Many children and young people are looked after by foster carers in the UK. This review is looking at how children and young people are ‘matched’ with foster carers.
In this review, ‘matching’ includes:
• How the decision is made
• The child and foster family being given information about each other
• Introductions between the child and family, and the move into the household
A good match between a child or young person and a foster carer is important because it can have a big impact on children feeling loved, safe and happy in their home.
What did the review study?
This review answers two questions about matching. 1. What is important for matching? What do social workers, foster carers, and children and young people say are important for matching in the UK? 2. What is the impact of matching? What is the effect of matching decisions on outcomes such as foster home stability, the wellbeing of children, and the wellbeing of foster carers in highincome countries?
