My name is Aly Karim and I am a recruitment and placement officer at Rainbow. I have been here for five years and take great pleasure in our ‘Outstanding in all areas’ rating from Ofsted. This is because we work very much as a team supporting one another. Rainbow is a Foster agency that welcomes ideas making it a creative and stimulating place to be. The result of that is we all have a positive team-driven approach to our individual roles. My job is to conduct initial assessments on our fostering applicants. Being a foster carer is both rewarding and challenging, I have to explain the realities of fostering as well as the rewards foster carers experience. 

I will then arrange and make an initial home visit. It’s the chance for me to get a more in-depth understanding of an applicant’s motivations for fostering. And also note their preferences which could range from wanting to foster an asylum-seeking child or fostering a sibling group. My role has also involved me helping to develop booklets to send our applicants. They get these as they ‘journey’ through the different stages of the process. This makes them feel valued and supported from the very start. When a foster carer is ‘Approved ‘ to foster, there can sometimes be an interval before they have their first placement. One of the booklets deals with this as it can be a frustrating period: it makes clear how important it is we get the matching right. This is very important for a foster carer’s first placement.  

I am very aware that I am the first point of contact for many of our fostering applicants – their first impression of Rainbow. That is a responsibility but it’s one I relish. This is because it gives me the opportunity to build a relationship that progresses to the milestone of their being approved to foster, and then the excitement of their very first placement. And that relationship has deepened over the years with many carers as I am a part of their fostering journey.  

It is satisfying being part of a friendly tightly knit integrated team. And knowing that the better we are at what we do, goes a long way toward our foster carers being the best they can be! Only a couple of minutes ago, I took a call from one of our foster carers in relation to a placement going in today: 

“Aly, every single placement I have had I know I can rely on you to make sure there’s no fuss, you make everything straightforward. I know all the necessary documentation will be handled smoothly and efficiently so the placement can go ahead. Thank you for arranging my latest placement all in a day.”

Find out more about a career in foster care.

If you have a spare room, are attracted to the idea of helping a vulnerable child get their life back on track, then fostering could suit you. Rainbow pays generous allowances and all our foster carers are given the chance to develop their careers. We look for people who have a professional attitude and willingness to be part of a team. As well as providing supportive and caring environments, foster carers must be able to keep accurate records. Call 0330 311 2845 to find out just how much more there is to fostering. You can also contact us via our website, book a call-back or send us an email. 

Start building your fostering knowledge by visiting our FAQs page –

http://rainbowfostering.co.uk/frequent-asked-questions/ News is at – http://rainbowfostering.co.uk/news/

And more information on the different aspects of fostering can be found at –

https://www.gov.uk/becoming-foster-parent/types-of-foster-care

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