Meet the Blue Sky Team: Stacey

Meet the Blue Sky Team: Stacey

Name: Stacey Rickwood

Age: 30 years old

Role: Supervising Social Worker

Favourite genre of Movie?

I am a bit of an all-rounder, although I am not a fan of horror films (not that they scare me or anything). Although I really enjoy thriller stuff like Taken and similar crime/action movies.

How long have you been working for Blue Sky?

2 years in October.

How did you first get involved with Blue Sky?

I applied to an advertisement online while I was working for the local authority, as I was looking for something a bit more different and diverse.

As a supervising social worker, my goal is to provide supervision and support to our carers and young people. I enjoy this a lot as it means I get to go out and meet lots of interesting and fascinating people on a day-to-day basis, making sure everyone is getting the support that they deserve.

What has surprised you about working for Blue Sky?

Probably the therapeutic side of things, as although we read up a lot on it while at university, actually seeing and applying it firsthand makes a world of difference.

And also just how supportive the staff are here towards the carers, young people, and even other staff members. I think that makes a huge positive impact on everyone and really keeps us going.

What separates Blue Sky from other fostering agencies?

Again, I think that support behind everything we do here and the genuine care towards everybody makes a huge difference to our overall quality, which you don't see in many other places. It is comforting and reassuring to know that everyone is looking out for each other.

What do you find the most challenging about Blue Sky?

While working for such an outstanding agency and being a perfectionist myself, I set myself high expectations that can cause a bit of pressure at my own expense but are worth it as what we do impacts our carers and young people.

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

I really enjoy the relationships I have with my foster families, seeing the amazing growth of our young people, and being a part of that.

If you could change one thing about fostering, what would it be?

I think sometimes it is hard as we build a strong relationship with our young people, yet there are some decisions we do not have the authority to make on their behalf. Although we still do our best towards it and strongly advocate for them, I think if we had a bit more of a bigger say for them, then this would make a huge impact.

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

The misconception that fostering within the social work world is easy is a bit of a farce. On the contrary, our work is complex and very hard, being directly in the middle of all things. And given the variety of foster care, such as P&C, TLC, and others, there are always new situations and aspects to educate ourselves on.

What might someone be surprised to know about you?

Uhm... Quite a few people are surprised by my age... Oh! Last year, I climbed Mount Snowden, but it was during a bit of a storm. When I see other people's pictures, I am like, Oh, so that is what it looks like because when I was up there, it was just snow and fog!