Empowering Foster Families in Surrey Through Inclusive Stories, Literacy and Belonging

Client: Surrey County Council Fostering Service

Partner: Happier Every Chapter

Supporting Author: Eleanor Pulze, Author of Foster Care for Florence & Bear

Date: Fostering Fortnight 2026 June 6th | National Year of Reading 2026

 

The Challenge

Care experienced children often face barriers that can affect confidence, emotional well-being, school engagement, literacy attainment and sense of belonging.

Surrey County Council Fostering Service wanted to create an enriching experience during Fostering Fortnight that would:

• Strengthen children's confidence and self-expression

• Promote reading for pleasure

• Support emotional well-being

• Help children feel represented through stories

• Build positive relationships between children, carers and professionals

The challenge was not simply delivering a book event.

The goal was creating an experience where children felt seen, heard and valued.

 

Our Solution

Happier Every Chapter designed and delivered a Literacy & Belonging Book Fair at Woking Library.

The programme combined:

• Diverse and inclusive book curation

• Author engagement

• Creative writing activities

• Reading-for-pleasure opportunities

• Literacy resources

• Relationship-building experiences

Activities included:

• Browse & Read Session

• Author Read-Aloud

• Author Q&A

• Author Book Signing

• Creative Writing Workshop

• Story Showcase

• Prize Giving

• Personalised Book Selection

Each child received:

• A Happier Every Chapter Book Box

• Inclusive take-home books

• Literacy and activity resources

• Reading gifts and stationery

• Signed books from the author

 

What Happened

Although attendance was smaller than originally anticipated, the event created exceptionally deep engagement.

Three children attended with their foster carers and participated fully throughout the programme.

Rather than a large-scale event, the day became a highly personalised literacy intervention where every child received individual attention from:

• Foster carers

• Surrey Fostering colleagues

• Children's author Eleanor Pulze

• The Happier Every Chapter team

The result was meaningful conversation, creative participation and sustained engagement throughout the afternoon.

Outcomes

Increased Reading Engagement

Children actively explored and selected books aligned to their interests and lived experiences.

This helped develop:

• Ownership of reading choices

• Reading motivation

• Reading for pleasure behaviours

• Positive associations with books

Improved Confidence and Self-Expression

Every child created and shared their own stories through writing and drawing activities.

Children demonstrated:

• Creativity

• Imagination

• Confidence in sharing ideas

• Willingness to participate

 

Stronger Sense of Belonging

A particularly powerful moment came through Eleanor Pulze's book Foster Care for Florence & Bear.

Children saw fostering experiences represented positively within literature.

This created opportunities for:

• Recognition

• Validation

• Discussion

• Identity affirmation

Representation transformed reading from something children consumed into something they could see themselves within.

 

Strengthened Relationships

The event created meaningful conversations between:

• Children

• Foster carers

• Surrey Fostering colleagues

• The author

• Happier Every Chapter

The shared experience strengthened community connections and created a safe, welcoming environment centred on children's voices.

 

Why This Matters

For care experienced children, literacy is about far more than reading ability.

Stories can support:

• Emotional well-being

• Confidence

• Identity development

• School engagement

• Communication skills

• Sense of belonging

This event demonstrated how carefully curated books, relatable role models and creative expression can work together to create positive childhood experiences.

A Model for Wider Impact

The Surrey Literacy & Belonging Book Fair demonstrates a scalable model that can be delivered through:

• Virtual Schools

• Local Authorities

• Fostering Services

• Family Hubs

• Children's Services

• Alternative Provision Settings

• Residential Care Settings

• Community Literacy Programmes

The format can be adapted for:

• Fostered children

• Kinship families

• Adopted children

• Young carers

• SEND learners

• Children at risk of exclusion

 

Looking Ahead

The success of the event has reinforced the value of literacy-based belonging programmes for care experienced children.

By combining books, creativity, representation and positive relationships, organisations can create meaningful interventions that support both educational and wellbeing outcomes.

As Surrey County Council demonstrated during Fostering Fortnight 2026, even a small event can create a lasting impact when every child feels seen, heard and represented.

Key Results

✓ Delivered during Fostering Fortnight 2026

✓ Partnership between Surrey County Council Fostering Service, Happier Every Chapter and author Eleanor Pulze

✓ 100% participation across all activities

✓ Every child created and shared original stories

✓ Every child received books, literacy resources and reading gifts

✓ Positive feedback from carers and Surrey Fostering colleagues

✓ Demonstrated a scalable Literacy & Belonging model for care experienced children

Interested in Delivering a Literacy & Belonging Programme?

Happier Every Chapter works with Local Authorities, Virtual Schools, fostering services, children's services teams and corporate partners to improve literacy, belonging and well-being through inclusive books and literacy interventions.