How Are Placements Matched?

Matching isn’t just finding “a spare bed.” It’s the careful process of aligning a child’s needs, history and plans with a foster family’s skills, capacity and household dynamics so the placement feels safe, stable and nurturing from day one. In England, this work happens within a clear legal and practice framework and is refined by local procedures inside councils and independent fostering agencies (IFAs). Done well, matching improves stability and outcomes; done hurriedly, it can trigger avoidable breakdowns and distress.

The framework that shapes every match

Statutory guidance and minimum standards

Decisions sit under The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations, Volume 2 (Care Planning, Placement and Case Review), which sets out how local authorities should plan, place and review children in care. Alongside this sit the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the Fostering Services National Minimum Standards (NMS)—particularly Standard 15, which requires matching a child with carers who can meet their assessed needs. Together, these documents define what information must be considered, who must be consulted, and what records (like placement plans) must be in place.

“Best interests” in day-to-day practice

Within that framework, practitioners weigh the child’s wishes and feelings, identity, safety and development, and they aim to avoid unnecessary disruption—especially to education, health care and key relationships. The result should be a match that supports the child’s care plan, not a placement that asks the child to bend to the household.

What information is used to match?

The child’s profile

Social workers share a referral that draws on the care plan and assessment: age, history and chronology, behaviour and risks, education needs (SEN/EHCP, attendance, transport), health (immunisations, medication, CAMHS involvement), contact arrangements with family, identity factors (culture, religion, language), and any legal orders that affect decision-making. This isn’t a tick-box—each detail helps predict day-to-day realities in the family.

The carer’s profile

Agencies look at the foster carer’s Form F assessment, approval terms (age range, number of children, placement type), training and experience (e.g., therapeutic/PACE, autism/ADHD/FASD), safer-caring policy, support network, working patterns, transport, pets, and home layout (bedroom availability and bathroom privacy). They consider capacity, not just willingness—a carer might have space emotionally for a teenager but not the bandwidth for daily multi-agency meetings that come with complex risk. The NMS emphasises this balance between the child’s assessed needs and the carers’ ability to meet them.

Risk and compatibility

Compatibility weighs location (to keep the current school where possible), contact logistics (can the household absorb multiple weekly family-time journeys?), house rules (phones, gaming, curfews), safety plans (absent/missing episodes, county lines risk), pets and ponds, and family composition (birth children, other placements). Many agencies also use a “compatibility matrix” internally to score fit before proposing a match.

The step-by-step process (how it usually works)

1) The referral call

The duty/matching team receives a referral from the local authority. They quickly identify a shortlist of carers whose approval and skills might fit. Where available, they share a redacted profile to protect confidentiality while gauging interest and capacity.

2) Reading and questioning the referral

Carers (with their supervising social worker) read the referral thoroughly and ask targeted questions: education (school, transport, EHCP status), health (medication, allergies), behaviour and risk (triggers, safety plan, missing history), contact (frequency, locations, who supervises), legal context (orders, any upcoming court dates), and identity needs (faith, language, dietary requirements). Good matching thrives on clarity, not assumptions.

3) Internal matching discussion

If the carer is potentially suitable, the agency holds an internal discussion or meeting to weigh evidence, check ratios/bedrooms, and review safer-caring. This is where experienced staff test the “fit”: not “can we manage?” but “can we help this child thrive?” If the answer is yes, the agency proposes the match to the local authority with a written rationale linked to the child’s assessed needs (as required by the statutory framework/NMS).

4) Agreement in principle and planning

Once both sides agree in principle, planning begins. Placement Plan details are drafted, introductions (if time allows) are set, and practicalities (school, GP, clothing, equipment, transport) are pinned down. The Placement Plan also sets out delegated authority—which decisions carers can make day-to-day and which require social worker/parent agreement—so children aren’t left waiting for basic permissions.

5) Moving in and the first week

On move-in day, everyone should know contact schedules, school arrangements, medical information, and who to call out of hours. Within days, a placement planning meeting confirms expectations, records adjustments to safer-caring, and sets initial goals (settling routines, uniform, tuition if needed). Recording starts immediately.

Matching siblings and protecting relationships

Keeping brothers and sisters together

Children consistently say living with siblings matters. Guidance and sector research highlight the importance of assessing sibling relationships, keeping brothers and sisters together where it’s right, and—if separation is unavoidable—building robust contact so relationships remain meaningful. When separation is proposed, reasons should be clear, evidenced and kept under review.

Managing the realities

Practical capacity matters: enough bedrooms, appropriate sharing, and the ability to meet different school and contact timetables without exhausting the household. Sibling matches are often the most rewarding—and the most complex—so agencies will check support plans and respite options up front.

Culture, identity and inclusion

Ethnicity, language and faith

Matching considers identity—diet, worship, festivals, hair/skin care, languages, and community links. The aim is to promote identity and belonging without rigid matching that delays a safe home. Carers can learn and adapt; agencies should provide interpreters, training and community connections when needed.

LGBT+ inclusion and gender identity

Children must feel respected and safe in how they express themselves. Matching should explore carers’ confidence with LGBTQ+ inclusion, school liaison and confidentiality. Training and supervision should scaffold this work so the home remains a secure base.

Education and health continuity

Minimising disruption to school

A good match protects learning. Planners try to keep a child at their school where practical; when a move is unavoidable, they coordinate transport, admissions and interim tutoring. Virtual School teams help prioritise continuity, PEP targets and use of Pupil Premium Plus to support the transition.

Health, CAMHS and medication

Matching checks registration with a GP and dentist, immunisations, allergies and medication routines, plus any CAMHS plan or waiting list. Clear information at the start prevents gaps in prescriptions or missed appointments.

When it’s right to say “no”

Protecting stability is part of the job

Saying no to a poor fit isn’t a failure—it’s safeguarding. Red flags include risks the home cannot safely manage (e.g., high missing episodes with limited transport capacity), schedules that would dislocate your whole family, or identity needs you genuinely cannot meet despite support. Framed professionally—“these needs won’t be best met in our household right now”—a decline helps the child move swiftly to a better match and keeps you available for a placement you can sustain.

Staying in good standing

Explain your rationale clearly and link it to the child’s needs and your approval/safer-caring. Keep relationships positive; agencies appreciate transparent decisions that put the child first.

Emergency and out-of-hours matches

What changes under time pressure

Sometimes there’s only hours—or minutes—to decide. In emergencies, planners work with partial information. The basics still apply: safety first, realistic capacity, and short review points. The placement should be treated as a temporary “holding” match until a fuller information-sharing and planning meeting confirms whether it should continue or transition to a more suitable option under the care plan.

Turning an emergency into a planned placement

As information fills out, the team updates the Placement Plan, clarifies delegated authority, checks education and health tasks, and agrees goals for the first few weeks. If it’s not the right long-term fit, planners should move swiftly and carefully to minimise disruption.

After the match: review, support and learning

Early reviews and oversight

Shortly after a child moves in, the team holds a planning/review meeting to confirm arrangements and support. Subsequent looked-after reviews consider whether the match is meeting assessed needs and whether additional services are required (education support, therapy, youth activities). Recording should capture progress and challenges factually and respectfully.

Continuous improvement matters

Ofsted has repeatedly highlighted that getting matching right is crucial both for children’s long-term outcomes and for keeping experienced carers in the system. Agencies that learn from each match—what worked, what to change—tend to retain carers and stabilise placements better over time.

Practical pointers for carers considering a match

Before you say yes

Read the referral twice—once for facts, once for day-to-day implications. Map the school run, contact times and transport on a typical week. Picture evenings in your home: homework, mealtime, siblings’ needs, pets, bedtime routines. Check safer-caring against the referral risks and adjust in writing. Confirm how supervision, respite and training will support you for the first 8–12 weeks.

Make delegated authority explicit

Your Placement Plan should list which decisions you can make without delay (haircuts, sleepovers, clubs, school trips) and which ones need consent from social workers or parents. Clarity avoids friction, missed opportunities and hospital-corridor confusion when urgent consent is needed.

Keep relationships central

Matching isn’t only about needs and risks; it’s about belonging. Ask how you’ll help the child keep important relationships—siblings, extended family, friends and teachers—and how those connections will be protected in practice (transport, supervision, funding, contingency plans).

Bottom line: A strong match is evidence-led, child-centred and honest about capacity. It honours the child’s plans and identity, protects education and health continuity, and equips carers with the authority and support to parent confidently from day one. The statutory framework sets the floor; your preparation, questions and partnership with professionals build the ceiling.