1. Matching 1

2. Research Does matching make a difference to outcomes?
Limits to data / difficult to design studies that could accurately measure this.
Variations in practice across LAs and types of placement.
Current knowledge based on practice experience / opinion and studies of stability and disruption.
(The Care Inquiry 2013)
Matching a child with a foster carer is one of the “turning points” in a child’s life, and depends on good assessments, clear support plans, careful decision making and a high level of information sharing between professionals. Whatever the route to permanence, the professionals must work closely together to match the developmental needs with the care giving required to meet them. This task has been described as “intrinsically complex” and as a ‘social experiment ‘with no clear predictor of success. There are multiple criteria to be considered but these should be seen through ‘the lens of the quality of the child’s relationships’. Relationships with people that care about them are considered to be the ‘golden thread’ that runs through children’s lives.
Children should be fully involved in the decision making process yet rarely are, and that is particularly true for disabled children. The briefing paper considers this and some of the other challenges that are presented when making judgements and important decisions with and on behalf of children, about where and with whom, they will live.
One challenge is that wide variations in practice exist, so it is hard to make comparisons. Matching practice varies between local authorities and also depends on the anticipated length of placement. Some processes are more formal than others but long term or permanent fostering is more likely to follow an adoption matching model.
Schofield et al 2011
Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations (2010): Regulation 9
Quinton 2012
Cousins 2011
The Care Inquiry
The Care Inquiry p17
Schofield 2011

3. Research
Weight of opinion is that the relationships with people that care about and care for them are considered to be the ‘golden thread’ that runs through children lives
All plans we make for children should be seen through ‘the lens of the quality of the child’s relationships’
(The Care Inquiry 2013)

4. Catching the golden thread
Children want ‘stuff in common’ with carers and prospective adopters who will love and accept them as their own. High value is placed on positive attitudes of openness, honesty and trust.
Matching carer capacity / strengths to the needs of the child.
Quality of relationship is the most important factor.
Personal chemistry / good fit is a predictor of a successful placement.
How can you assess this?
Picking up the golden thread
There is little research that helps us link specific elements of matching practice to successful outcomes, although there are studies that identify factors involved in disruption (age, behavioural problems, over activity, attachment problems mismatching). There is a general agreement about good parenting characteristics (sensitivity, boundary setting, tolerance, resilience ). In the York Studies personal chemistry, (a good fit) between the carer and child and whether the child wanted to live in the placement were predictors of success. Children and foster carers feeling involved in the placement decision also make stability more likely. Quinton 2012, Randall 2013, Quniton 2012, Sinclair et al 2005, Farmer et al 2004
Carers’ attributes /matching criteria
“Matching does not just mean ‘live with and tolerate’ the problems and issues that a child brings to a placement rather that it will make a difference to those difficulties”
Carers need the qualities of security, attentiveness, friendliness and empathy that can build and sustain relationships with traumatised children. Resilience is important as some behaviour and circumstances may trigger distressing feelings. Emotional, behavioural, attachment and health needs must be balanced with the carers’ parenting style and skills. Children look for ‘stuff in common with the carers’ and foster parents who will love and accept them as their own. High value is placed on positive attitudes of openness honesty and trust.
Adult attachment styles/ parenting capacity can be measured by trained staff using standardised tools. Foster carers who have experienced challenges during childhood can bring strength to some fostering situations through exhibiting high levels of sensitivity and awareness of others’ feelings.
Other matching criteria includes – age of child, disability, contact, gender, carers’ extended family arrangements, location, educational continuity, siblings to be placed together, ethnicity, heritage, language, community, impact on other birth children and the fostering experience of the family and any other factors specific to individual children and carers.
There is an ongoing debate about the place of ethnicity in the hierarchy of multiple needs. Prioritising an ethnic match may leave other needs unmet or cause delay so a broader view needs to be taken. Research suggests that whether a placement is ‘matched’ or ‘trans-racial’ does not influence stability . However, “black and Asian families may have an advantage over white families in preparing children to cope with racism and to grow up with a sense of pride in their appearance and heritage. With appropriate selection and support, some white families can successfully parent ethnic minority children, especially those living in ethnically diverse communities.” Guidance points towards the assessment of the capacity of carers to support a sense of positive ethnic identity or religion and it is important to consider the child and birth parents’ views. A recent consultation showed that children had a wide range of views about this subject. Social or economic class of carer may also have an impact on a child’s sense of fit and belonging although is not generally acknowledged as part of the set criteria.
Quinton p14, Cairns 2002, NSPCC 2013, Care Inquiry, Schofield 2011, Bifulco 2008, Thornburn, Norbord and Rashid, in Sinclair, 2005, Thornburn, Norbord and Rashid, in Sinclair, 2005, Care planning regulations reg 9 ODCR2013

5. Involvement
Children should try out a placement before they move there and even in an emergency have information about the family (The Care Inquiry 2013)
Children’s views about where and with whom they live should be taken into consideration.
Birth parents (in most cases) foster carers and prospective adopters should be involved in the matching process.
How can we improve involvement for these three groups ?
Children’s Involvement
The Care Inquiry 2013 underlines the significance of children’s relationships with their social worker and clearly better relationships with all the professionals that represent them will improve involvement. Children who trust adults and feel that they are listened to are more likely to express important feelings. A study of a communication tool for disabled children found social workers were often surprised by the ability of these children to express their views. The Care Inquiry (2013) also highlights the need to work together with birth parents throughout the care process.
Cousins and Simmonds 2013

6. Information Sharing / Working Together ?
Lack of information is a pervasive theme for children, social workers, foster carers and birth parents and prospective adopters.
Impact:
Children = higher anxiety levels
Social Workers = impedes matching
Foster Carers = unprepared for challenges/so placement is vulnerable
Birth parents = alienation
A better understanding of others’ perspectives might help us to identify the information they need.
What improvements can we make?
Information sharing / Communication issues
We do not need research to tell us that matching is only as good as the information it is based on. There is evidence that the base line is low. Poor information and analysis means specific needs are either not identified or minimised. Children, birth parents and foster carers commonly complain about lack of information if carers are unprepared for difficulties for example with behaviour or contact, then the placement is vulnerable. Placement Officers and Supervising Social Workers say that often they do not receive enough information from the local authority to adequately inform matching or to brief the potential foster carer. A skilled worker will have detailed and empathic knowledge about a foster family and will be able to see where potential conflicts might arise (transport arrangement etc.). They will also have a good idea of the impact on the rest of the family including the birth children. The Child’s Social Worker will not necessarily have this holistic perspective and may not think about seeking out or handing over what might turn out to be vital information. These information gaps are likely to be compounded by lack of face to face contact, communication through s or often a third party (the commissioning officer). Abstract concepts and labels do not help foster carers understand the likely impact the child will have.
For children the process of placement is’ fraught’ - to reduce anxiety children should have prior information about the carer even for an emergency placement.
Quinton 2012 Cousins 2003
Quinton 2012
Sinclair 2005
ODCR 2012
Schofield 2011
Famer et al 2004
Randall 2013
Sinclair 2005 p60
The Care Inqiry2013

7. Other potential challenges
Economics - is cost a criteria for matching?
Delays / waiting for a better match / when is it good enough, can we fill the gaps?
Limited choice for special needs / siblings etc.
Weighting criteria such as ethnicity.
Lack of face to face contact to build professional relationships.
Time for social workers to build relationships with children.
Balancing priorities, benefits and risks, and taking avoidance of delay into account.
The potential quality of the relationship or ‘the golden thread’ is the crucial factor in placing a child with weighting to other criteria dependent on each individual child, family and their circumstances. It may be unrealistic to find a perfect match so professional judgement and clear support plans are needed to boost ‘good enough options’. Factors limiting choice of carer include timing, specialist needs, for example, sibling groups, age of children and placement costs. One study highlighted the pressure felt by local authorities to shop around for the best value or even the cheapest option; risking delay or missing a good match. It may be one reason why some Independent Fostering Agencies feel local authorities are slow to make decisions. Quinton (2012) warns that where focus is on the event of matching rather than the process social workers are drawn to minimise needs or over exaggerates capacity to gain a match.
Quinton 2012 book

8. Key messages
Relationships with people who care for and about children are the golden thread in children’s lives.
The quality of a child’s relationships is the lens through which we should view what we do and plan to do.
Children and young people should be fully involved in decisions about where and with whom, they live.
Their views must be taken into account. This involves active listening.

9. Key messages
Other than when they move in an emergency, children and young people should visit or try out a placement before a final decision is made.
Matching should be viewed as a process to be worked at together rather than an event.
Support plans should be a key part of the process.

10. Key messages
Working together, understanding others roles and perspectives during this process is essential.
The quality of the relationships between everyone in the team around the child are likely to impact on the outcome for the child.
Lack of information is a pervasive theme and has implications for the success or failure of a placement. Identifying what information is needed and the best way to communicate it should be a priority.   

11. Key messages
Children, their birth parents, foster carers and prospective adopters need more information and involvement in the process of matching and decision making.