Would I be unreasonable to track someone down through their workplace?

She doesn't need insulting, she needs reporting for placing an already vulnerable child at further risk, as does the other foster carer for encouraging and partaking in the behaviour.

Despite OP's denial, I suspect this is probably a regular thing she does. She conveniently had everything she needed with her to conduct a Zoom meeting.

That suggests to me she wasn't caught on the hop.

OP, my thoughts- are you really going to call her employer? I can hear the conversation now “ hello BT, have you got someone called Tracey working for you? She goes to Costa and is a foster carer”.

On the off chance they know who you’re talking about how do you know that she has informed work colleagues that she is a fc?

WiFi in a Costa is NOT SECURE and ANYONE wishing to steal your data can do so VERY EASILY. It’s free to use for a reason.

I worked for a local authority and was in a touchdown area when a social worker came in and had a confidential conversation regarding a family. Although I didn’t know the family their children were in foster care in my village and I knew the carer. I reported the social worker. The conversation should never have taken place if it could be overheard.

Like others I’m astounded at your lack of awareness.

I don't either as I am not a foster carer. I was just trying to be helpful. People can take from it what they want. It's not up to me or my decision.

If OP speaks to the LA she may very soon find she can never foster children again!

It can still be done removing some data. But I think you aren't trying to be helpful at this stage and just want to insult others.

I'm not sure what I'm more gobsmacked about, the utterly disgraceful behaviour of the foster carer or the bloody advice that's being given 😳

I'd speak to the LA.

Echoing what others have said, I'm gobsmacked that you held this meeting in a public place. And that you're justifying it by saying that you were in a hurry.
That could be a sackable offence where I work and I would have thought that in children's services, even more so.

Guessing this thread will go poof and op will ask mn to take it down due to privacy
pot kettle black

i I think someone needs to do some more safe guarding courses

That was my concern too!

I was wondering if she maybe made it up. To get more details out of OP.

Your suggestion was idiotic. It would show both women to have no grasp of data protection

Maybe her details were made up.

I was wondering the same thing, although she acted inappropriately herself by talking to OP about it for two hours.

She clearly has no clue about what she can and can't say though 😂

Oh stop it. It's not what I said or meant and you know it. I have come across a few of your posts and I always find them weird.

Oh yes like this

”Does anyone know Anne Jones who works at legal and general and fosters James Taylor, Suzie Banks and Jessica Banks. I’m a foster carer too, I foster Stuart Little, you might remember me, we met when I chose to share private, and confidential information with everyone in costa coffee”.

Like others I am in TOTAL shock you had a personal care planning meeting in a public place

my friend who is a foster carer would be hauled over the rocks for that.

I'm waiting for the OP to have this deleted for "privacy concerns " which would quite possibly be the most ironic deletion message ever

This ^

I think the OP would be wholly unreasonable to try to trace this woman through her employer.

Her employer really might not like it and it might bounce back on the employee.

If I were the OP I'd double and triple check for the piece of paper.

Well then don't mention that fact? Just ask if anyone knows a Jane living in x town. Maybe give a rough age? I don't see whats wrong with it. If you are a foster carer you obviously will know what you can say and can't. Calling up her workplace is definitely batshit. This one isn't.

Is this a joke?

Is it not bad enough that OP held a confidential meeting about vulnerable children in a public place and then followed it up with a two hour conversation with a complete stranger in the same public place?

Are you seriously suggesting she spreads the information on social media? Do you want to make sure that anyone who missed out on hearing it in Costa can read it on social media instead?

Those poor children...

Who hands their phone number over on a piece of paper?

Don’t you just enter it directly into your phone? And then dial it so both parties have the phone numbers.

This is so galling to read, to think that vulnerable children are in the care of someone so lax.

Apart from other customers, who could have heard the meeting, people tend to act as though waiting staff are invisible. You have no idea what else the staff know about you if you are a regular there and they can piece together quite a lot.

Did you have your background blurred? You should have told the meeting chair you were in a public place and they would surely have given you instructions or options which did not include sitting in a cafe discussing something highly confidential.

I can’t believe you held a care planning meeting in public. Personal, presumably confidential information about children was shared by you loud enough for someone else to hear it. What it if had been a birth relative?