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

[OneShyBear]

I’m a foster carer to 2 children. I met another foster carer by chance on Friday in a Costa when I was doing a care planning meeting on a zoom on my laptop. She overheard the whole meeting and then told me after that she was also a foster carer too and then we both chatted for over another 2 hours. At the end she wrote her phone number down on a piece of paper and told me to text her and keep in touch. We had worked out that we both had similar issues (with social services and in terms of support needed for our foster children) and similar experiences as foster carers and had worked out that we could both support each other and stay in touch as friends. I’ve lost the piece of paper that she wrote her number down on and I only have her first name and not her surname. During the conversation she did tell me that as well as being a foster carer she also works part time and she told me her workplace/the company (it’s a large/national company/organisation) that she works for too, would I be unreasonable to contact the company/organisation and give them my number and her first name (and the other information that she gave me during the conversation that could help her company identify the right person) and ask if they can track her down internally by any chance and pass on my number to her? Obviously I understand that they wouldn’t be able to give me her details or her number due to data protection but I could ask them to pass my number on to her if they could manage to track her down internally? Would I be unreasonable to do this? I’m happy to do it and I want to do it but my DH doesn’t think I should as he thinks that going through her workplace is “weird”. We both really got along well and genuinely intended to keep in touch (before I lost her number) as friends and we both had very similar experiences as foster carers too.

You could try finding her on linked in. But I would not contact someones workplace. It could cause issues for them.

But then you chatted for two hours?

Why not just plaster the whole thing all over social media where it can be picked up by the MailOnline, OP.

Oh, hang on …

@OneShyBear You held a care planning meeting in a public place!? This astounds me.

I would go back to Costa on same day the following week & time & see if she is there.

I am also a foster carer. Have you thought about trying to contact her via social care rather than her other job. They would probably more helpful as in my experience they encourage contact between carers for support.

Next time you’re late for a meeting, do it in the car. Don’t sit in Costa for everyone to hear!!

So strangers heard every bit of this private, dare I say, confidential meeting?

Oh yeah good point!

I agree with all sentiments here.

My thoughts too. Its a huge breech of that children's privacy and information that should never been shared in a public place.

Imagine!!! This isn't a long lost friend. Even then people don't want their names all over social media either. As a Foster Carer you shouldn't even be all over SM. Everyone who is throwing out suggestions on asking for her here or there is just as bonkers as OP.

A confidential meeting in Costa wtf

Me neither 😳

I know!! wtf.

Why did you not take number and put in your phone at the time. Normally if exchanging numbers I just type their number in to my phone or vice versa

Not helpful just curious - don’t think work would pass on details esp if huge organisation and you only have first name. How would they trace her unless it’s a unique first name.

Maybe if know are she stays can put on Community FB page though perhaps she won’t want personal info re things on there.

Probably just accept you are not meant to keep in touch and forget it.

If it's a big organization you'll probably struggle to find her with just a first name, but worth a try.

If you know her name and company you could connect on LinkedIn

Why are you giving her more stupid ideas?

Do you think social care would be impressed if OP told them that she had attended a confidential care planning meeting in Costa, where anyone could have overheard and OP has told us that at least one person (a complete stranger) overheard the whole meeting?

Would they approve if she told them that having committed that serious breach of confidentiality she engaged in a two hour conversation with that stranger about her job as a foster carer and her opinions about the shortcomings of social care?

The woman told her she is a foster parent, but she could have been anyone, including someone that might have bad intentions towards the children in OP's care.

Do you think social care would approve, or do you think OP would be disciplined and probably sacked?

Would you, as a foster carer, act in the same way?

I'd love to hear the chat between the OP and social care on that one.

"I'm trying to get in touch with ThisPerson who is a foster carer in ThatTown. I got chatting to her when she overheard me having a care planning meeting in Costa..."

I'm not sure linking the two FC's would be their first priority...

Ignore the comments which are not helpful. You don’t owe the always outraged anything.

You’d never have found support if you hadn’t gone to Costa!

And she wouldn't have breached the trust and confidentiality of vulnerable children in her care!

If OP needs support there are many more appropriate places she should seek it than a public cafe FFS!

You're going way too far to track someone down. If your meant to be friends you'll meet again somewhere.
if someone called my workplace to track me down I'd be so embarrassed tbh.
you say you only have a first name, there could be multiple people working at that organisation that have that name