Welcome back to our latest post in our ‘Meet The Team’ series. These blog posts are here to help new and aspiring foster carers get to know all the team here at Focus Foster Care. We are a small agency but our team is made up of hard working and dedicated people. Recently, a new supervising social worker joined the team. Without further ado, let’s hand you over to Lucy…

Meet The Focus Foster Care Supervising Social Worker – Lucy

Name: Lucy Bethel

What is your job role?  Supervising Social Worker

When did you start working for Focus? 

I joined Focus Foster Care on Monday 1^st August 2022.   Fostering has always been my passion and I’ve spent the majority of my career working within the private fostering sector.

What do you love about your job?  

I love working with foster carers, they work incredibly hard to support the children and young people in their care, and I am humbled by everything they do.   I love the variety that working in fostering presents, no two days are the same, and I find that I am always learning something new.  

What have you learnt about fostering that you think all potential foster carers should know? 

I’ve learnt that we’re all different, and that’s ok!  No two children, adults, foster carers or even social workers are ever the same, and therefore what works for one, isn’t necessarily going to work for another!   If there is ever anything you’re unsure of, ask!  My moto has always been that no question is ever a silly question, so please don’t ever feel ashamed or afraid to ask me anything; and if I don’t know the answer, I will always try my best to find out or find someone else who does, and that way we both learn something new!

The children we work with have come from very difficult and often complex backgrounds and this can result in differences in how they act, respond, process and challenge – even two children brought up in the same environment can present very differently to one another.   It is therefore important for us to be able to see beyond the behaviour, to have a professional curiosity about why a child might be behaving in a particular way so that we can begin to understand their behaviour and in turn help them to find alternative ways of responding to or managing a particular situation.  

Whilst we might not always like how a child or young person presents, they are often trying to communicate something to us through their actions and behaviours rather than words, we therefore need to ensure we consider and reflect in order to make sense of what they are trying to say.   You aren’t in this alone, we’re in this together, so please do lean on us for support; tell us what’s happening in your household and ask us those burning questions, because that’s what we’re here for!

What interests do you have outside of work? 

I have a Goldendoodle called Bronte who I love to go on long walks in the countryside with, she’s a lovable rogue and barks at anything that moves, but she never fails to bring a smile to my face. We enjoy going on adventures to places we haven’t been before, exploring the British coastline, open countryside or a nice walk along the local canal.  

I can always tell when Bronte is getting tired because she ends up lagging behind me or makes a bee line for a nice muddy puddle to cool down in! I also have a National Trust Membership and love to explore period properties and places of historical interest – I make an effort to read everything, but usually only remember one or two key facts which I then bore people with for as long as I can remember them.  

My other main interest or hobby is sewing. Like a lot of people I only really got into sewing during lockdown, but I can honestly say I never once made a facemask, I set my sights on something a little more challenging, chances are you’ll see me wearing something I’ve made at some point or another. Maybe one day I’ll enter the Great British Sewing Bee, but for now I’ll stick to Social Work.

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To read the rest of our Meet The Team series, please visit the following links:

Meet the team – Ifla, family support worker

Meet the team – Fiona, social worker

Meet the team – Emma, team manager

Meet the team – Honey, the office dog

Meet the team – Jess, office administrator

If you would like to find out more about the different types of foster care or want to learn how to become a foster carer with our independent fostering agency, please get in touch with us on 0800 524 4797 .

To find out more about fostering and how to become a foster carer with our independent fostering agency, please read the following pages on our website:
Types of foster care.
Who can foster?
How to become a foster carer with Focus Foster Care.
Fostering – frequently asked questions.
The benefits of fostering with Focus Foster Care.