BACKGROUND: Mentalization is the ability to think about and interpret behaviours of both self and others in terms of thoughts and feelings. Caregiver's capacity to mentalize can enhance the quality of parent-child relationships. The UK Reflective Fostering Programme (RFP) has been developed to enhance foster and kinship carers' self-regulation and self-mentalizing. AIM: To understand carers' experiences, practical application, and perceived impact of the RFP. METHODS: A qualitative evaluation of the RFP using in depth interviews with twenty-four carers. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. RESULTS: Three key themes were identified: (1) ' CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest the programme can successfully facilitate carer's use of self-mentalizing, leading to greater self-regulation and capacity to support children in their care. Future research should explore experiences of male and kinship carers to inform tailoring.