The Family Finding Team: The Key to Creating Great Foster Care Matches

When finding a foster home, time is precious; but so is getting the right fit. The Family Finding Team screens referrals from local authorities, carefully reviewing each child’s needs, background, and care plan. From there, they search internal networks of available foster carers to find the best possible fit. Ellie Gallagher, Family Finding Officer, explained that

Senior Family Finding Officer, Katie Beesley, supported this by stating, “We consider everything, behaviours, routines, family dynamics, even hobbies. Sometimes, the perfect match is when a child and carer share a passion, such as fishing. Those connections can make all the difference”.

Both Ellie and Katie have worked in their roles for four years at Compass West, and in that time, they’ve developed a deep understanding of the foster carers they work with. Katie explained, “Carers put their trust in us to make matches that work for them and the children”. This trust means the team can have honest, open conversations with carers, helping them to see the bigger picture and sometimes consider children they might not have initially thought about. It’s a relationship built on respect, transparency, and shared commitment to a child-centred approach.

The Family Finding Team’s impact is often felt most in the stories that unfold long after the first introduction. Ellie recalls placing a four-year-old girl, with carers who had originally hoped for a younger child, “because their preferences were open, they’d had a lot of calls for older children. Then, when this referral came in, it was the right match. Now they’re being considered for a special guardianship order or adoption – giving her the stability she deserves”. Katie agrees:

The team’s work is not without its hurdles, from incomplete referral information to delays in local authority responses. “It can be frustrating when a carefully planned match falls through,” Ellie admits. “But the positive stories from carers – they remind us why we do what we do”.

From their desks, the Family Finding Team is quietly shaping brighter futures. They may not be front and centre at school drop-offs or awards evenings, but without them, many of these life-changing fostering journeys would never begin. “It starts with family finding. It’s nice when carers remember what we do – because we want that placement to work just as much as they do,” states Ellie.