How do we make  placements?

Hello, my name is Katie and I currently work within our placements team as Senior MATTS Referrals Coordinator, leading the team whom co-ordinate and match the referrals we receive from local authorities about children and young people in care to the foster carer here at FosterCare UK.

I am responsible for the matching of each referral placement sent to us and ensuring the best suited package for both the young person and carer is agreed with the local authority and is in place for as soon as the placement begins.

I work closely with our therapeutic service team, identifying the needs of the children and young people being referred to us and developing our service to ensure we at FosterCare UK can offer stable, therapeutic and bespoke placement for the local authorities, the children and young people and for our foster carers.
Part of my role is to liaise with local authorities, identifying their current placement needs and educating them about our therapeutic service and the carers we have available that will be well suited to the children and young people being referred.

It’s really important not only form relationships with the local authorities, but ensure this is replicated with our foster carers, ensuring our foster carers trust us, feel supported and are provided with professional guidance they need while going through the matching element of the fostering role.

On average we will receive more than 65 referrals a day, requests from local authorities nationwide and for children and young people of varying ages. The placement type being sought can vary from solo, sibling group, parent and child assessment and vary in placement length e.g. long term, short term or emergency. The reasons why these children and young people are coming into care will vary with each referral we receive and will be personal to that individual child. The demand for fostering placements continues to increase and it is recognised across the profession the current limit of placement options available.

I am lucky to be passionate about my job and working alongside others who share the same level of passion. Seeing a young person grow and be completely immersed in their fostering families is the most rewarding element of my role. A large number of professionals are included in the network that surrounds a child who has entered the care system, we at FosterCare UK pride ourselves in ensuring that our contribution is to the highest of standards.