Managers Blog

I am a Principal Manager for the Fostering Assessment Team, a small but highly committed team responsible for undertaking a wide range of fostering and kinship care assessments. Alongside four experienced social workers, Louise Morray, Peter Couchman, Sam Ellis and Georgina Turner-Davies, and our Recruitment and Engagement Officer, Marie Plant, we work hard to ensure that children have access to safe, stable and nurturing family environments.

My role involves allocating and overseeing assessments for both mainstream foster carers and kinship carers. These assessments are presented to Fostering Panel and, where required, submitted to the court as part of legal proceedings. I also oversee recruitment activity, supporting fostering events and campaigns that help us attract and retain high quality carers for children and young people.

I have worked within the fostering service for 14 years and am passionate about finding the right families for children who need care and support. Before becoming a manager, I worked as an assessing social worker, specialising primarily in kinship fostering assessments. This experience has given me a strong understanding of the challenges and rewards that fostering can bring, and I remain committed to promoting positive outcomes for children through high quality assessments and effective recruitment.