How Are Children in Foster Care Matched with Carers?

Making sure every child is paired with a foster family that can provide them with the love and support they need is essential for a successful match. But what exactly is a foster care match? And how are matches decided? Our latest guide explains the foster care matching process.

What is Matching in Foster Care?

Otherwise known as placing a foster child, matching is the process of finding the most appropriate foster carers for each child in care. Here at Capstone Foster Care, we prefer the term matching as opposed to placement as we believe it’s a more accurate term for considering both the needs of the child and the skills of the foster carer.

The Foster Care Matching Process

We always follow the foster care matching process to ensure the child is matched with carers who can meet their needs and circumstances. The only exception is for emergency fostering placements.

Assessment of the Foster Child’s Needs

The first step of the foster care matching process is to assess the child’s needs. The main considerations that are assessed include;

• Physical needs: The child’s physical needs are important when considering how suitable the foster care match could be. Physical needs include health conditions, physical disabilities, allergies or dietary requirements. For example, if the foster child is allergic to fur, it would rule out any foster carers with pets. Similarly, if the child has a disability, it’s important to match them with foster carers who have experience or training in caring for someone with similar needs.
• Emotional needs: Emotional well-being is essential for a foster child’s feelings of stability and their overall development. At the start of the matching process, they are assessed by our multidisciplinary team of professionals to identify any past trauma or mental health needs. Support services, such as the MATTs service, can offer specialised therapeutic care if required. Understanding the child’s emotional needs can help to match them with foster carers who can provide a nurturing and supportive environment.
• Educational needs: Maintaining consistent education is important to minimise disruption in a foster child’s life. Making sure they continue to attend their usual school can help to maintain a sense of normalcy. This means that the child’s commute to school will be considered during the matching process. The match will also consider the foster carers ability to support any special educational needs and general development.
• Cultural needs: It’s important that if a child has cultural needs, they are met by their foster carers, as a child’s self-esteem and identity are often linked to their cultural background. Matching a foster child with foster carers who share the same cultural background can help the foster child maintain a connection to their roots whilst naturally integrating their culture into their daily life.  
• Religious needs: A child’s faith can be integral to their sense of identity. Matching the foster child with foster carers who support and respect their religious beliefs is essential. It’s important that the foster child has access to the spiritual guidance and support they need to maintain their religious practices if they want to.
• Social needs: It’s important to consider the child’s social needs to ensure that they maintain their friendships and family relationships (where possible). This includes taking into account their interests and hobbies.

Foster Carer Matching Criteria

Once the foster child’s needs have been outlined, the next step is to find the most suitable foster carer who is equipped to support the foster child’s unique needs and requirements.

Here at Capstone Foster Care, we take time to really get to know our foster carers, including their interests, skills and any gaps in their experience. Every foster child will have different priorities when it comes to their needs. However, the safety of the foster child is our utmost priority, which means if the child has any health needs, foster carers who can cater to this will be favoured. For example, if the child needs extra doctor or hospital appointments, foster carers who have the time and means to take them to their appointments will be preferable. Equally, if a child has religious or cultural needs then these are always prioritised.

Another key factor in the matching process is location. It’s important that the child’s time in foster care causes minimal disruption to their daily life as possible. Therefore, it’s important that the foster carer lives in a location that allows access to family time and school.

Finally, it’s not just the child’s needs that are important in the matching process. The chemistry between the foster carer and foster child helps to solidify a child’s place in the family, so our matching team make sure to take note of personality traits, hobbies, likes and dislikes. For example a child who loves playing outdoors will be matched with outdoorsy foster carers where possible and children who love animals, may be more likely to be matched with a family that has a pet.

Foster Care Matching Challenges

One of the main challenges in the foster care matching process is the shortage of foster carers. There simply aren't enough foster carers, which makes it increasingly difficult to cater for the child’s individual needs. It can be especially difficult to match siblings, children with disabilities and teenagers due to the lack of foster carers with the time and skills needed to provide a safe, stable and loving home.

It can be difficult for foster children to settle into a new foster home, especially if they feel like being placed with a foster family is something that has been “done to them” rather than a process that they have been involved in. That’s why we send all our foster children a welcome book, which includes photos of their carers, their new home, bedroom and activities nearby that they can look forward to. 

Could you foster?

Fostering is a rewarding career, that not only develops your skills and experience, but ultimately, provides a safe and loving home for a child who needs one.

We fully support our foster carers in their fostering journey, which means our team are open and approachable if there are any worries before, during or after the matching process. We also provide training for all our carers and our MATTs service is also on hand to help if extra support is required. Could you foster? Make an enquiry today.