Tell us a bit about your job

I manage the Family Finding team in the North East, who work really hard to find the right families for our young people. All of our foster carers get 21-nights short break care so they can have some well-deserved time out if they need it and our team co-ordinates this as well.

I’m also responsible for contracts and monitoring for the region. I work closely with our local authorities, fostering organisations as well as Team Fostering’s management team, to ensure we are compliant with contracts and working towards a joint goal of improving outcomes for our young people.

What brought you to Team Fostering?

I’ve been working within fostering for a long time now, since 2006. I was a Family Placement Social Worker for a small independent fostering agency in the North West. I then joined Team Fostering in 2012 as an independent form F assessor, after relocating back to the North East.

Whilst completing fostering assessments for Team, I built up a brilliant relationship with everyone and went on to do some sessional work to cover staff leave.  I worked as a sessional Supervising Social worker and then as a Family Finding Officer within the Family Finding team.

When the opportunity presented itself I leapt at the chance to take on a permanent post and progressed roles within this team over the years.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I enjoy lots of things about my role but the biggest pleasure is seeing the difference we make to the lives of the young people we care for.

I also love the development work I get to be involved in which includes developments to the services we offer. I’m so proud to work for an Agency that always strives to improve and achieve better outcomes for our young people.

On a wider level, I enjoy collaborating with the local authorities and other fostering organisations, as this develops not only our practice but influences the wider world of fostering in a positive way.

When might a foster carer get to see you?

Foster carers will meet me during their assessments, as I deliver a session on the referral and matching process, as part of the Skills to Foster training which all potential foster carers will attend as part of the assessment process.  If a foster carer is transferring to us, they may also meet me during the protocol meeting.

I run workshops for foster carers around matching or contract changes when needed, and I attend the occasional children’s activity.

Our Family Finding Officers lead on referrals and matching, however there might be the odd occasion when I need to cover so carers may see me in online matching meetings or speak to me over the phone about a young person.

Why is it important to match the right child to the right family?

It’s incredibly important for us to match children with foster carers that can meet their needs. This creates stability for young people, enabling them to thrive. This is why Team Fostering has a dedicated family finding team and a robust matching process in place.

Throughout matching our family finding officers and supervising social workers aim to get as much information as possible about a child.  Even when matching has been robust, we still have occasions where new information comes to light after a child is in our care.  Because of this we also have a focus on stability and support. We work with our foster carers and the Local Authority to support the emerging needs of our young people and keep this under review.

What’s your favourite memory from your time at Team?

I have lots of fond memories of social events and general good times shared with colleagues. I particularly enjoy it when we all come together and have a good catch up and laugh together. We pull together a pretty awesome shared lunch here in the North East!

One of the things I value most about Team is the comradery and how everyone will pull together, particularly if we are managing a tricky situation. And that’s not just my team members (who I’m immensely proud of) but all teams across the agency.

Do you have interesting fact about yourself you could share with people?

My parents became foster carers once my three brothers and I were all adults.  So, I lived for a time with foster children in a very busy household, as all of us birth children were at home and my parents cared for sibling groups.

I was part of my parent’s support network when I lived at home.  When I moved out, I lived away, but the children would come and stay with me at times for little holidays, which was always great fun.

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