Bedroom Sharing in Fostering Households

This policy confirms the procedures to be followed when considering the bedroom arrangements for a Looked After Child in a foster household. All Looked After Children should have adequate space and privacy and should be cared for safely. The National Minimum Standards (2011), Standard 10, specifically applies in this policy. The bedroom should have enough space for the child’s bed or cot, drawer and wardrobe space and storage for their toys and possessions. The bedroom must have its own entrance, with a door to the rest of the family home (i.e. you cannot go through one child’s bedroom to reach another bedroom). The bedroom also must have an external window giving access to natural light and for reasons of fire safety.

Standard 10 requires the fostering provider to make available foster carers who provide a safe, healthy and nurturing environment. Each child placed has his/her own bed and accommodation arrangements reflect the child's assessed need for privacy and space or any specific need resulting from a disability (10.1). Standard 10.6 states that each foster child, aged three years and over, should have her/his own bedroom. This is NOT a regulatory requirement and, if the child has the potential to display bullying behaviour or, is known to have been abused, or it is known that the child has abused another child, then the child's needs and the needs of all other children in the foster home are assessed before any decision is made to allow sharing of bedrooms. The decision making process and the outcome of that risk assessment is recorded in writing. (10.6). The responsibility for undertaking this assessment lies with the supervising worker in conjunction with the children’s social workers and the children. The assessment is completed on mosaic. Agreements to bedroom sharing must be made by the respective team managers before being tasked to the fostering service manager for a decision and a case note added to records in respect of the outcome.

Standard 15 requires fostering providers to ensure that a child placed in foster care is carefully matched with a foster carer capable of meeting his/her assessed needs. In some circumstances, this may be identified as a child having his/her own bedroom. In other circumstances, the sharing of a bedroom may be risk assessed as appropriate.

It is the view of this fostering provider, that whilst striving to achieve compliance with Standard 10.6, this will neither be achievable nor is appropriate in every child's circumstance.

For some fee paid foster carers, a child has to have his/her own bedroom.

When determining the appropriateness, of a child sharing a bedroom, the specific needs of the child should be taken into consideration e.g. enuresis, waking in the night, requiring the light on. For a child in adolescence, the provision of privacy and adequate personal space should be considered.

A child over the age of 5 years should not share a bedroom with a child of the opposite gender.

Bunk beds are not recommended for children under the age of 6 years. The appropriateness of a bunk bed will still need to be individually considered around the child’s needs.

A child under the age of 2 years can share the foster carer's bedroom.

A looked after child should not share a bed with any of the members of the foster family or another foster child under any circumstances.

Arrangements that involve sharing a bedroom in holiday circumstances should be subject to a separate risk assessment. Similarly, the sharing of bedrooms, upon friends/family visiting the foster household, should be subject to a separate risk assessment.

The request for a foster placement and accompanying risk assessment should identify a Looked After Child's needs. All assessments undertaken will consider the child’s individual needs to support their care and gain the views of the child, all involved professionals.

The Foster Carer's Safe Caring Policy and the Foster Carers' Health and Safety Assessment should both address expectations, adaptations within the foster household, and the space available for a looked after child around their individual needs in accordance with the National Minimum Standards 2011. These should be updated to reflect any change of circumstances and a copy shared and discussed with the foster carers. Alongside this, a bedroom sharing assessment will also need to be completed and agreed by supervising social worker, social worker, and respective team managers before being passed to the fostering service manager for overall decision

The bedroom sharing assessment should be reviewed at least annually at the time of the carers’ review and following any change of circumstances or a change of the child’s presentation or behaviour, risks or change of individual needs. It is vital that the child’s views are gained alongside professionals involved.

The recruitment of Foster Carers should take this policy into consideration from the initial enquiry stage.

In exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary to act outside of this policy. Such a circumstance could, for example, involve the bedroom sharing arrangements for a sibling group. This may also include children who are transgender. Consideration needs to be given to the child’s needs and any child that they share a room with and their wishes, feelings sought. This should be evidenced within the bedroom sharing assessment, alongside any additional risks or management strategies, as required to the individual circumstances, to support decision making

A central record of children sharing a bedroom will be kept by the Service Manager (Fostering).