Alison
Supervising Fostering Social Worker, Exeter & East Devon
What does your role involve?
I recruit, train, assess, support and supervise foster carers, but the main part of my role is the supervision and support. Foster carers are all volunteers and we expect a lot from them, so support is really important. You have to really value people. A lot of my role is about having a good relationship with the foster carers. I support them with regular telephone calls and visits.
We work closely with our child protection colleagues so that we can provide and maintain a high level of protection for the children. I also work really closely with the district social work teams and colleagues in education and health. The role is quite complex, you have to be very creative and flexible in finding placements. The main emphasis is on supporting high quality foster placements that allow the children to thrive and, in many cases, return home.
How did you become a Fostering Social Worker?
My interest was first sparked when I did an evening counselling course at college. I started exploring the options for a career change and began doing voluntary work with young people. I trained as a Social Worker in Cornwall and when I qualified I got a job in the child protection team. I found that a significant number of the children I worked with were in foster care. I wanted to develop my skills and be able to support foster carers so I moved into fostering. I moved to Devon because the job here really appealed to me, it was what I wanted to do.
What keeps you working for Devon County Council?
Devon is a lovely county. I can be in the centre of Exeter one minute and then in Budleigh Salterton visiting a placement and having my lunch break by the sea the next. There are often long distances between the placements and the long drives through the countryside give me the chance to reflect. This can be a stressful job and you need those opportunities for calm!
The fostering service is constantly being reviewed and inspected, which is good because it means that we are very forward thinking and always looking to improve, but you do need a lot of energy and flexibility. I work in a very supportive team, I have regular supervision, and I have been able to complete my social work post qualifying award.