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Elements of Successful Matching
The following factors contribute to a successful match:
- Putting together a team of individuals who know the child, parents/guardian, and potential Support Families well enough to determine when a potential match warrants exploring
- Weighing multiple factors, including the child’s needs, the parents/guardian’s preferences, and the Support Family’s abilities, lifestyle and preferences
- Assuring children, families/guardians and potential Support Families have ample time, opportunity, and support to get to know each other
- Determining the degree to which children and families make a positive emotional connection with each other. Successful Support Families have a feeling of “emotional chemistry” or “falling in love” with a child.
- Understanding that no match is perfect—some things are open to compromise; others are non-negotiable. What is negotiable and what is not will differ from child to child and family to family.
- Approaching matching as a process of exploration designed to discover both compatibility and concerns. Somewhere along a deliberate pathway of discovery, it becomes clear whether the match will work. It is essential to take the time to explore a match thoroughly.
- Establishing clear expectations with the Support Family about long-term commitment and ensuring the Support Family has enough time to make an informed decision about placement of a particular child in their home
- Determining how the child’s family will be involved in the child’s life and negotiating shared parenting understandings
- Individualizing the matching process for each child and family circumstance.
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