Apex Fostering, an independent fostering agency working across the East of England, has been named a finalist in The Purpose Beyond Profit Award at the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards 2026. The agency recruits, trains and supports foster carers to provide safe, stable and nurturing homes where children who cannot live with their birth families can heal, grow and thrive.
Finalists were announced in July 2026, and the winners will be revealed at a ceremony at Grosvenor House in London on 10 November 2026. The shortlisting for The Purpose Beyond Profit Award follows a period in which the agency has built its case around a simple stated belief: when carers are supported, children do better.
Children shaping the service
According to the business, that belief informs every decision it makes, from carefully matching children with families to declining placements where it does not believe long-term outcomes will be positive, an approach it describes as putting purpose before short-term gain. Young people are not only supported by its services; the agency reports that they contribute to foster carer recruitment, influence training, improve organisational processes and play a meaningful role in the decisions that affect them.
Apex was founded by Sali Walker, who is both care-experienced and a foster carer, a combination the company says allows it to pair lived experience with professional expertise.
A national platform for care-experienced voices
Over the past 18 months, the agency’s philosophy has extended beyond its own walls. Apex launched File Not Found, a national art exhibition and competition for care-experienced young people staged at London’s OXO Tower Wharf Gallery. The initiative was developed with support from The Fostering Network, The Rees Foundation, The Share Foundation and Fatima Whitbread’s campaign supporting children and young people with care experience. Its aim, the company says, is to give care-experienced young people a platform to share their stories, challenge perceptions and influence conversations about the future of care. Details of the exhibition and competition are published on the Apex Fostering website.
Recognition and results
The business reports high foster carer retention and strong advocacy from its carers, and points to a Good rating from Ofsted, a shortlisting at the Children & Young People Now Awards and a Best Company Culture Award as external recognition of its culture. Ofsted’s records show that Apex Fostering Limited, based in Epping, Essex, registered as an independent fostering service in July 2021 and received its most recent full inspection in November 2024; the regulator publishes its inspection reports online.
Apex is one of the finalists competing across this year’s Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards programme. Whatever the result in November, the company says its focus remains the same: placing children at the centre of every decision to create better outcomes for young people, while helping to shape a stronger future for fostering across the UK.
