Assessments and Approvals of Foster Carers

Fostering Services should recruit a range of foster carers who can meet the diverse needs of children who are looked after or who are receiving a short break service from the service. Recruitment is in line with the Service’s Statement of Purpose, and Managers review, and act on, trends and patterns in the recruitment of foster carers. Careful recruitment and regular monitoring of carers by the Service is designed to prevent unsuitable carers from being recruited and having the opportunity to harm children or to place them at risk. The relevant authorities are informed of any concerns about inappropriate adults. The recruitment, assessment, preparation, training and support of foster carers by the Service have a strong focus on child protection and keeping children safe, including help to ensure that children living in foster homes are safe and feel safe.

Prospective foster carers are made to feel valued and welcomed. The process for assessment is timely and sensitive to the needs of the carers. Assessments that identify foster carers as suitable for a child are informed by a clear understanding of that child’s needs and of the skills necessary to help and support them. Where the Service offers placements to children with complex needs and challenging behaviour, it provides the necessary specialist support and help for as long as they are required.

All members of the public who make an initial enquiry by telephone, internet, in person at a recruitment event, email or letter in relation to becoming a foster carer will be referred to the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team. All enquirers will be treated as a potential resource and given a prompt response. They will be contacted to gather further information and for a general discussion about fostering.

The Fostering Enquiry Form will be completed in relation to all new enquiries and records entered into an workstep on the NCC Mosaic system. Where possible, preliminary, basic information should be obtained - numbers in the household, the availability of a separate bedroom for foster children, working hours, childcare experience etc., to progress the enquiry appropriately. In addition, a check will be carried out in relation to enquirers and all members of their household on Children's Services records.

Prospective foster carers will be sent an information pack at their request or they may download and view the information pack online. The fostering information pack includes a fostering brochure, covering letter, a fact sheet entitled 'Smoking and Vaping advice for prospective foster carers and adopters' and information relating to fostering support within the service. The Information Pack will be sent within 5 working days of the enquiry if a hardcopy is requested.

Where the enquirer or a member of the household is known within local authority social care records and the informationmay may impact on an application to foster, the enquiry will be passed to the Team Manager of the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team for a decision on how to proceed. At this early stage, it may be appropriate to advise these enquirers against pursuing fostering if they clearly do not meet the basic criteria (see Section 12, Criteria for Foster Carers).

The managers' decision will be communicated to the person concerned, with reasons given, and the decision will be recorded. Where the decision is not to proceed the enquiry will be closed. Where the decision is to proceed, the same procedure will be followed as for all other enquirers, but with all known information recorded in the enquiry workstep opened on mosaic The enquiry will be passed to the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team manager for allocation to a Supervising Social Worker so an Initial Visit can be arranged. There is an expectation that enquiries will be responded to in a timely manner by the allocated Supervising Social Worker and Initial Visits undertaken promptly to avoid any delay. Once the enquiry has been passed to the responsible Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team Manager, the enquirers will be offered a visit within 5 working days. The purpose of the initial visit is to provide information about fostering and to make a preliminary assessment of the enquirers’ suitability to foster. Two initial visits will normally take place. The assessing supervising social worker should consult with the team manager after the first visit. Unless the enquirers are assessed as unsuitable, they will be given a Registration of Interest Form following the second visit and provided with information relating to Fostering Pre-Approval Training

On receipt of the Registration of Interest Form, the Fostering Service has 5 working days to decide and notify enquirers of whether their interest is accepted.

Stage One of the assessment process is intended to provide the decision maker with basic information about the enquirer to enable clearly unsuitable enquirers to be sifted out without unnecessary bureaucracy or expenditure of time and resource by the fostering service or the applicant. More detailed information is collected in Assessment - Stage Two.

Where a person applies to become a foster carer and it is decided to assess their suitability to become a foster carer, the following information must be obtained as soon as reasonably practicable relating to the applicant and other members of their household and family:

• Full name, address and date of birth;
• Details of health (supported by a medical report);
• Particulars of any other adult members of the household;
• Particulars of the children in the family, whether or not members of the household, and any other children in the household;
• Particulars of their accommodation;
• 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 as an early years provider or later years provider under Part 3 of the Childcare Act 2006), including particulars of any previous approval or refusal of approval relating to them or to any other member of the household;
• If the enquirer has, in the preceding twelve months, been a foster parent approved by another fostering service provider, the name and address of that fostering service provider;
• Names and addresses of two persons who will provide personal references;
• In relation to the enquirer and any other member of the enquirer’s household who is aged 18 or over, an enhanced criminal record certificate;
• Details of current, and any previous, marriage, civil partnership or similar relationship;
• The views of, the Local Authority in whose area the enquirer lives, if different;
• Where the enquirer has previously been, or is currently, approved as a foster carer by another fostering service provider, or as a prospective adopter by an adoption agency, and consents, access will be requested to the relevant records compiled by that other fostering service provider / adoption agency in relation to the enquirer. That service / agency must provide access within 15 working days of a request being received;
• All references and checks as outlined in the Declaration of Compliance (see Appendix 4: Declaration of Compliance).

Records compiled by another fostering service, or an adoption agency, can be used to inform the new assessment of the enquirer’s suitability to foster. For instance, if previous partners have been interviewed in the past to verify facts, and the current assessing social worker is satisfied with the records in respect of these interviews, it should not be necessary to repeat the interviews if no further information is required. The assessing social worker should, however, satisfy themselves as to the quality and continuing relevance of the information before using it to inform the current assessment.

Where, having regard to any information obtained, it is decided that the enquirer is not suitable to become a foster carer, the enquirer must be notified in writing with reasons. This notification may be given whether or not all of this information has been obtained. Such a notification may not be given more than 10 working days after all the information has been obtained. The enquirer has no right to make representations about the decision or to have their case reviewed under the Independent Review Mechanism. However, the enquirer must be informed that they can complain via the fostering service’s complaints process if they are unhappy with the way in which their case has been handled. The complaints process should address whether or not the enquirer’s case has been handled in a reasonable way, rather than the question of the enquirer’s suitability to foster.

Where all the specified information has been obtained and notification has not been given within 10 working days that the enquirer is not suitable, then the assessment must proceed to Assessment - Stage Two.

Note that Stages One and Two of the assessment process can be carried out concurrently, but the Stage One information must be sought as soon as possible, and the decision about whether an enquirer has successfully completed Stage One must be made within 10 working days of all the information required in that Stage being received.

On receipt of the completed Registration of Interest form, business support staff will input the date of the Registration of Interest and details of the household members on Mosaic.

The prospective carer will be booked on to the Foster Carers Pre-Approval Training Course – see Section 6, Training Course.

As per National Minimum Standard 14.4, Fostering Panel must make its recommendation on the application within eight months of the prospective carer first enquiring to be assessed although all efforts will be made to complete the assessment process sooner.

Prospective foster carers should be prepared to become foster carers in a way which addresses, and gives practical techniques to manage, the issues they are likely to encounter and identifies the competencies and strengths they have or need to develop.

The Foster Carers Pre-Approval Training Course will cover in detail all aspects of the fostering task, including the need for approved foster carers to notify the manager of any changes in their home circumstances, for example any new relationships they have where they wish their new partners to become a member of the household - see Section 15, Changes in the Foster Carer's Household or Circumstances for the procedure to be followed where such changes occur.

Enquirers will be booked on the course once positive enquiry visits have been completed and a decision has been made by the manager that the enquirer are suitable to progress to Stage One assessment. All prospective foster carers will be required to attend this training, which is an integral part of the assessment process.

The objectives of the course are:

• To raise awareness and understanding of the key issues which need to be addressed by all foster carers, including safeguarding and child protection;
• To assist enquirers to consider more thoroughly the implications of fostering;
• To assist enquirers to determine the type of resource they can offer to the children needing foster placements.

Those facilitating the course will provide written feedback on issues relating to the applicants for the assessing social worker which must be used in the fostering assessment. Any issues of concern should be referred to the manager.

Where issues emerge during the training as a result of which the manager decides that it is not appropriate to proceed with the assessment, the enquirers should be visited by a social worker and notified in writing of the decision, with reasons. Advice should be given of any steps they may take in order to meet the criteria or of how they might pursue their interest elsewhere, if appropriate.

Where transracial placements are made, the foster carer will be provided with additional training, support and information to enable the child or young person to be provided with the best possible care and to develop a positive understanding of their heritage.

Where the enquirer disagrees with the decision and/or is not willing to withdraw and is in the Stage 2 process, a brief report on the application should be presented to the Fostering Panel and the procedure to be followed should be the same as if the report was a full report on the applicants (see Section 9, The Panel Recommendation to Section 11, Representations / Independent Review Procedure).

Where the Assessment - Stage One information has been obtained, and no notification has been given within 10 working days that the applicant is not suitable to be a foster carer, the following must be undertaken:

• Obtain the following information relating to the applicant and other members of the household, together with any other relevant information;
  • Details of personality;
  • Religious persuasion, and capacity to care for a child from any particular religious persuasion;
  • Racial origin, cultural and linguistic background and capacity to care for a child from any particular racial origin or cultural or linguistic background;
  • Past and present employment or occupation, standard of living, leisure activities and interests;
  • Previous experience (if any) of caring for their own and other children;
  • Skills, competence and potential relevant to their capacity to care effectively for a child placed with them;
• Consider whether the applicant is suitable to be a foster parent and whether the applicant’s household is suitable for any child;
• Prepare a written report on the applicant which includes the following matters;
  • The information required to be obtained, as set out above;
  • Any other relevant information;
  • An assessment of the applicant’s suitability to be a foster parent;
  • Proposals about any terms of approval.

There are no specific regulatory requirements about the way in which assessment information must be collected or presented to Panel.

Where, having regard to information obtained during Stage Two, it is decided that the applicant is unlikely to be considered suitable to become a foster carer, notwithstanding that not all the Stage Two information has yet been obtained, a Brief Report may be prepared and submitted to the fostering panel in the same way as for a full assessment report. (There is no prescribed length or format for a brief report).

The assessing social worker will:

• Familiarise themselves with the application form;
• Contact the applicant(s) and arrange a visit;
• Draw up a written agreement setting out the dates for the assessment visits and the date for the presentation to the Fostering Panel;
• Interview couples individually and together and ensure the children of the applicant or other significant members of the family/household are seen alone;
• Contact ex partners (see below);
• Inform the applicant(s) of any revised timescales if there are delays.

The assessing social worker will complete all parts of the competency format, which will record all appropriate factual information and address issues including the applicants' understanding of the following areas:

• Child rearing;
• Caring for children born to someone else;
• Contact between children and their families;
• Helping children to make sense of their past;
• Sexual boundaries and attitudes;
• Awareness of sexual and other forms of abuse;
• Health and health promotion;
• Promotion of education;
• Approaches to discipline;
• Awareness of how to promote secure attachments between children and appropriate adults;
• Religion;
• Standards of living and lifestyles;
• Awareness of sexuality and gender issues;
• Racial, cultural and linguistic issues;
• Experiences of disability and attitudes to disability;
• Awareness of equal opportunities;
• Understanding and dealing with young people's behaviour including encouraging children to take responsibility for their behaviour and helping them to learn how to resolve conflict.

The list is not exhaustive - other issues relevant to the individual applicant and his or her family may need to be addressed. The skills and personal qualities that need to be evidenced will be different according to the type of fostering the applicants want to do, e.g. babies and toddlers, short term or permanent.

A Safe Care document and a Health and Safety document will also be completed in the course of the assessment and a copy retained by the carers post approval. Those documents will be reviewed annually.

As well as providing a written reference, two (or more, if considered appropriate) personal referees will also be interviewed during the assessment. Referees and any other family members spoken to during the preparation of the report should be informed in writing about the position in relation to confidentiality. A written reference will not be shown to an applicant unless the applicant requests disclosure and the referee consents to disclosure. The same applies to information and opinions shared in the course of conversation. These will not be disclosed to an applicant without permission. However, referees and others should be made aware that it will often be necessary to discuss with applicants information and opinions expressed although where this happens, the particular source of the information or opinion will not be disclosed. The assessing social worker may also contact the previous partners of the applicants (taking care not to disclose confidential personal information about the applicant). Where there were any children of the relationship or where children were cared for jointly, the social worker will arrange to interview them face-to-face wherever practicable. All adult children of the applicant(s) living away from home will also be interviewed.

Applicants will be encouraged to be actively involved in contributing towards the assessment, for example write about themselves, their family, their relationship.

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 and a bedroom sharing assessment undertaken and agreed (see Appendix B). A risk assessment must be conducted in regard to pets.

The applicant must be notified that the case is to be referred to the fostering panel, be given a copy of the report and be invited to send any observations in writing within 10 working days beginning with the date on which the notification is sent.

At the end of the 10 working days, (or when the applicant’s observations are received, whichever is sooner), the report, the applicant’s observations on that report, if any, and any other relevant information obtained, must be sent to the fostering panel.

Where there are concerns about the suitability of the applicant that arise at any point during the assessment, the assessing social worker should discuss these with the applicants and consult the manager. Where the issues cannot be addressed by training, the applicants will be advised to withdraw.

The information gathered during the assessment, the Fostering Pre-Approval Training Course and the checks and personal references, will form the basis of the assessment. Applicants will be assessed to the CoramBAAF FORM F Format and FORM C Format for Family and Friends Applications. This authority has adopted and adapted a competency framework but discretion exists regarding the format to be used, for example the CoramBAAF form.

Once the assessing social worker has completed a draft, it should be submitted to the manager for discussion in order to identify whether there are any issues that are unclear or need further work before the assessment is completed.

The final draft will then be sent to the applicants. The applicants should be asked to sign and return the report, if agreed, and/or send their comments in writing to the assessing social worker and that any written comments they make will be circulated to Fostering Panel members, with the report.

The report will then be passed to the manager to be endorsed and counter-signed. The Team Manager will not routinely be required to undertake a final visit Report.

The applicants should be invited to attend the meeting of the Fostering Panel, which considers their application.

The social worker will then send the report and supplementary information such as referees interviews, the applicants' written comments (if any) and any other required information, within the timescale provided by the Fostering Panel.

The date, time and venue of the Fostering Panel meeting will be communicated to the applicants as soon as possible, together with written information about the Panel process, who will attend and their respective roles. If the applicants know a particular Panel member, the applicants may request that the Panel member stand down. (Panel members are in any event expected to declare an interest in these circumstances - see Fostering Panel Procedure).

The assessing social worker and team manager will attend the Panel meeting, together with the new transferring supervising social worker and the applicants if they so wish. The decision to attend rests with the applicants and a wish not to attend will not prejudice consideration of their application.

Applicants who decide they wish to attend should be fully prepared as to the procedure prior to their attendance.

The Panel will consider the reports together with all the supporting documentation and any additional information presented verbally, and make a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker (Fostering) regarding the suitability of the applicant for fostering.

The recommendation, with reasons, will be recorded in writing and, where approval is recommended, the category of fostering, any limitations of the approval to named children (for example in the case of a Family and Friends Foster Carer) or conditions as to the age range or number of children to be placed in the foster home will also be specified.

Where the applicant does not attend the Panel meeting, the social worker undertaking the assessment will advise the applicant of the Panel recommendation within 24 hours of the Panel meeting. This will be verbally, by telephone or, where appropriate, a home visit.

If an applicant is counselled out, panel should be notified. Applicants are invited to make representation to panel in the same way as other applicants.

The Agency Decision Maker (Fostering) will make a decision as to the suitability of the applicant, based on the reports presented to the Fostering Panel and the minutes detailing the Panel's recommendation. Where the decision is to approve the applicants as foster carers, the Agency Decision Maker will specify the terms of the approval i.e. the number and age range of children to be fostered, the type of placement and any specific inclusions/exclusions. Applicants can be approved for more than one placement category.

Where a Brief Report has been submitted to the fostering panel, the Agency Decision Maker will, taking into account the fostering panel’s recommendation, make a determination about whether to terminate the assessment or whether the full assessment should be completed.

The decision must be made within 7 working days of receipt of the panel’s recommendation and final set of panel minutes and must be recorded, together with reasons.

The manager will arrange for the applicants to be given verbal notification of the decision within 24 hours and written notice of the decision, with reasons, signed by the Agency Decision Maker, within 5 working days of the decision.

If the decision is to refuse approval, the assessing social worker and manager will assess the need for further counselling and arrange any necessary follow-up action.

Upon approval, foster carers should be issued with an agreed form of identification to enable their role as a foster carer to be verified.

If at Stage Two of the assessment process, the Agency Decision Maker gives a Qualifying Determination that he/she proposed not to approve the applicants as foster carers, the applicant will be advised that if he or she wishes to challenge the decision, they have a right to submit representations within 28 days of the date of the written notice of the decision to the Agency Decision Maker. In addition, as an alternative, they may exercise the right to apply to the Secretary of State to request a review of the decision through the Independent Review Mechanism under the Independent Review Mechanism. Any such application must be made in writing within 28 days of the decision and supported by reasons.

Where it is decided at Stage One of the assessment process that the applicant is not suitable to become a foster carer, there is no right to have the case reviewed under the Independent Review Mechanism.

If no written representations or notification of a request for a review are received within this period, the Agency Decision Maker will decide whether or not to approve the applicant as a foster carer (following a full assessment) or continue the assessment (following a Brief Report).

If written representations are received within the period, the Panel Adviser will arrange for the reports and other documentation to be reconsidered by the Fostering Panel, taking into account the written representations, and make a new recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker (Fostering).

The Panel Administrator will advise the applicant within 7 days of the date of the Panel meeting when they can attend and their written representations will be considered.

In these circumstances, applicants who wish to attend the meeting of the Fostering Panel can arrange for a friend or supporter to accompany them.

After considering the representations, the Panel will make recommendations, which the Agency Decision Maker (Fostering) will consider before a final decision is made.

If the decision remains not to approve the application, the manager will arrange for the applicants to be informed verbally within 2 working days. Written notice of the final decision, together with reasons, must be sent to the applicant by the Panel Adviser within 7 working days of the Panel meeting. Information about the Complaints Procedure must also be sent. A copy of the report to the Panel, the Panel's recommendation and the decision, with reasons, must be retained on the applicant's case file.

If the applicant decides to refer the matter to an Independent Review, the relevant Panel reports, any new information obtained since the Panel meeting, a record of the decision made and reasons, a copy of the written notification of the decision and a copy of the Panel minute, if different, will be sent to the Independent Review within 10 working days of their written request (see also: Prepare for a review panel: adopters and foster carers (GOV.UK)).

The applicant and two representatives of the fostering agency will be invited to attend the Independent Review.

After considering the representations, the Independent Review may make a recommendation, which the Agency Decision Maker will consider 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 receipt of the Independent Review recommendation.

Where the decision is to approve the application, the procedure set out in Section 13, After Approval will be followed.

Once approved, the business support staff will enter the foster carers' approval details, including their first review date, on the Fostering Register database see Section 14, Register of Foster Carers and update Mosaic. They will also send notice of the outcome to all agencies consulted during the assessment and approval process.

The foster carer will be allocated a supervising social worker - see Supervision of Foster Carers Procedure. If the social worker does not know the new carer, he or she will read the assessment report and the supporting documentation presented to the Fostering Panel including the references prior to introducing themselves to the carers and arranging to meet the carers, their family and members of their support network as appropriate.

The supervising social worker will visit the foster carers within one week of their approval and request the foster carer to sign a Foster Care Agreement between the Local Authority and the foster carer, which contains the information the foster carer needs to carry out his or her functions as a foster carer effectively, ensuring that the foster carer understands its contents.

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:

1. The terms of the foster carer's approval;
2. The support and training to be provided to the foster carer;
3. The procedure for the review of the foster carer's approval;
4. The procedure for placements of children;
5. The procedure for making representations and complaints;
6. 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;
7. The requirements in relation to confidentiality and internet usage;
8. The procedures for behaviour management and unauthorised absences of children placed with the foster carer including the ban on corporal punishment;
9. The procedures for informing the supervising social worker of the child's progress and any significant events relating to the child;
10. The need to give 28 days' notice in writing of they wish to cease fostering;
11. The need to allow access to the Regulatory Authority.

New foster carers will also be given access to the Foster Carer's Hand-Book, which contains information about fostering in the Local Authority and covers policies, procedures, guidance, legal information and insurance details. Information about local foster carer support groups will also be provided.

Foster carers will be supported by their supervising social worker to produce a Safe Care Document and Emergency Plan. The foster carers will sign and retain a copy of the Safe Care and Health and Safety documents.

The supervising social worker will continue to provide support and supervision to the foster carer up to, during and after all placements - see Supervision of Foster Carers Procedure and ensure that they understand the need to undertake DBS and other checks and assessments on any new member of the household - see Section 15, Changes in the Foster Carer's Household or Circumstances - and the need to repeat DBS checks on themselves every three years - see Review and Termination of Approval of Foster Carers Procedure.

A register of all approved foster carers will be maintained by the fostering service containing the following particulars:

1. The name, address, date of birth, sex and ethnic origin of each foster carer;
2. The date of approval and of each review of the approval;
3. The category and current terms of the approval;
4. The name, address, date of birth of each Connected Person with whom a child is placed under Regulation 24 of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and who has been granted temporary approval as a foster carer, together with the date and terms of the temporary approval.

Once approved, the business support staff will be informed and will enter the foster carers' approval details, including their first review date, on the Fostering Register database.

The supervising social worker will ensure that any newly approved foster carer is clear about his or her responsibility to notify the fostering service before any change in the composition of their household occurs or where there is any significant change in their circumstances which affects their fostering, for example any new relationship, pregnancy or bereavement.

If the supervising social worker discovers that there has been a significant change in the foster carer's household without prior notice, the manager must be informed and an immediate review of the foster carer's approval must be convened - see Review and Termination of Approval of Foster Carers Procedure. In these circumstances, a suspension of the foster carer's approval may have to be considered at the review/or prior to the review dependent on the seriousness of the situation.

Appendix 1: Risk and Impact Assessment

Appendix 2: Bedroom Sharing in Fostering Households

Appendix 3: Bedroom Sharing Assessment and Arrangements Form

Appendix 4: Declaration of Compliance