Staff Profiles

Jo - Senior Supervising Social Worker

I have been working for Fostering People as a Senior Supervising Social Worker for 8 years. My job role consists of working with foster carers, children and young people and Local Authorities.

Over the last two years, Fostering People have been providing foster placements for children and young people who are seeking sanctuary in England from experiences in there country of origin.

Many of these children and young people have really thrived and benefited from the education and social opportunities that Fostering People foster carers have offered them. Within my job role I have been successful in setting up various support groups to provide support and advice to children and young people seeking sanctuary and also to there foster carers.

Mark - Senior Supervising Social Worker

I offer supervision and support to foster carers in the North East and contribute to the delivery of an on-going training schedule. I also respond to the majority of initial enquiries from prospective foster carers.

I hold a Certificate in Residential Work with Adolescents, attained in 1997 and I qualified as a social worker (DipSW) in 1999.

I first started my career working with children in 1990 when I worked in a large residential school in Bath. Three and a half years later, I returned to work in children’s homes, was seconded to complete my Diploma in Social Work and subsequently transferred to an area field work team, after which I worked for a local Youth Offending Service.

I first became involved in fostering in 2008, working for a local Independent Fostering Agency before moving to Fostering People in October 2009.

The challenges are varied. At times, there is a considerable amount of travelling involved, driving around the region and also to Head Office in Nottingham. And because I tend to deal with the majority of initial enquiries from prospective foster carers in the North East, this can regularly involve evening appointments due to the fact that people are often at work during the day, and I have to accommodate the times that they are available.

I enjoy the fact that no two days are the same, and at times I feel very privileged to see the dedication and hard work that foster carers offer to children and young people in their care. It is very rewarding to see and hear of triumphs, no matter how large or small.

Sarah - Principal Social Worker

I have an overview of the recruitment of carers throughout the whole agency and responsibility for signing off the paper work to go through to assessment.  I assist in the co-ordination of skills to foster courses.

I have worked at Fostering People since November 2007. I was previously employed by Independent Fostering, a Nottingham based agency, and this company merged with Fostering People in 2007.

I joined as a Supervising Social Worker in the East Midlands team based at Head Office carrying a caseload of about 10 foster carers. Opportunities arose for promotion and I successfully gained a position as Senior Supervising Social Worker.

As the agency continued to grow, the necessity for new posts became apparent. A new tier of managers was implemented and I successfully gained the post of Principal Social worker in the Recruitment team. I now take sole responsibility for the recruitment of Form F Assessors and manage the assessments to prepare them for panel. I manage two staff in the Recruitment team, Senior Administrator and the Fostering Support Worker for the East Midlands region.

Since Fostering People has grown and become the agency it is today what inspires me working here is the team in Head office and across the regions. The team effort ethos shines through every time which makes it a positive environment to work in.

The team, managers and infrastructure that support us to do the best we can to recruit, support and supervise carers to offer excellent placements to children.

The demand for good quality foster carers in an ever-changing society is ongoing. But for me, continuing to strive for excellence is a challenge in itself.

Sarah - Social Work Administrator

I am based in the Nottingham office and provide admin support for all of the East Midlands Social Workers. My role includes coordinating carer training, ordering stationery, filing and general admin cover.

I started my working life as a Purchase Ledger Clerk when I was 16 on a Youth Training Scheme and, after 3 years, I moved onto Technical Secretary. In 2002 I moved to Games Workshop as the Trade Sales Administrator for the UK, in 2005 I became the Administrator for the Strepsils Marketing Team at Boots Healthcare on a temporary contract before moving into Recruitment where I worked as a Resourcer and Administrator at Meridian Business Support and Robert Half International.

I started at Fostering People in September 2008 and I am now primarily admin for the East Midlands team which includes Northampton and Derby.

The most important part of anyone’s job here at Fostering People to look after the children in care and provide help and support to the foster carers. I love my role as Social Work Administrator as it allows me to gain an insight into what it takes to look after a vulnerable child, as well as get to know the carers and act as an information point for them.

There are many challenges which we all face every day and which vary greatly. On one day you could be dealing with a problem on the database, the next it could be taking a call from a distressed carer. Sometimes the most challenging times are emotional; when a placement breaks down and you have come to know that person a little.

We do some fantastic work here and it is amazing being part of it, knowing that even if we only do one little thing a day – giving someone a warm welcome or sending someone a certificate – will make a difference to someone’s life.

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