30 July 2010
Approved foster carers | Who we are

• 2.1: Introduction
• 2.2: Types of foster care
• 2.3: Why do people foster?
• 2.4: Fostering allowance
• 2.5: Minimum Standards
• 2.6: Private fostering

• Current page is 2.7: Fostering A to C

  • 2.7.1: Fostering D to E
  • 2.7.2: Fostering F to L
  • 2.7.3: Fostering M to P
  • 2.7.4: Fostering Q to Z
• 2.8: News

Introduction

For the purpose of this handbook, the term ‘fostering social worker’ is used to describe the worker who supports the foster carer. The social workers are also known as Family Placement Officers, Link Social Workers, and Supervising social workers.

The term ‘Fostering Agency’ is used to refer to Local Authorities and Independent Fostering Agencies who use titles such as Fostering Service, Family Placement Service, Family Placement Team and so on.

 Contents

A Abuse Accidents Accommodated Adoption Adoption agency After Care Age AIDS/HIV Allegations and Complaints Allowances Anti-Racism  Assaults by foster children Assessment B Baby Sitting Bed Wetting  Belongings Birth Certificate C Car insurance Car safety Case Conference Child Abuse Child Assessment Order Child Benefit Child Protection Children Act 1989 Children who foster Every Child Matters Complaints Complaint about an agency Confidentiality Contact Corporal Punishment Court Appearance Court Welfare Officer Culture & Language D De-Registration Difficult behaviour

Disability Drug Abuse E Eating Problems Education Emergencies Endings Exemptions to the Usual Fostering Limit Extension F First Aid Foster carer approval Foster Carer Contract/Agreement Foster Placement Agreement Fostering Form F G Gardens and other outside areas Guardian H Health and Safety Holidays Holidays Abroad Human Rights Human rights (Children's) I Independent Fostering Agencies Insurance Intimate care L Learning disability Life Story Work Local Authority / Health Social Services Trusts M Managing behaviour Minimum Standards for Fostering Services Missing From Foster Care

N Names Nominated Carer O Ofsted Overnight stays P Parental Responsibility Pets Play R Racism Records Recruitment Religion Reviews S Safe Care Policy Safety First Self harm Sexuality Smoking Social Worker Visits Space in the home Special guardianship Supervision Support Groups T Television Training Transport W Working in Partnership

Abuse

Abuse is something that causes actual, or is likely to cause significant harm to a child. It may be physical, emotional, sexual or neglect.

Categories of abuse:

 

• Physical:

Includes children who are physically hurt or injured by being hit, shaken, squeezed, burnt, bitten, or by being given alcohol, inappropriate drugs or poison.

• Emotional:

Includes persistent lack of affection, where a child may be constantly shouted at,

threatened or taunted which may make the child very nervous or withdrawn.

• Sexual:

Includes full sexual intercourse, masturbation, oral sex, anal intercourse and fondling. Also showing children pornographic material.

• Neglect:

Includes the health and development of a child being impaired.

 Accidents

Foster carers should record all accidents, any medical treatment, how the accident happened and what action was taken. It can be difficult to remember or explain the signs of an injury weeks after. The child’s social worker should be made aware as soon as possible.

If the foster child has a more serious accident or sudden illness, which requires medical or hospital treatment, consent to treatment will be required. The foster carers will have the consent on a medical consent form, which would have been provided at the start of the placement by the child’s social worker.

Young people sixteen years or over can give or refuse consent if they are considered to have sufficient understanding. If the accident occurs outside normal office hours the Emergency Duty Team of the child’s Local Authority should be contacted (foster carers are provided with the contact number) and usually, the on call service of the Fostering Agency.

Accommodated

‘Accommodated’ and being Looked After’ are two legal terms which describe children who are in the care of the local authority. In both cases the children can be placed with foster carers.

A child who is being ‘Looked After’ is defined in Section 22 of the Children Act 1989, as a child in the care of the local authority, under an Interim Care Order or Care Order, or a child who is being provided with accommodation by Local Authority.

A child who is ‘Accommodated’ will normally not be subject of a court order, but is ‘Looked After’ by the local authority with the consent of parents.

 Adoption

Adoption provides a child with a new family when it is not possible to live with their own family. Adoption is the means of giving a child an opportunity to start again; for many children, adoption may be their only chance of experiencing family life.

To be eligible for adoption the child must be under the age of 18 years and a child for whom returning home to their parents is not possible. If the child is or has been married they cannot be adopted.

An Adoption Order severs all legal ties with the birth family and gives parental rights and responsibilities on the new adoptive family.

The birth parents no longer have any legal rights over the child and they are not entitled to have them back. The child becomes a full member of the adopted family; they take the adopter’s surname and assume the same rights and privileges as if they had been born to them, including the right of inheritance.

 Adoption agency

This is the term given to an organisation that has been licensed and approved by the Department of Health. The main responsibilities are to take care of children separated from their birth families, recruiting adopters and foster carers and running residential children's homes.

Mostly adoption agencies in the UK are the social services departments of local councils. But there are also voluntary bodies and charities that are registered as adoption agencies such as Barnardo's, the Catholic Children's Society and Parents for Children.

When a child is permanently removed from their biological parents, but has not yet been placed for adoption, the adoption agency assumes parental responsibility for that child.

After Care

Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000. Aims to delay a young person’s discharge from care until they are ready and better prepared for the steps to independence. Children are eligible aged 16 and 17 who have been looked after for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14 and are still looked after.

Age restriction

There is no upper age restriction for people applying to foster or who can continue to foster, age is only one factor taken into account when assessing the suitability to foster. Age needs to be linked to general health, fitness, energy and general emotional well being. The important issue is that foster carers can meet the day to day needs of children they look after.

 AIDS/HIV

AIDS is caused by a virus called HIV and can be passed from person to person through body fluids such as blood or sexual fluids. People who have the virus are referred to as being HIV positive. People can find out if they are HIV positive by having a blood test.

 Allegations and Complaints

If an allegation is made about another person’s behaviour towards a child, a foster carer must inform their Family Placement social worker or the child’s social worker. If allegations are made against a foster carer to a social worker, they have a responsibility to make the foster carer aware. Allegations and complaints are distressing and they should be dealt with fairly, confidentially and impartially.

• One in six foster carers has a complaint or allegation made against them during their fostering career.
• Carers who have allegations made against them tend to have been fostering for over five years
• The same abuse that can occur within birth families can occur in foster families.

A foster child might make a false allegation of abuse because they misinterpret an innocent action, or as a way of exercising some control over life, or to try and end a foster placement without losing face.

Risk reduction

• Recognise the people in the foster home who are potential risks or may be vulnerable to allegations.
• Know the fostering agency’s policy and procedure for investigating allegations.
• Always record daily events.
• Be clear and consistent about the home rules and boundaries for ways of behaving.
• All foster carers must have a family safe care policy for keeping everyone safe.
• Foster carers need a good support network.
• Training is very important.
• Foster carers need to have adequate insurance cover.
• Keeping everyone safe means working closely with the fostering agency.

 Allowances

Foster care allowances are paid into the carer’s bank or building society account dependant on the fostering agency’s agreed arrangements. Most agencies pay weekly.

The basic foster placement allowances are not taxable since they contain no element of reward. Generally enhanced allowances are not taxable either although there may be some exceptions. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2003/foster_carer_fs.pdf

As self employed people, foster carers have to make their own income tax arrangements.

Foster carers cannot claim tax relief, child benefits, and income support or free school meals for children in their care.

A child with a disability may be entitled to a ‘Disability Living Allowances’ from the Department of Social Security.

Anti-Racism 

All children need a positive identity, therefore, when a child needs substitute family care, their interests may be best served by a placement with a family which reflects their own in terms of race, culture, religion and language and can therefore help them build a positive sense of their own identity.

Assaults by foster children

There will be rare occasions when a young person loses control of his or her behaviour to the extent that a foster carer is assaulted. Fostering Services/Agencies provide detailed guidance on how foster carers can help to prevent potentially violent situations building up and how to deal with them when they do.

Assessment

The Fostering Services Regulations 2002 prescribes the statutory framework for the assessment of prospective foster carers.

Amongst the requirements of this regulation are the needs to:

• obtain the information as to the prospective foster carer and other members of their household and family.
• interview at least two personal referees nominated by the applicant and prepare written reports of the interviews.
• consult with and take into account the views of the local authority in whose area the applicant lives.
• prepare a written report, an assessment of the applicant’s suitability to act as a foster carer and the proposed terms and conditions of approval.
• refer the report to the Fostering Panel and notify the applicant accordingly.

The information must be gathered under Schedule 3 of the Fostering Services Regulations:

•  The carer’s full names address and date of birth.
• Details of their health (supported by a medical report), personality, marital status and details of their current and any previous marriage or similar relationship.
• Particulars of any other adult members of their household.
• Particulars of the children in their family, whether or not members of their household, and any other children in the household.
• Particulars of their accommodation.
• Their religious persuasion, and their capacity to care for a child from any particular religious persuasion.
• Their racial origin, cultural and linguistic background and their capacity to care for a child from any particular origin or cultural or linguistic background.
• Their past and present employment or occupation, standard of living and leisure activities and interests.
• Their previous experience (if any) of caring for their own and other children.
• Their skills, competence and potential relevant to their capacity to care effectively for a child placed with them.
• The outcome of any request or application made by them or any other member of their household to foster or adopt children, or for registration for child minding or day care, including particulars of any previous approval or refusal of approval relating to them or to any other member of their household.
• The names and addresses of two persons who will provide personal references for the prospective foster parent.

In relation to the prospective foster parent, either:

• an enhanced criminal record certificate issued under section 115 of the Police Act 1997 including the matters specified in section 115(6A) of that Act, or;
• where any certificate of information on any matters referred to in sub-paragraph a) is not available to an individual because any provision of the Police Act 1997 has not been brought into force, details of any criminal offences:
• of which the person has been convicted, including details of any convictions which are spent within the meaning of section 1 of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and which may be disclosed by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, or;
• in respect of which they have been cautioned by a constable and which, at the time the caution was given, they admitted, and;
• in relation to each member of the household aged 18 or over, details of any criminal offences mentioned in sub-paragraphs (i) and (ii) of paragraph 13(b).

 Baby Sitting

Foster carers cannot leave a baby-sitter in charge of a foster child without prior agreement with the child’s social worker. Fostering Services/Agencies recognise that foster carers need a break and occasionally need the support of relatives, a nominated carer or a baby-sitter, this should be discussed with the child’s social worker and the fostering social worker.

 Bed Wetting

Any child who has suffered a traumatic experience may begin to wet the bed. A child placed with foster carers will almost certainly feel distressed and it is important to be patient and allow the child time to settle and feel safe and secure. Displaying annoyance or attempting to punish a child will only add to their distress and may make the problem worse.

Rewarding a child for success will work better than punishment for failure. If the problem is persistent, foster carer’s should discuss it with the child’s social worker or the carer’s Family Placement social worker. Persistent bed wetting could be an indication of specific problems including sexual abuse.

Belongings

Foster children will probably bring clothing, toys or other possessions with them when they are placed. These belongings may appear not to be very valuable; however they may be precious to a child and therefore should be treated with respect. Remember the child will have been separated from their family and familiar surroundings and what may seem an unimportant item may be a child’s most treasured possession.

 Birth Certificate

If a birth has been registered then a birth certificate will be available which records the details of the child’s birth. If a copy of a child's birth certificate is required, Foster carers can contact the child's social worker or seek advice from the Family Placement worker.

 Car insurance

Foster carers are generally advised to take out fully comprehensive car insurance. The Fostering Agency must see a copy of the car insurance annually.

 Car safety

Fostering Agencies have safety guidelines for foster carers regarding car safety for foster children.

Foster cares are required to use child restraints that meet the legal regulations introduced by the Department of Transport in September 2006.

Child restraints should be suitable for children’s weight and size. Even in a minor crash, an unrestrained is very much more vulnerable to being thrown about, injuring themselves and others. A properly fitted child restraint absorbs some of the impact force and makes the child much less likely to be killed or injured.

 Case Conference

A Child Protection Case Conference is when people who are involved with a child get together to discuss concerns about the child’s welfare. The Conference includes the people needed to make and implement plans for a child’s protection.

 The foster carer role

If the child has been placed with foster carers, they should be invited to attend the Case Conference in order to give their view and observations of the child’s behaviour as part of the discussion regarding the plans for the child.

 Child Abuse

Physical abuse

Physical Abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.  Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes ill health to a child whom they are looking after. This situation is commonly described using such terms as factitious illness by proxy or Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. 

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening.  The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative (e.g. rape or buggery) or non-penetrative acts.  They may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at pornographic material or watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

Neglect

Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child's health or development.  It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate care or treatment.  It may also include neglect of a child's basic emotional needs. 

Emotional abuse

Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child's emotional development.  It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person.  It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children.  It may involve causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children.  Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill treatment of a child, though it may occur alone. 

Child Assessment Order

This is where a court can order that a child be psychologically or educationally assessed, for no more than seven days, to see if they are suffering "significant harm" and should be placed in care.

Child Benefit

Foster carers are not entitled to claim child benefit.

Child Protection

Foster carers are expected to care for children safely and securely, ensuring their protection and welfare at all times. All Fostering Agencies provide Safe Caring training and best practice is to produce a Safe Caring Policy, which sets out how foster carers intend to ensure the protection of all children in the household.

The Safe Caring Policy is usually reviewed at each foster carer’s annual review of approval and with each new placement of a child.

Allegations of abuse against foster carers or other members of the carer’s household including other foster children may result in a formal investigation under the provisions of Section 47 of the 1989 Children Act and Working Together 2006.

Wherever possible, such investigations known as, ‘section 47 investigations’ will be undertaken by an Independent Agency in conjunction with the police.

Children Act 1989

The Children Act 1989 came into force in October 1991. At the heart of the Children Act is the belief that:

•  The best place for children to be looked after ‘is within their own families’.
• The welfare of the child is paramount.
• Birth parents should be involved in all planning and decision-making affecting their children.
• Legal proceedings should be avoided whenever possible.
• The welfare of the child should be promoted by a partnership between the family and the local authority.
• Children should not be removed from their families and contact should not be ended unless it is absolutely necessary to do so for their well being. When this does happen it should be through a Court Order.
• The child’s needs arising from their race, culture, religion and language must be taken into consideration.

Care Order

The Court will make a Care Order if it believes that:

• a child is suffering significant harm or is likely to suffer significant harm
• if the care being given is not what a parent should give
• the child is beyond the parent’s control

The Order will state that the Local Authority must look after the child and provide somewhere for he or she to live. A Care Order gives shared parental responsibility to the Local Authority and the child’s parents.

The Care Order lasts until:

• the young person reaches the age of 18
• the child is adopted
• a Supervision or Residence Order is made
• the Court discharges the Order

Under a Care Order the child or children, it is presumed, will remain in contact with their family unless the court states otherwise.

Contact Order

Directs that certain person/s should have contact with a child. It will also state how often that contact should take place and possibly what form the contact should take.

A Contact Order lasts until:

• the child/young person is 16 years old
• the court agrees it is no longer necessary
• In exceptional circumstances it may last until the young person is 18 years old.  

Emergency Protection Order (EPO)

This is an order under which children are removed from a situation in which they are at risk. A magistrate must sign the order. An Emergency Protection Order can last up to 8 days with a possible extension up to a further 7 days. 72 hours after the making of the order, an application for discharge can be made by; a parent, a person with parental responsibility, the child, or anyone with whom the child is living at the time.

Prohibited Steps Order

This Order states that certain things cannot happen without the Court’s permission, for example, changing the child’s school or moving the child to live abroad.

Residence Order and Specific Issue Order

This Order specifies a person who has the power to dictate where a child may live. The person specified in the Order acquires parental responsibility. The court is asked to consider and resolve a ‘specific issue’. For example, educational or medical matters in the best interest of the child.

Children who foster 

When adults make a decision to become foster carers they also make the decision on behalf of their children for them to become part of a family that fosters. Fostering is a very significant change in anyone's life, however especially for the children within the family who will often have very different views from each other about the prospect of fostering.

It is important that prospective foster carers include their children throughout the assessment process. There needs to be regular family chats about how being a foster family will affect the family and also to address any concerns or questions as they arise.

There is a price to foster. The children’s privacy may be invaded, their property might be borrowed without permission, and they might struggle with having less parental attention because of fostering.

However, as they experience children from very different backgrounds children of families that foster are reminded about the advantage they have from having a secure and loving family, and as a consequence, in time learn more patience, tolerance and understanding of others.

Every Child Matters

Every Child Matters: Change for Children is a new approach to the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 19. The Government's aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to:

Be healthy

• Physically healthy
• Mentally and emotionally healthy
• Sexually healthy
• Healthy lifestyles
• Choose not to take illegal drugs

Parents, carers and families promote healthy choices 

Stay safe

• Safe from maltreatment, neglect, violence and sexual exploitation
• Safe from accidental injury and death
• Safe from bullying and discrimination
• Safe from crime and anti-social behaviour in and out of school
• Have security, stability and are cared for

Parents, carers and families provide safe homes and stability 

Enjoy and achieve

• Ready for school
• Attend and enjoy school
• Achieve stretching national educational standards at primary school
• Achieve personal and social development and enjoy recreation
• Achieve stretching national educational standards at secondary school

Parents, carers and families support learning 

Make a positive contribution

• Engage in decision-making and support the community and environment
• Engage in law-abiding and positive behaviour in and out of school
• Develop positive relationships and choose not to bully and discriminate
• Develop self-confidence and successfully deal with significant life changes and challenges
• Develop enterprising behaviour

Parents, carers and families promote positive behaviour 

Achieve economic well-being

• Engage in further education, employment or training on leaving school
• Ready for employment
• Live in decent homes and sustainable communities
• Access to transport and material goods
• Live in households free from low income

Parents, carers and families are supported to be economically active

This means that the organisations involved with providing services to children, from hospitals and schools, to police and voluntary groups, will be joining up in new ways, sharing information and working together, to protect children and young people from harm and help them achieve what they want in life. Children and young people will have far more say about issues that affect them as individuals and collectively.

Every Child Matters: Change for Children

Complaints

Fostering agencies must have a complaints procedure for Foster Carers and Services Users.

Foster Carers have the right to raise any issue that they feel concerned about and which is not satisfactorily resolved. This may be for themselves as foster carers or on behalf of the child or young person for whom they are caring in respect of plans, decisions and services provided by the Fostering Agency and/or the Local Authority.

Issues might be resolved informally with either the Family Placement Social

Worker or the child’s Social Worker. Discussion may include the Fostering Agency Manager however, if the problem cannot be resolved in this way the formal complaints procedure can be used. There are usually three stages to follow in resolving a complaint:

• Stage 1 – The Problem Solving / Local resolution Stage
• Stage 2 – The Formal Stage
• Stage 3 – The Fostering Panel review Stage

Stage 1

with the Family Placement social worker or their Manager

Stage 2

An Investigation Officer and Independent Person, if necessary, will be appointed to carry out an investigation.

Stage 3

Fostering Panel review. The Panel will make recommendations regarding the complaint.

Complaint about an adoption and or a fostering agency?

All agencies and local authorities are required by law to have a complaints procedure, details of which they must provide on request.

If you're still not satisfied, independent fostering agencies, voluntary adoption agencies and adoption support agencies are regulated by Ofsted, which can deal with any complaints. Call 0845 640 4040 or go to www.ofsted.gov.uk.

Complaints about local authority fostering and adoption services should be made to the local authority in question, using its own complaints procedure.

Confidentiality

When a child is placed with foster carers, the child’s social worker will share sufficient information about the child’s background. This information may include details of the child and his or her family, and the circumstances, which led to them coming in to care. Much of the information will be personal and all of it is told to foster carers in confidence.

Foster carers will need to share some of this information with their children, family and police checked supportive people who are likely to have regular contact with the child. It is very important to emphasise to birth children and family members the need for confidentiality.

Secrets

If a child wants to tell you a secret, foster carers should encourage the child to share this information with their social worker. If a child will not do this it is essential that the child be told that some secrets cannot be kept and that their social worker might have to be told.

Contact

The laws under which Social Services and Foster Carers work, states that Local Authorities have a duty to promote contact between children who are Looked After, their parents, relatives and other people who are important to the child.

Although Foster Carers have a responsibility to promote contact, guidance on good practice clearly states that this is a ‘team effort’ and the Local Authority has a duty to ensure that foster carers are in the best possible position to make contact as safe and enjoyable as possible.

The needs, wishes and feelings of the children are central to planning contact which should be co-ordinated by the child’s Social Worker including frequency, location and level of supervision required.

There is ample research, which suggests that maintaining links between children and their families increases the possibility of the children return to their family successfully. Contact also enhances children’s sense of identity as well as avoiding disruptions in foster placements. Contact does not have to be face to face and can take the form of phone calls, exchanging letters, photographs or cards from holidays or special occasions.

Problems with Contact

Contact can have its difficulties. In some circumstances it may be clear that contact will not benefit children or could be detrimental. The Family Law Courts have the power to restrict contact if they decide it is not in the child’s best interests.

Contact can also cause distress for children and Foster Carers are often the people who have to deal with this when a child feels confused or disappointed. Parents may feel angry that their children are living with Foster Carers if this against their wishes and resent having to comply with plans they don’t fully agree with which can lead to parents behaving in ways which appear inappropriate during contact.

It is important that the issue of contact is discussed in formal supervision with the foster carer’s Family Placement Worker so that problems can be identified, shared and resolved.

Corporal Punishment

The use of corporal punishment is not acceptable within a foster carer’s home. This means that a foster carer should never physically chastise a child in their care. Many of the children being looked after by the local authority have suffered injury and physical abuse, therefore physical punishment would merely reinforce the child’s belief that adults hurt children.

Court Appearance

In certain circumstances foster carers may be requested to give evidence in court. The child’s social worker and fostering social worker will be available for support. Foster carers records for the child during a placement will be important in assisting their court appearance and responses if they are questioned. 

Court Welfare Officer

A judge may appoint a court welfare officer to be the court's eyes and ears. They are usually members of the Probation Service and are attached to the Family Court Service.

They will often visit birth parents and speak to the children and then write a report for the court, in which they can make suggestions. The judge does not have to take the Welfare Officer's advice and parents can argue against their report if they are unhappy about it.

A child's views will be taken into account if they are thought to be old enough to understand the court proceedings - usually at the age of 12 or over.

Culture & Language

Culture describes the way people live their lives. Culture is founded on many different factors, for example:

•  memories
• common experience
• background
• language
• racial identity
• class
• religion
• family attitudes

Culture is part of a child’s or young person’s identity and heritage and all foster carers must respect and value a child’s cultural heritage.