When people first express interest in becoming foster carers,
one of the frequent questions is:
“How do we choose which child we will get?”
The answer lies in a process called matching.
What is Matching?
Matching is the process of carefully considering how well a potential foster carer can meet the specific needs of a child who needs a placement. It’s about making the best possible fit between the child and the foster family to help ensure a stable, safe, and nurturing home environment.
How Does Matching Work?
During your assessment to become a foster carer, we take time to get to know you, your household, your lifestyle, and your strengths. This helps us understand:
- Who you are as a family
- What kind of placement might suit you best
- The types of children you might be best able to support
When a child needs a placement, we look at all this information to help decide if your household would be a good match.
What Factors Are Considered in Matching?
Matching involves reviewing several key areas:
⮚ Child-related needs:
- Education – Is the child’s school a reasonable travel distance?
- Family contact (aka family time) – Can you support the child’s contact with family, including transport?
- Identity – Can you support the child’s race, culture, religion, and background?
- History and trauma – Do you have the understanding or training to meet the child’s emotional needs?
- Behaviour – How might the child’s behaviour impact others in the home?
- Health needs – Are you trained or willing to be trained to meet specific health needs?
- Type of placement – e.g., short-term, long-term, parent and child placement.
⮚ Foster carer-related suitability:
- Your experience, strengths, and availability
- Training completed or willingness to complete further training
- Location and distance from school/contact points and the ability of the foster carer to transport
- The needs of other children already in placement or in the household
- The views and needs of your own family members
The Process of Matching
- Referral received – The family finding team reviews the referral and consults with foster carers, their supervising social worker, and the referring local authority
- Information shared – Details of suitable carers are sent to the local authority for consideration.
- Risk and needs review – A child over 2 years old needs their own room.
- Professional input – If needed, a planning meeting is held, especially for children with complex needs.
- Action plan developed – If there are gaps (e.g., training or transport), a plan is put in place to address them.
- Carer support and preparation – It is expected that carers will complete any specialist training before a placement starts.
- Matching form and oversight – A matching form must be completed, and the proposal approved by fostering management before an offer is made.
- Child’s social worker involvement – They may visit and must provide a risk assessment from the previous placement.
- Final agreement – Once all needs are matched and plans agreed, the match goes to the fostering manager for final sign-off and confirmation to the local authority.
- Final agreement – Once all needs are matched and plans agreed, the match goes to the fostering manager for final sign-off and confirmation to the local authority.
Matching and the National Minimum Standards
Under Standard 15 of the Fostering Services National Minimum Standards, fostering services must:
- Only suggest carers who can meet the child’s assessed needs
- Provide full, clear written information to carers before placement
- Follow up on any missing information from the responsible authority
- Ensure that placements are stable and only end if necessary, and in the child’s best interests
Key Outcomes of Good Matching
- A placement that meets the child’s needs
- A carer who is confident and supported
- Greater placement stability
- Better outcomes for the child
I hope that this demystifies some of the process 😊
To find out more about fostering and making a difference in a child’s life,
then please get in contact via www.ukfostering.org.uk
or 0345 222 0518 (Local Rate)
by Lynsey Dobbs, Senior Recruitment Officer
Reference
National Minimum Standards 2011. Available at: Fostering services: national minimum standards – GOV.UK