3.7.2 Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers, Short Break Carers and Befrienders |
RELATED CHAPTERS
Assessing Prospective Foster Carers Guidance
AMENDMENTS
This chapter was amended in August 2011 to become compliant with the National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services: Standard 13. The changes in the chapter are highlighted for ease of reference.
Contents
- Foster Carer Assessments and Approvals
- Short Break Carers Assessments and Approvals
- Befrienders Assessments and Approvals
1. Foster Carer Assessments and Approvals
- Responding to Requests for Information
- Initial Contact With Applicants and Criteria for Foster Carers (Amended April 2005)
- Preparation Meetings
- Case Files and Checks
- Health
- Home Study/Assessment
- Personal References
- Portfolio and Profile
- Presentation to the Fostering Panel
- After the Fostering Panel’s Recommendation
- Representations Procedure
- After the Approval
- Register of Foster Carers
1. Responding to Requests for Information
In relation to every request received, a record will be kept containing the following information:
- Full name, date of birth, address and telephone number
- Date of request
- Brief details including the source of interest
| All requests for information made by telephone, letter, or e-mail will be acknowledged by telephone within 5 working days and an information pack will be sent to all enquirers regardless of eligibility. |
2. Initial Contact with Applicants and Criteria for Foster Carers
The Recruitment and Assessment worker will arrange for an initial visit to be made to those applicants who meet the initial eligibility criteria.
Eligibility Requirements
- Space to foster: applicants should have a spare room, or where room sharing is proposed the viability of such arrangement is discussed.
- Time commitment: the applicant/s has sufficient time to commitment to the fostering task according to the age group the applicants wishes to foster.
- The carer is at least 21 years of age and under the age of 68.
- The applicant’s current family situation is stable. (i.e. no plans to relocate, not currently expecting a child, immigration status stable)
- There is an expectation that foster carers can speak basic English as this is necessary to undertake the fostering task.
Applicants
We accept applications from all members of the community regardless, of race, ethnicity, sexuality, cultural or religious background. Applicants can be employed or not unemployed, home owners or living in rented accommodation, single, married/civil partnership or living with a partner, either gender. Applications are welcomed from those who consider themselves to have a disability however a medical is required and applicants maybe found unsuitable to foster if the disability would impact their ability to carry out the fostering task.
Criminal Convictions
Anyone who has been cautioned or convicted of an offence against or involving a child, including a specified offence under Schedule 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, will be precluded from fostering.
Other convictions will not necessarily preclude an application, but this will depend on the seriousness of the offence, how long ago it was committed and the context of the offence.
Employees
Applications will not be accepted from employees of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Education and Children's Services.
Residence in the United Kingdom
Applicants do not have to have British Citizenship, but should normally be resident in the United Kingdom.
Child Minding
In determining the number of children a prospective foster carer should be approved for (up to a maximum of three), the number and ages of children being childminded will be taken into account.
Accommodation
Children aged 10 years and over must only share bedrooms with children of the same sex. Ideally, all children should have a separate bedroom. However, consideration will be given to room sharing depending on the age of the children, their needs, the size of the room, their views and wishes and other factors. Occasionally applicants without a suitable bedroom will be considered to foster babies only. The decision will be taken by the Designated Manager (Foster Carer Approval) depending on the needs of the service at the time.
Pets
In determining the suitability of the household, the question of whether any household pets pose a danger or health risk to a child, will be taken into account. Where a dog comes within the definition of a dangerous dog as defined by the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (as amended), this will automatically disqualify a household from being approved.
Initial Visits
Ideally an initial visit will take place within 14 days of the applicant’s initial contact.
Prior to the first visit, a check will be made to see if the prospective applicant is known to the Education and Children's Services.
The manager of the Fostering Service will consider all initial visit write-ups and decide whether to invite the applicant/s to preparation training. Applicants can not proceed without written agreement of the manager.
Monthly statistics will be kept by the Fostering Service of the number of enquiries made and the outcomes of these enquiries.
In considering applications to foster, all applicants will be judged against the competencies needed to foster as set out in the UK National Standards for Fostering.
The foster home will also be thoroughly checked to ensure it provides appropriate and safe for the child, as well as safe transport. Each child over 3 has their own bedroom or, where this is not possible, the sharing of the bedroom has been agreed by the placing authority. A risk assessment must be conducted in regard to pets.
Preparation Groups and Training
All applicants will be expected to attend preparation groups before their application is presented to Panel. In addition all approved applicants will be expected to attend a minimum of 3 days training each year.
Attendance at Panel
All applicants will be invited and actively encouraged to attend Panel, when their application is being presented. The decision to attend rests with the applicants and a wish not to attend will not prejudice fair consideration of an application.
3. Preparation Meetings
Preparation groups form part of the assessment process and applicants are required to attend a preparation group before they begin a home study. In some circumstances applicants may start their home study prior to attending a group however this is at the discretion of the Fostering Manager.
Preparation groups will usually be planned to enable applicants to have at least 4 weeks notice of their date and venue so as to encourage extensive participation. Written invitations will be sent out to applicants.
Preparation groups provide an opportunity for the Fostering Service to find out more about the applicants and have a clearer idea of their strengths, areas for further work and any concerns which need to be clarified as part of the assessment process.
The groups are also aimed at self-assessment in that they enable applicants to find out more about fostering and help them discover their own strengths and weaknesses.
Applicants are expected to attend all the preparation groups offered before being considered for approval as foster carers. If they miss more than two sessions they will be expected to repeat the entire course. If they miss only two sessions and have shown a good understanding of the issues covered in
the other sessions it may be possible, if the manager agrees, for this material to be covered in the remaining home assessment. Where an applicant is applying with a partner, the partner is also required to attend all days of the group.
A report by the facilitators of the groups will be included in the assessment report presented to the Fostering Panel.
4. Case Files and Checks
| Once an applicant has attended the preparation group, applicants will be sent an application to foster which gives permission for checks and references to be sought. A new case file should be opened for the prospective foster carer once the application has been returned. |
The checks on the applicant and all members of the household and frequent visitors over 10 will be actioned by the by the Fostering Panel Administrator who will write to the Health Trust, Education Authority and Education and Children's Services for the area where the applicants live. The Criminal Records Bureau disclosure form will also be completed and sent.
Where the applicant has made a previous application to foster or adopt, the relevant agency must be asked to confirm in writing the outcome of the application.
The applicant's eligibility to work in the UK will be checked.
| A record will be made by the Panel Administrator or assessing social worker of the dates when the checks were sent and the dates when replies were received. |
The replies to the checks should be placed in the confidential section of the case record.
These checks and the dates on which they are made will be recorded.
5. Health
All applicants must agree to have a medical with a written report being obtained from the GP on their health and any other relevant health issues. Written advice from the Medical Adviser to the Fostering Panel should be obtained and referred to in the report to the Fostering Panel. Where the applicant’s GP has expressed concerns or where clarification of the implications of any health issues is required, detailed advice must be sought from the Fostering panel Medical Adviser at an early stage and the implications fully discussed with the applicant and in the report.
6. Home Study/Assessment
A fostering worker will be allocated to carry out a home study/assessment of the applicant.
The time taken to complete the assessment after the applicant has completed a formal application will generally be no more than six months unless the need for additional work with the prospective foster carers is identified.
| We will aim to complete assessments within a 3-4 month time frame not exceeding 6 months. |
The home study/assessment can run in parallel with the applicant’s attendance at preparation groups.
Applicants may withdraw from the assessment process before it is completed. In addition, where an issue arises during the course of an assessment which requires a decision as to the future direction of the assessment and this cannot be resolved by discussion between the family placement worker and the applicant or by reference to the manager of the Fostering Service, this can be referred at an early stage to the Fostering Panel for advice.
| All assessments of potential foster carers will follow the Fostering Networks form for Competency based assessments and utilise part of BAAF Form F Part 2 sections 1-7. |
The suitability of the accommodation must also be assessed and a health and safety checklist completed including an assessment of risk posed by any pets in the household. Any issues that arise from the check should be recorded on the Form F with an agreed plan of action established.
The completed Form F (which should contain all material that will be presented to Panel) should be shared with and signed by the applicant.
The time taken to complete the assessment and present the report of the assessment to the Fostering Panel after a formal application has been received will be no more than eight months from the receipt of the application.
Carers must be able to demonstrate that they can gain an understanding of young people's behaviour including encouraging children to take responsibility for their behaviour and helping them to learn how to resolve conflict.7. Personal References
Two written personal references must be obtained from adults who have known the applicant(s) for at least two years, who are not related to them and who live within a reasonable travelling distance of them.
The assessing family placement worker will seek written references and also interview the referees personally. A third, written reference must be sought from a wider family member, who will also be interviewed.
A written reference must be obtained from the applicant’s current employer and from past employers where the applicant has been employed (or volunteered) to work with children in any capacity.
A written reference must also be sought from previous partners (who have lived at the same address in a one-to-one relationship) Consideration will be given to waiving this where undertaking it could place someone at risk, or reasonable efforts to locate a previous partner have proved unsuccessful.
Where there are school-aged children in the applicant’s household a written or verbal reference must be sought from their school.
When referees are approached to provide a reference they will be asked to provide agreement or otherwise to their reference being shared with the applicant. If referees ask that the information is not shared with the applicant, then efforts should be made to respect their wishes.
However, prior to providing a reference, referees must be made aware that there may be circumstances where it is not possible to maintain confidentiality, as applicants have the right to request access under the Data Protection Act. Information provided by referees where they have not given consent, should not be shared with applicants outside of an application under the this Act. In these circumstances legal advice should be sought. Information from references should never be shared without informing the referee in advance that this is going to happen.
8. Portfolio and Profile
As part of the assessment process applicants will be expected to put together a small portfolio to evidence how they meet the fostering competencies. This will be done in partnership with the family placement worker.
Applicants will also be asked to provide a written profile to introduce a fostered child to members of the foster family and the foster home. The information should also contain house rules, routines, names of pets, information about how the foster family has fun and any other information to convey what it would be like for a child coming into the household. Applicants may choose to do this in the form of a family book with visual and written information.
9. Presentation to the Fostering Panel
| All the relevant information (incorporating the assessment report, the applicant’s portfolio, references, a full report on visits to the referees, full information about all the statutory checks and the Medical Adviser’s report) should be sent to the Fostering Panel Administrator prior to the stated panel deadline. |
At the Panel meeting, the information will be presented by the family placement worker responsible for the assessment or a substitute with adequate knowledge of the applicant and the assessment.
The applicant will usually be present at the Panel and will be encouraged to attend. Whether or not the applicant is present, their views and
wishes must be presented fairly and accurately before the Panel within the documentation and verbally.
The Panel will consider the written report together with all the supporting documentation and any additional information presented verbally, and make a
recommendation to the Designated Manager (Foster Carer Approval) regarding the outcome of the assessment.
The recommendation will be recorded in writing and, where approval is recommended, any limitations of the approval to named children (for example where the foster carer is a relative or family friend) or conditions as to the age range or number of children to be placed in the foster home will also be specified.
Reasons for the recommendations and any conditions will be recorded in the Panel’s minutes.
10. After the Fostering Panel's Recommendation
After the Fostering Panel has considered the report and made a written recommendation, this will be sent to the Designated Manager (Foster Carer Approval) who will make a decision as to the approval of the foster carers based on the Panel’s recommendation. Where the application is approved, the nature and any terms of the approval must be also specified in writing.
If a decision is made to approve a foster carer, written notice of the decision and the terms of the approval will be sent to the foster carer as soon as practicable by the Fostering Panel Administrator. A copy should also be placed on the foster carer’s case record.
11. Representations Procedure
Where a decision is taken not to proceed with an enquiry from the outset, or at the early stages of an application, the applicant(s) should be informed in writing of the decision and the reasons for not pursuing their enquiry.
If they wish to appeal they should put their appeal in writing to the Foster Team Manager, setting out the reasons why they consider their application should proceed.
The Fostering Team Manager may then:
- Confirm the original decision;
- Overturn the original decision;
- Agree to a re-assessment;
- Agree to meet the applicant(s) before deciding on a. b. or c.
If the applicants remain dissatisfied with the way the appeal was handled, they may complain using the Council’s Complaints Procedure.
Where an application has progressed to the point of completion or near completion before a decision is taken that the applicant(s) would not be suitable, the applicant(s) can request that a full report is completed and presented to the Fostering Panel.
| If a decision is made to refuse an application for approval, written notice of the decision together with the reasons and a copy of the Fostering Panel’s recommendation will be sent to the applicant within 2 weeks of the decision being made. The applicant will be advised that if he or she wishes to challenge the decision, representations should be submitted either in person or in writing within 28 days of the decision, to the next available Fostering Panel. |
The Fostering Panel Administrator must receive notification of the applicants wish to attend Panel or any written representations from them within 28 days of the date of the written notice of the decision.
If no written notification or representations are received within this period, the decision to refuse the application can be confirmed.
If written representations are made within the period, the matter must be referred to the Fostering Panel for further consideration. The Panel Administrator will advise the applicant within 7 days of the date of the Panel meeting when they can attend or their written representations will be considered. In these circumstances, a friend or supporter can accompany applicants who wish to attend the meeting of the Fostering Panel.
After considering the representations, the Panel will make further recommendations either confirming or amending their previous views and the Designated Manager will consider these before a final decision is made.
Written notice of the final decision, together with reasons, must be sent to the applicant within 7 working days of the Panel meeting. A copy of the report to the Panel, the Panel’s recommendation and the decision to refuse an application must be retained on the applicant’s case record.
12. After the Approval
Where an application is approved, the foster carer will be allocated a family placement worker who may not be the same as the social worker who completed the assessment.
| The allocated social worker will request the foster carer to sign a Foster Care Agreement between the Specialist Children’s Services and the foster carer, which contains the information the foster carer needs to carry out his or her functions as a foster carer effectively. The foster carer will be given two copies for signature, and will retain one signed copy. The other will be kept on the foster carer’s file, together with the report and supporting documents presented to the Fostering Panel, a copy of the Panel’s recommendation and a copy of the approval decision. |
The Foster Care Agreement will contain the following information:
- The terms of the foster carer’s approval
- The support and training to be provided to the foster carer
- The procedure for the review of the foster carer’s approval
- The procedure for placements of children
- The procedure for making representations and complaints
- The requirement to inform the fostering service of any change of circumstance, address or in the household composition, or of any registration as a childminder or application to adopt or of any offence
- The requirements in relation to confidentiality
- The procedures for behaviour management and unauthorised absences of children placed with the foster carer including the ban on corporal punishment
- The procedures for informing the family placement worker of the child’s progress and any significant events relating to the child
- The need to give 28 days’ notice in writing of they wish to cease fostering
New foster carers will also be given their personal copy of the Foster Carer Hand-Book, which covers policies, procedures, guidance, legal information and insurance details.
The allocated supervising worker will continue to provide support to the foster carer up to, during and after all placements.
13. Register of Foster Carers
The manager of the Family Placement Service will maintain a register of all approved foster carers containing the following particulars:
- The name, address, date of birth, sex and ethnic origin of each foster carer
- The date of approval and of each review of the approval
- The current terms of the approval
- The name, address, date of birth of each person with whom a child is placed who is a relative or friend (but not an approved foster carer) and who has entered an agreement to provide care for the child placed, together with the date and terms of the agreement
2. Short Break Carers Assessments and Approvals
| 1. | Initial enquiry. |
| 2. | Information pack sent to enquirers within one week. |
| 3. | Telephone discussion with member of Short Break Care Team. |
| 4. | Home Visit by Social Worker. An opportunity for further discussion with a view to deciding whether an application should proceed. |
| 5. | Complete the following:
|
| 6. | Preparation Group (if available) |
| 7. | Assessment of applicant(s) - to include:
|
| 8. | Assessment report completed by Social Worker and shared with applicant(s). Agreed amendments made if necessary. |
| 9. | Assessment report completed within nine months of original application and presented to the Short Break Care Panel by the social worker. Applicant invited to attend. |
| 10. | Recommendation by Panel to approve applicant(s). |
| 11. | Formal approval by the Assistant Director, Children and Families Division. |
| 12. | Carers Agreement completed and Handbook issued. |
3. Befrienders Assessments and Approvals
| 1. | Initial enquiry. |
| 2. | Information pack and application form sent to enquirers within one week. |
| 3. | Team administrator initiates the following -
|
| 4. | Scheme co-ordinator contacts applicant and arranges home visit(s). |
| 5. | Scheme co-ordinator makes personal contact with at least one referee (visit of telephone call) |
| 6. | Assessment report completed by Scheme Co-ordinator and shared with applicant. Agreed amendments made if necessary. |
| 7. | Assessment report completed within four months of original application and presented to the Short Break Care Panel by the Scheme Co-ordinator Applicant invited to attend. |
| 8. | Recommendation by Panel to approve applicant. |
| 9. | Formal approval by the Assistant Director, Children and Families Division. |
| 10. | Befriender’s Agreement completed and Handbook issued. |
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