Meet The Team: Rhiannon Martin, Supervising Social Worker, Dorset TLC

How did you begin working with Blue Sky Fostering?

I started as a student and completed my final 100-day placement with Blue Sky. I really liked it. And they must have liked me too, as they suggested I interview for a job, which I did. It was only maternity cover initially, but then somebody else left so they were able to move me over from the maternity cover position to a full-time role. And I've been here ever since!

What is your background?

After having children, I went into fostering, which I did for about seven years. It was quite intense, but I loved it. I could talk about it for hours! Then I got divorced, and it didn’t feel possible to carry on fostering, so I started admin work. I knew that administrative work wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life and was wondering which direction to take. My son was about to start University, so I was looking at Universities with him, and the experience inspired me. I thought, ‘I could do this -  but what could I do?’

I felt a natural progression from fostering to going into social work for a foster care agency. So that’s what I did! It took me a while to get there: I had to do my functional maths skills first; then a year’s access course to study social work at college, and finally the full three-year course, so it took about five years to become qualified.

And what does your role involve now?

Supporting foster carers to overcome the challenges that come with fostering - and that can be anything. There are foster carers who don’t require much help, but then others that ring up daily and need that constant support. So, it’s very different and varied. Not all Social Workers are the same, but I like to work quite closely with the children if I can. It’s not an official part of my role – as individual workers spend the most time with young people - but I like to do it because I think it helps to strengthen the team around the child. I’m just another person the child can talk to. It’s part of my role to visit each young person from the families I support every 3 months - but this can be as in-depth as the Social Worker chooses. For me, it’s important to consistently build up that relationship with the child or young person, so they feel able to share how they are feeling. So, I make sure I take them out and spend time with them whenever I can. I love it!

What kind of support do foster carers ask you for?

It varies depending on the foster carer and what they’re going through. For instance, I’m currently helping a foster carer clean their house.  They are struggling to cope with their young person's needs and in the process, the house has become quite untidy. So, it can sound like a small thing, but helping them clean the house so it feels organised supports them to feel like they are back on top and in control. You don’t read about these sorts of things in the job description, but it’s helping them and really, that’s all that matters. It can be basic practical stuff, or it can be emotional support: listening, validating, reassuring, challenging, guiding. Having been a foster carer, I can often relate to particular situations, which I think helps.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I like walking. I love the beach. My favourite place to be is the beach. And I love an early morning dip in the sea. There’s a whole group of us from Blue Sky going tomorrow morning. The health benefits of sea dipping are insane!

You work long hours as a Social Worker and it took you years to get there. How do you feel about it now? Was it worth it?

I love my job and that's why I don't mind working long hours. I love it because I feel fulfilled at the end of the day. Most days - not all days! But yes, I feel a sense of fulfilment: I like helping people and I love working with young people. They're the best.

I love that every day is different and even if there is a drama - like it’s late on a Friday and I have to drive across the country – it can be exhilarating, and I don’t mind it. I love the diversity of it and the team is amazing.

What's your favourite genre of music? What music do you like to get down to?

My music taste is very diverse. I like anything, from something cheesy like Olly Murs to something like Disturbed, which is heavy metal. Yes, I like listening to screaming down the microphone! -  but then I was at Popworld the other night, dancing to cheesy music, so it’s very diverse.

If you could change one thing about fostering, is there anything you would change?

I’d like young people to stay in foster care until they are at least 21- 25 [the current age is up until 18]. A lot of our foster carers rely on their fostering income as their wage. So, when a young person turns 18 and the funding for the foster carer stops, some foster carers simply can't afford to keep the young person with them because their spare room is their income.

People can say, ‘I could never ask a child who’s been living in my home for eight years to leave.’ But if fostering is your job and you rely on the income to eat and pay your mortgage, for some foster carers there can be little choice.

So, I would change that. And everyone would be happier for it!

What is the greatest challenge of working at Blue Sky.

Fitting everything in! Keeping on top of the admin side and ensuring compliance can be tricky to fit in timewise.

And the best aspect?

I love working with the foster carers, and the one-to-one time with the young people.

Is there anything that anyone would be surprised to find out about you?

Probably not – I am a really open person, so most people know what there is to know about me. I love spending time with my kids, going on holidays and spending the week lying by the pool with a cocktail in my hand; early morning dips in the sea, and having a boogie to some cheesy tunes on a Saturday night!