Meet the Team: New Carer Engagement Manager, Marcus Reeves

Marvellous! And what is your role with Blue Sky today?

My official title is New Carer Engagement Manager. So, I speak to people who are at the very start of their journey into fostering, right through to people who have been foster carers for twenty years plus.

My role is about helping people who enquire to see if fostering is right for them and whether Blue Sky fits their needs. It's down to me to support them along the way, with information or guidance. I'll help everyone no matter how much they know about fostering, and after this many years, I truly believe there isn't any question that hasn't been asked before!

It's important to move at the right pace for our enquirers - it's a big decision to become a foster carer. It has to be down to each person to tell me, "Ok Marcus, I'm ready". Recently we had a new foster carer approved with us who I first spoke with over four years ago!

What's your average day in the role of a New Carer Engagement Manager?

Lots and lots of time on the phone – speaking to anyone and everyone who wants to talk to me about fostering. People say to me, "Don’t you get bored of your role? You do the same thing every day."  But the day is always different; it's never the same. I joke that I'm the people’s hairdresser; they tell me everything, and it's wonderful.  I build up relationships and I listen to what people have to say. People can share all kinds of stories; it can be traumatic, heartbreaking or heartwarming. Regardless, I feel honoured that people trust me enough to speak candidly about their lives. I love it!

We look at everything from, ‘Tell me about your life’… but equally: ‘Tell me about your family; your job; what you like to do in your spare time.’

My day ebbs and flows. I can have the most wonderful calls one day, and sometimes I can call 20 people and nobody answers their phone. I'm leaving voicemails and worry that people think I’m stalking them!

But that’s really only half of my role. I also liaise with what we call Initial Home Visit Ambassadors. They are some of our most experienced foster carers who will go out to meet potential new foster carers to talk more about what's involved in fostering. It's important that potential new foster carers can meet someone who is already fostering. I can give all the information in the world - but what's better than first hand experience?

After we have invited someone to foster, I will still keep in touch with the prospective foster carer/s to ensure I’m still there to answer any follow-up questions or concerns they may have throughout the process of applying, so relationships are very much ongoing.

What was your first ever job?

When I was around 14 I used to work in the local shop on a Saturday!

Do you have any hobbies?

Yes. I'm a huge Southampton football fan for my sins! I think we've lost every game this season. I think we've got one point in ten games, so it's both a pleasure and a chore following them.

I like to keep active. I like to kayak and paddleboard. I also like to hike; I have a group of mates, and we go wild camping. We just take our tents and our food, and we're out in the wilderness. We have no tech, and we just talk drivel for the duration. But I like to get myself away.

Then my children are my interests and hobbies! My daughter's aged 13, very creative and into art, so we try and harness that. My son, aged 11, is football crazy, so I rush around twice a week to take him to training and then again on Sunday.

What's your favourite genre of music?

Indie bands. Still an Oasis fan even to this day, though I couldn't get tickets! So yeah, that kind of genre...Though I am getting more into Taylor Swift because my daughter follows Taylor Swift!

What is the best aspect of working at Blue Sky?

For me, it's the butterfly effect. It's me helping someone decide to foster, and then when I get to meet them at a social event - like the Blue Sky Fun Day Festival that we were at recently - someone said to me, “Marcus, the day I spoke to you, if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have fostered - but it was the best decision I ever made.”

I love that. It's fantastic when I meet a prospective foster carer later down the line, and they are now looking after a young person. I know that if I hadn't helped them at the start, that child would not be matched with that foster carer. It's incredible to be part of that positive process for people.

What’s the greatest challenge?

Directly witnessing how many children are in foster care, and how many are referred through the agency, and knowing that we can’t accommodate all of them. It’s heartbreaking.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

That I'm petrified of heights and I skydive and bungee jump. That would surprise some people.  Also, my dad emigrated and has lived in The Gambia in Africa since he was about 50 years old [after the relationship ended with my mum I should add!]. So, I have a Gambian sister, called Cleo! I think that would be a surprise for many!

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

I wish they knew that our founder is still actively involved within the agency and that he is a qualified Social Worker. He set up the agency and at first, it was a real struggle because no one knew Blue Sky Fostering. But he believed in this agency and that we would have a family feel. And that's something we still work to achieve every day.