Meet the Team: Abi Moseley, Senior Administrator

Can you explain more about Colleague Decade Club and the Foster Carer Decade Club?

Absolutely! The Colleague Decade Club is for any colleagues that have been with Blue Sky Fostering  or over 10 years. Once they hit the decade mark they are invited to a special annual event. Last year they got involved in chocolate making in the morning and then had a nice lunch together in the afternoon. It's just an opportunity to appreciate that commitment and to say thank you. It’s a good gang.

Our Foster Carer Decade Club is even bigger. Over the years it keeps growing! Last year we needed to split it into three sections, with three different lunches. We have one for our foster carers in the West Country and Devon and Cornwall, another for our Hampshire and Dorset carers, and then one for our Sussex and Surrey and Kent Carers as well. It was particularly successful last year; we had some really lovely venues, and we received great feedback from everyone.

They all get together and have a good time; they enjoy a nice lunch and chat about things that aren’t always work related. So, it happens every year and more and more carers keep getting added, which feels wonderful. They hit that milestone of 10 years, and then they get to go to this 3-course lovely lunch at a nice venue. So, it’s good.

How about the training? What does that involve?

I help organise the staff training: the biggest one is DDP Level One Training. It is generally attended by Social Workers, though sometimes other members, such as Individual Workers or some of our Core Team will also join. It’s run over 2 weeks, so two days one week and then two days the following week. It's pretty much back-to-back.
By the end they will earn their DDP 1 certificate. It's a useful piece of training for a Social Worker. Usually around 20 people attend, and I organise that every year.

Then I organise the Staff Induction every three months. You’ll have had yours of course.

Yes, I loved it!

It's a nice opportunity for people to meet colleagues that they might not necessarily meet otherwise. Now we have Teams [online meetings over the web], it's a little bit easier to connect with people. But it’s still important for colleagues to spend time together in person. Even if they don't remember anything specific from coming to the induction, it’s an opportunity to meet colleagues who start at a similar time and create those connections.

There is something special about that.

I remember when I had mine. I’ll have been with Blue Sky Fostering for six years in March, and I still remember my induction really fondly.  I was working in the Hampshire Hub at the time, and there was another girl that had started 3 weeks before me. So, we’d go into the induction days together. It just felt nice and was a welcoming start. It can often be those things that you remember years later - the colleagues that joined you as much as the actual information! It's just a nice opportunity. So, that happens every three months as well.
Then there’s the Social Work practice meetings and the monthly training workshop for our Social Workers, with different members of staff covering different topics. So yes, there’s lots of different things happening throughout the year, which I enjoy.

Sounds busy! How do you relax?

I’ve got a great team around me. We've got a good group of us that can rely on each other. I think having good people around you helps you to relax in stressful situations, as you can share the workload and be in it together.

Outside of work, I find cooking after a busy day actually quite relaxing. Some people would disagree I know, but for me, I enjoy it.

What's your best dish?

I've got quite a few things that I like to make, but I would say recently I've been making this sausage and sundried tomato pasta. At the moment, it’s my favourite thing to cook, so I’d make you that.

Sounds tasty! How did you come into your role at Blue Sky?

I worked at the Hampshire hub for a couple of years as Administrator, and then the opportunity came up for the Senior Administrator role with Core Services. Prior to Blue Sky Fostering I’d never worked in this kind of sector. I’d worked in the finance sector and for car companies, so it was completely new to me. I personally didn't know too much about fostering. For instance, I thought that fostering and adoption were pretty much the same thing! Over the years I’ve learnt so much more about fostering. But I always feel like there's so more to learn as well. I’m constantly learning over time.

How do you think you've grown in your role at Blue Sky?

I think taking on different aspects of work, such as my involvement in events like the Fun Day and Team Day has given me a real sense of accomplishment and progression over the years.

Just growing into my role and feeling more comfortable in it too. There are parts of my role that are essential, but there’s also scope to think outside the box a little bit. That’s what I enjoy about this role: it's varied. It's not the same thing every day. It's not just sitting at a desk, not doing anything else. It's going to the events and all those extra bits and pieces, going out and about, which make it interesting.

What's your favourite type of music?

I like too many things! I love The Beatles, Elton John, or otherwise, I go to R&B. But I would say I do love country music; country music is my thing.

Wow, cool. Who would you recommend on the country music scene?

Chris Stapleton and Zach Bryan!

What is your ideal weekend?

Let’s start by pretending it’s summer and it's a weekend, because that would be way better than the cold! So, if it was a summer weekend, it would be maybe going for a walk. Or it would be having a BBQ; having people over. I would say, just seeing friends and family. I like being active, but then having some downtime is a massive thing. I would like to be near the sea and to go for a nice walk.

Are you a cat person or a dog person?

I'm a dog person. I've got a sausage dog. He's old and grumpy now, but he's still cute.

What would someone be surprised to know about you, Abi?

I used to have a horse and do horse riding when I was younger. I used to do competitions and stuff. Perhaps some people would be surprised to know that I’m into sport. Not playing sport, but I really love watching Formula One and I really love American football. I’m a sports girl!

What has been the most surprising thing you’ve learnt about fostering?

I was most surprised to realise the level of training and the actual process involved to become a foster carer. I think is brilliant that foster carers need to go through all these stages to be become a foster carer. It ensures the young people are being looked after in the best possible way, but it's also a kindness to the people that become foster carers, to ensure they feel confident in what they're doing, and that they’re supported in the right way.

I didn’t have a clue about it before starting at Blue Sky, and I’m not sure many people would outside of the sector. But you realise how hard people work to ensure that young people are well looked after - staff as well as foster carers. I think it's just amazing what people do!

Final question, what are you looking forward to the most in the year ahead?

So much! I’m thinking of the events again: the foster carer’s Decade Club. I love hearing them talking and sharing their experiences, you know, the good and the bad - sharing those things together. I value it because I can see the value in it for them. And then our Fun Day and Team Day. I really love all that hard work paying off. I think it's going to be a good year with all the things coming up in 2025.

And you know what? I also love the Core Values and the WOW nominations. The WOW nominations for foster carers and the Core Values for staff. I actually think that's my favourite highlight of my role.

Go on, explain it to me more…

The Core Values are obviously the core values that Blue Sky hold: keeping our promises; standing shoulder to shoulder as one family; treat others as you’d want to be treated… and the last one…

…A problem shared is a problem solved!

Love that one! Yes, so every month staff can nominate their colleagues for a Core Values award. It all comes up on a spreadsheet. And then every month myself and Rupert [Director of Relationship and Engagement], go through the spreadsheet and we choose the best nomination to win a £50 voucher.

I’ve had one!

Yes, it’s lovely. It just recognises colleagues for what they do and sometimes it's so hard to pick because there's so many good nominations!
But even if they've got a nomination but haven't won the actual award, they still get a letter telling them what they've been nominated for. And it's that recognition that I think is valuable. I've never worked in a workplace that does those kind things. When I first started that's what stood out for me. I think one of my interview questions was even, you know, “These are our core values. What stands out for you?” And I was like, ‘Wow! Normally it’s like, “Are you punctual?”’ Hahaha! To just be asked a question like that... Over the years I’ve got more involved in the core values, and it means so much to me. I'm quite passionate about it. So yes, that’s a really good element. And the foster carers have the WOW nominations, which are very similar. They also win something, but importantly, they also get that recognition. And that's the most important element.

Is it the Social Workers that nominate the foster carers for a WOW award?

Yes, but it can also be an Administrator, another foster carer, or an Individual Worker who has done a session with a young person – just about anyone from within Blue Sky! Like the Vore Values, it’s the nomination not the winning that spurs you on to keep going. Blue Sky Fostering obviously recognise how important that is, and it feels really valuable. It’s something I’m proud of being a part of.