Services Provided By Family Matters

Foster Care: Each child’s needs are very different, and we provide a variety of homes to reflect that. 

Many of our carers look after children on a long term basis, caring for them from childhood until they leave home as young adults.  When this is the case it is common for a permanent attachment to occur, and the carers find that there is an additional member of the family to invite for Christmas, weddings and other family occasions!
Sometimes a child will live with a family for a shorter period of time, perhaps whilst an adoption placement is assessed, or until they are able to return home to their own parents.  All our foster carers are trained to work as part of the fostering team, including working with birth parents.
Some of our foster carers do not want to have children living with them on a full-time basis.  They are approved to look after children for a short period of time.  This may be whilst the full time carers are on holiday, or to give regular weekend breaks to the child’s own family.

We also have a team of supplementary carers who provide evening childminding, or help with activities.  They form the “Aunts and Uncles” of our extended family, and often become significant people in our children’s lives.

Wherever possible we facilitate a period of introductions, enabling the child to meet the carers and get to know them before they move into their home.  Sometimes the child is placed in an emergency and this is not possible.  All our carer families have compiled photograph albums which are available to give the child a flavour of the home they will be going to live in, and to give them the opportunity of at least knowing what the carers look like, and who else is in the family.

We are normally able to keep brothers and sisters together, and currently have several family groups living with us.  Previously we have been able to accommodate a large family within two geographically close foster homes, who worked together to care for the children.

Social Work: The social work team undertake a range of work including preparing and delivering training, supervising foster carers, receiving referrals and liaising with children’s own social workers and other members of the fostering team.  In addition they spend a considerable time recording the progress of placements and disseminating the information to the appropriate places.  The out of hours phone is held by one of our qualified social workers.  Sometimes our social workers are asked to undertake direct work with the children in our care, and they frequently participate in the many fun activities enjoyed by our children.
Other Services:

When required we provide transport/escort to and from contact, and supervise contact with the child’s family.
Meeting room for reviews or other meetings.
Day support when a child is not in education and the involvement of the Education and Resources Co-ordinator.
Daily reports written by the foster carers, stored at Family Matters Head Office.
Weekly reports compiled by the carers, reviewed by the supervising social worker, and sent to the child’s own social worker, enabling an accurate picture of the child’s life to be kept.
Social activities for foster carers and their families.
Holiday activities for fostered children and the children of foster carers.
And others......