Meet the Blue Sky Team Adaeze

How long have you been working for Blue Sky Fostering?

2 and a half months now.

How did you first get involved with Blue Sky?

I am currently a university student at Kent University, and part of my MA in social work course involves taking part in work experience via placements.

But before starting this role, I had no idea about Blue Sky Fostering until my university recommended it to me. Once I checked out the website, I decided to send my details over, and here I am.

Why did you choose Blue Sky?

Looking at the website, the outstanding Ofsted report, and the amazing showcase of work and stories attracted me to the role. I also did not know a lot about fostering before starting, so when Blue Sky got back to me, I saw this as a great learning opportunity towards my goal of becoming involved with children and families in social work.

Also, I was interested in seeing how different a private fostering agency works from a local authority.

What is Your Role here at Blue Sky?

My role as a student social worker is to act as a supervising social worker while shadowing and learning from other colleagues here. This involves the same type of work as a supervising social worker, but just at a reduced level and under supervision.

Our main goal as a team is to provide supervision and support to our carers and young people. This is great as I get to meet lots of wonderful people within the Blue Sky family through home visits and carer meetings, helping them as much as possible.

What has surprised you about working for Blue Sky?

What has surprised me the most is just how much I have been underestimating fostering before starting work here. The amount of effort and hard work both our colleagues and carers put into fostering is simply amazing.

I had this complete misconception of fostering being simple, and it has turned out to not be the case.

What separates Blue Sky from other fostering agencies?

For me and what I have seen firsthand working here these past few months, Blue Sky Fostering is truly committed to excellence and their core values.

The amount of effort everyone puts in day in and day out is really encouraging, and this goes for both colleagues and carers. The support from everyone has also helped me a lot, as the team really looks out for each other here.

I think the excellent Ofsted report and great reputation Blue Sky has are more than well deserved.

What do you find the most challenging about Blue Sky?

There can be a bit of pressure working to the great standard Blue Sky has set, and for me as a student, even with a reduced workload, it is a bit tricky getting used to the real environment.

But the support from both our colleagues and foster carers helps greatly, and it is so rewarding to see the amazing impact we make for our young people.

What has been the best aspect of working for Blue Sky?

For me, it would have to be the helpful team culture we have across all our hubs at Blue Sky and hearing about our success stories with carers and young people, knowing I was a part of that.

What do you wish other people knew about fostering and Blue Sky?

Like myself before starting, I wish that more people knew about how much work goes into fostering in all aspects and that it is not as easy as people think.

Would you recommend Blue Sky Fostering to other Students?

Yes, I absolutely would. A lot of students think that working with local authorities is the only way to go, but you learn the same things, if not more, from a private agency.

And here at Blue Sky, they have already taught me so much and been so helpful along the way that I would not hesitate to recommend them to other students looking for placements.

The most valuable thing I have learned here is that, as a social worker, you have to be committed to your role. I am inspired by the work ethic at Blue Sky, and it gives me a big drive to pursue social work further.

What might someone be surprised to know about you?

I like to think of myself as a very good singer. When I was growing up, I wanted to get into music, so I practiced a lot, singing jazz and R&B. Although I would still say I am a bit of an amateur and need a bit more practice!

Are you looking for a new career opportunity?

If you're interested in joining our Blue Sky Fostering team as a social worker, or any other role in our regional offices, please visit our Careers page to view any current vacancies.