcomes

Andre continued:

“Our biggest challenge has been scaling the organisation while protecting the quality of care we provide. In our sector, growth can’t come at the expense of children’s outcomes, and demand has been rising quickly, and expectations from local authorities are high.

“We faced real pressure around recruiting and retaining high-quality foster carers, while also supporting an increasingly complex cohort of children.

“Rather than grow too quickly, we made a conscious decision to invest heavily in training, wraparound support and our internal team. That wasn’t the easiest commercial decision in the short term, but it was the right one.

“As a result, we’ve been able to grow sustainably, improve placement stability and maintain strong relationships with our carers and partners. That challenge forced us to be very clear about our values – and ultimately made the organisation stronger.”

Andre went on to explain:

“I think what made us stand out was our ability to combine strong growth with genuinely measurable impact. In our sector, it’s not enough to just grow; we have to demonstrate better outcomes for children and real support for foster parents, and that’s where we’ve focused.

“The specific area I’d point to is the way we’ve built a much more comprehensive therapeutic support model around our foster parents and children. We didn’t just recruit – we invested in training, 24/7 support and a more joined-up, outcomes-focused approach. That’s led to greater placement stability and better experiences for the young people in our care.

“At the same time, we’ve been able to scale that model sustainably, without diluting quality. I think that balance – clear purpose, backed up by practical delivery and results – is what really set us apart.”

Three consecutive Outstanding Ofsted judgements – and no standing still

Andre also reflected on Mosaic Foster Care’s most recent Ofsted inspection:

“At our most recent Ofsted inspection we achieved an Outstanding judgement, our third consecutive award at this level. We were told by the inspector to keep doing what we are doing. We will, but we will also continue to innovate to ensure our children have the best possible chances in life and our foster parents are properly supported in their vital work.

“Being recognised alongside other strong businesses gives you a sense of where you sit in the wider landscape. For us, it’s been great for the team as well. It’s a real moment to celebrate the people behind the work, and that recognition goes a long way internally as well as externally.”

What winning UK Small Business of the Year 2026 means for Mosaic Foster Care’s future

Being named Small Business of the Year is an achievement Mosaic Foster Care is incredibly proud of, but it’s also recognition of the people who make Mosaic Foster Care what it is every day – its foster parents, its team and the children and young people it supports.

As the agency looks ahead, its focus remains exactly where it has always been: continuing to innovate, strengthening the support provided to foster families and helping more children experience the stability, care and opportunities they deserve.

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About Mosaic Foster Care

Mosaic Foster Care is an independent fostering agency providing Ofsted Outstanding rated therapeutic foster care across Essex, Suffolk, Bedfordshire including Milton Keynes, Hertfordshire, NorthKent, Northamptonshire and Worcestershire. Our mission is to ensure every child in our care thrives in a stable, nurturing home. We achieve this by providing long-term foster placements and by carefully matching children and foster parents. We keep caseloads small and embed in-house professionally delivered therapy and youth support into everyday practice – so no child is ever left waiting for the critical support they need.  Foster parents receive more than £700 per week after training and benefit from ongoing professional development, and a community that truly understands the rewards and challenges of fostering.