Recruitment, Assessments and Approvals of Foster Carers
Scope of this chapter
This chapter covers the procedure for assessing and approving all Foster Carers including short break carers.
NOTE
For temporary approval as Foster Carers of approved prospective adopters, see Early Permanence Placements / Fostering for Adoption Procedure.
Amendment
This chapter was updated in March 2023 in line with Local Procedure/Guidance.
All members of the public who make an initial enquiry by telephone, email or letter in relation to becoming a Foster Carer will be referred to the Fostering Service. 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.
Initial enquiries may be made via the website, by telephone or through an event.
Although over half of the enquiries made currently come via the website, many enquirers are signposted to the website via events or adverts.
Website
Any enquiries made via the website are automatically transferred to the recruitment team's inbox and the fostering team's e-mail address.
The recruitment officer responds to all initial enquiries the next working day. In their absence, the recruitment team duty worker will respond.
The recruitment team duty worker will check the fostering team inbox daily and respond to each enquiry.
Telephone call
If an expression of interest is made by telephone call, a representative of the Fostering Service will provide information about fostering and take basic details about the applicant and record these on the ‘Initial Enquiry Form’.
Recruitment Events
Events are staffed by the recruitment officer, members of the recruitment team and supervising social work team. All members are responsible for providing information about fostering and taking basic details from interested applicants. Enquiry sheets must be filled in and passed to the recruitment officer.
Recording and record checks
See also Statutory Checks Booklet.
The recruitment officer will create a new applicant on Mosaic.
Checks will also be made on Mosaic to ascertain whether the enquirer is known.
Where the enquirer or a member of the household is known, the enquiry will be passed to the manager 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 9, Criteria for Foster Carers). The manager's 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 referral will be closed. Where the decision is to proceed, the enquirer will be sent an Information Pack and the same procedure will be followed as for all other enquirers.
Progression following initial contact
People who express an interest are asked if they would like a visit from a member of the fostering team. Where possible, this should be booked when the Initial Enquiry is taken. Representatives of the Fostering Service who take the initial enquiry will have access to information on social workers’ availability to undertake Initial Visits.
If the enquirer is asking for information only, an information pack is sent to them, and the enquiry recorded as such. Five days after the information pack is sent a courtesy telephone call will be made for further discussion and offer of an Initial Visit.
Stage One of the assessment process is intended to provide the decision maker with basic information about the applicant to enable clearly unsuitable applicants 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 Section 6, Assessment - Stage Two.
Requests for an initial visit will be passed to the recruitment and assessment duty worker for progression. A stage one monitoring sheet will be filled in and attached to the enquiry form.
The initial visit will be made within 5 working days of the request for a visit unless requested otherwise (this should be recorded in terms of Performance Monitoring).
Should there be no contact following the calls above, this will be brought to Recruitment & Assessment Team meeting and a standard letter or email asking the enquirer to get in touch will be sent by the administrator.
The initial visit will be written up within 2 working days of the visit and passed to the manager with a copy for the recruitment team administrator, who will scan and place on Mosaic.
The enquirer may wish to withdraw or to have time to consider their application. If they wish to have time for consideration, the worker will agree on a time for a courtesy call.
Should the enquirer wish to proceed, recommendations will be made following the initial visit as to progression, Recommendations may include:
- No progression - applicant clearly does not meet the requirements of a Foster Carer;
- Statutory check to be undertaken prior to progression. This to be used sparingly and only where there is a reasonable cause for concern that a prospective carer may be ruled out as a result of a statutory check. For example, declaration of a serious offence, a substantive medical condition or a potentially aggressive dog;
- Progression to training - to be used sparingly and only where the prospective Foster Carer is borderline in terms of understanding of the task;
- Progression to assessment.
The Fostering Team Manager or Advanced Practitioner will make a decision as to progression within 2 days of receipt of the initial visit form. In order to ensure speedy progression, should no issues arise from the initial visit and the applicant wish to progress immediately; the worker may use their discretion to immediately book a second visit.
All applicants who are progressing will have a second visit where the paperwork for all statutory checks is completed, the process for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance explained and the personal code given to the applicant. The decision as to progression may have to be reviewed following this visit, should any further issues arise.
The statutory checks form will be passed to the responsible administrator on the next working day and all checks progressed within 2 working days. Progress on all statutory checks is monitored through the weekly performance meetings.
If for any reason the decision is made that the enquirer is not suitable to foster, following receipt of the information as above this will be conveyed verbally to the Foster Carer and followed up in writing within 10 days. If the notice is not given in writing within 10 days, the enquirer has the right to progress to application as below.
Application to foster
Fostering agencies do not have to complete an assessment of a prospective Foster Carer prior to formal application (whilst in Stage One) but must either complete the assessment and present to panel or the prospective carer may choose to formally withdraw from the process once the application has been accepted.
The prospective Foster Carer will be invited to formally apply to foster after completion of the statutory checks declarations and paperwork but before all checks are returned (with the exception of the cases as above where there is reason to believe that a person may not be able to foster and further clarification is required). This ensures applications are not accepted and assessments not undertaken where an applicant is unable to foster for reasons connected to statutory requirements, but without undue delay in allocating for assessment.
Sharing information about a person that is held in their existing foster carer or adopter records is permitted for the purposes of informing a new assessment of a person’s suitability to foster or adopt. 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.
Information that should be shared, upon request, in order to inform a new assessment of a person’s suitability to foster includes:
- The report of the original assessment of the person’s suitability to foster (if it is considered by the body requesting the information to be recent enough to be relevant);
- A copy of the report of the last review of the individual’s continuing suitability to foster and any other review report considered useful to understanding the person’s current suitability to foster ;
- Details of any concerns about standards of practice and what if anything is being done/has been done to address them;
- Details of allegations made against the foster carer/adopter or their household members; and
- Any other information considered to be relevant to the assessment of the person’s suitability to foster.
Information should only be shared with the informed, explicit consent of all parties referred to in the information, including young people where they have sufficient understanding to consent to the sharing of their information (if they do not have sufficient understanding, the consent of a person with Parental Responsibility would need to be obtained). This means that the person giving consent needs to understand why their information is to be shared, what will be shared, who will see their information, the purpose to which it will be put and the implications of sharing that information.
If consent is refused, the current fostering service should consider whether there is any information in the records that is a cause for concern. Any information about an applicant’s conduct or suitability to foster that has caused concern should be shared even if the individual has refused consent. If there are no such concerns, and the individual has refused consent, information should not be shared. This may require documents to be redacted to remove information relating to individuals who have refused consent.
Requests for access to information should be accompanied by the written consent of the applicant to the sharing of their information.
The receiving service should acknowledge the request within 2 working days, seek consent from all others referred to in the information within 5 working days and the information, redacted where necessary, should be provided within 15 working days.
The administrative staff will arrange for the following checks to be made on all members of the household aged 18 and over: Disclosure and Barring Service, Probation, Health Trust, Education, Local Authority (including the List of Children with a Child Protection Plan) and the NSPCC, and whether the applicants have a right to work in the UK. Where the applicants live or have lived outside the local authority area, checks must be made with the local authority and health trust where the applicants live/have lived. These checks should be recorded including the date when the checks were made.
Where the applicant or any member of the household has been known to the children’s services, information should be obtained from the relevant social worker.
Where applicants have recently moved to the UK (within the last 10 years), checks may also be made on all members of the household aged 18 and over. The application process for criminal records checks or ‘Certificates of Good Character’ for someone from overseas varies from country to country. For further information, see GOV.UK - Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
In addition, where the applicant has school age children, the relevant school(s) may be contacted, with the permission of the applicant, for information regarding the applicant's ability to promote the child's education.
On receipt of the statutory checks, the administrative staff will update the electronic records.
Where the checks reveal that the applicant or a member of the household is a disqualified person (foster carer), see Persons Disqualified from Fostering Procedure.
Where the information relates to an offence, which does not automatically disqualify the applicant, for example because the applicant is seeking approval in relation to a specific child only, the manager must consider whether the application should still proceed. Such convictions will not necessarily preclude an application, but this will depend on the seriousness of the offence and how long ago it was committed. In a case where the conviction would usually disqualify an applicant, the case should be referred to the Fostering Panel and the Agency Decision Maker (Fostering) for a preliminary decision - see Persons Disqualified from Fostering Procedure. In any other case where there is doubt, an early referral should be made to the Fostering Panel and/or Agency Decision Maker (Fostering).
Information relevant to the application that has been obtained from the Disclosure and Barring Service may only be retained on the applicant's file for a limited period and should be destroyed when a decision is made on the application. The manager should note on the file that the Disclosure and Barring Service information has been destroyed and that the information led to a particular view, without citing the information itself.
Where the applicant has been a foster carer within the preceding 12 months and was approved as such by another fostering service provider, a reference must be requested from that other fostering service provider.
There is no requirement to also interview personal referees (see below). However, additional verbal and/or written references may be sought from personal referees. If the previous fostering service, for whatever reason, does not provide a reference, interviews with two personal referees must be conducted.
Otherwise, each applicant will be asked to provide the names of two personal referees, who are adults, have known the applicant for at least 5 years and are not related to the applicant, and two other referees who may be family members or personal friends. All referees should be people who know the applicants well in a personal capacity.
Where there is a joint application, referees should know both applicants, or additional referees will be required.
A written reference must be obtained from each applicant's current employer regardless of the applicant's occupation. This may be one of the four references provided. In addition, where the applicant has frequently changed jobs, written references should also be obtained from past employers.
Where the prospective applicant has made a previous application to foster, the relevant agency must be asked to confirm in writing the outcome of the application and provide a written reference.
The administrative staff will send requests for written references to each referee.
On receipt of the references, the administrative staff will update the electronic records.
The applicants will be provided with the relevant medical form to fill in with their details and send to their GP with a covering letter requesting that the GP complete the Form and send it to the manager. On receipt the manager will pass the information to the Medical Adviser for comment.
Where the medical information suggests that the applicant may not be suitable for health reasons, this should be discussed in detail with the applicant(s) and withdrawal may be advisable at this stage. Additional advice may be sought from the Medical Adviser, or the Medical Adviser may raise questions with the GP where this is appropriate. It may be necessary for reports from other health professionals also to be obtained and presented to the Medical Adviser and the Fostering Panel.
The Foster Carers preparation 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 12, Changes in the Foster Carer's Household or Circumstances for the procedure to be followed where such changes occur.
Applicants will be booked on the course once their completed application forms are received. 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;
- To assist applicants to consider more thoroughly the implications of fostering;
- To assist applicants 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 their 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 application, the applicants 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 the applicant disagrees with the decision and/or is not willing to withdraw, 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 8, Representations/Independent Review Procedure). Preparation training takes place throughout the year and is based on the needs of the applicant group. If applicants cannot attend the training during the week, a course will be provided over weekends and evenings. Where the application is for a couple, both applicants must attend.
Assessments will be allocated at the weekly performance meeting. This meeting will also ensure that applicants are booked onto the preparation training together with a target panel date.
Assessments will be completed within 4 months of allocation.
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. Referees should be sent a written record of the discussion held with the assessing social worker and be asked to sign their agreement to it being a true record.
The assessing social worker should also contact significant previous partners of the applicants wherever possible. If there are reasons for an ex-partner not to be approached this must be discussed with the manager. The assessor must take 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 contacted wherever possible.
Applicants will be encouraged to be actively involved in contributing towards the assessment and supported to provide their own written report/portfolio for Panel to evidence their capabilities and to support their application.
The home will also be thoroughly checked to ensure it provides appropriate and safe for the child, as well as safe transport. Each child over the age of three years must have 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 and a specialist assessment will provide a report on any dogs in fostering households of concern.
The assessment process includes some work to be undertaken by the applicants. Worksheets may be provided to assist the applicants to understand the fostering task. Applicants will be assisted by their assessing social worker to produce a Safe Caring Policy and Fire Plan and to complete a welcome book for fostered children which will be presented to the Foster Care Panel.
Assessing social workers must use supervision and on-going discussion with the manager to identify any potential issues within the assessment. A joint visit or second opinion visit may be undertaken where necessary. Assessments are forwarded to the manager for oversight at least a week before the panel deadline. The Team Manager may require amendments or further work to be undertaken and sufficient time must be allowed to ensure this is possible without delays in panel.
Should the worker consider that the applicants cannot meet the required standards for approval, they must discuss this in supervision and a joint visit will be undertaken with the Advanced Practitioner or Team Manager.
All paperwork is expected to be with the panel administrator three weeks before panel, to allow the Panel Advisor to review the paperwork and request amendments where necessary.
In exceptional circumstances, in order to avoid delay, it may be possible to negotiate a later hand in time. This must be negotiated directly with the line manager, panel admin and the panel advisor.
The assessing social worker will attend panel together with the applicants. Applicants will be fully prepared prior to attendance.
The panel will consider all reports together with all supporting documents and make a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker (ADM).
The (ADM) will give the decision as to approval within two weeks of panel. The ADM cannot consider the recommendations of the Panel until he/she is in receipt of the full and final set of minutes approved by the Panel Chair.
Applicants will be given verbal notification within 24 hours of the ADM decision and written notice within 5 working days.
If at Stage Two of the assessment process, the ADM gives a Qualifying Determination that they propose not to approve the applicants as foster carers, the applicants will be advised of their 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 by an Independent Review Panel. Any such application must be made in writing within 28 days of the decision and supported by reasons.
The applicant(s) will not have the right to request a review by an Independent Review Panel is if they are regarded as disqualified as a result of a conviction or caution for a specified offence - see Persons Disqualified from Fostering Procedure.
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 ADM, see Corporate Governance and Scheme of Delegation.
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 a recommendation either confirming or amending their previous views, which the ADM 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 ADM’s decision, with reasons, must be retained on the applicant's Mosaic 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 procedure for the Independent Review is operated by Coram Children’s Legal Centre of behalf of the Department for Education; 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.
Applications will be considered from married couples, civil partners, unmarried couples or single people.
Applications will be considered from people of any or no religious persuasion.
Applications will be considered from people of any race or culture.
The minimum age for Foster Carers is generally 21 years. In exceptional circumstances, e.g. with some Family and Friends Carers, the minimum age may be reduced to 18. There is no specific upper age limit.
Gender/gender identity is not a factor in determining if a person is suitable to foster.
Applications will be considered from people of any sexual orientation.
Applicants may be in work or not.
Applicants will be required to have a full medical and undergo any further tests/checks that may be required by the Fostering Panel's Medical Adviser. The Medical Adviser will advise on the applicants' ability, from a health point of view, to meet the needs of a child who is fostered. Any comments or advice given by the Medical Adviser must be taken seriously by the applicants and will be addressed during the assessment process.
Applicants are expected to positively promote a healthy life-style which will enable a child to reach their full potential. This would encompass attention to nutrition, exercise, routine and self-care skills.
It is expected that Foster Carers will comply with nationally recommended alcohol consumption levels and that children's needs and safety will be met at all times.
A person who is seeking approval as a Foster Carer will not be considered if they or any adult member of the household is within the category of Disqualified Persons (Foster Carer) unless the application is to foster a child who is already living with the applicant(s) and at least one of the applicants is a relative of the child, in which case the caution/conviction will not automatically preclude the application but will be taken into account when assessing the suitability of the applicant - see Persons Disqualified from Fostering Procedure.
Other convictions will not necessarily preclude an application, but this will depend on the seriousness of the offence and how long ago it was committed. All such cases will be referred to the Service Manager for the Fostering Service who may also consult the Agency Decision Maker.
Applicants may own their own home or live in rented accommodation.
Accommodation needs to provide living and sleeping accommodation appropriate to the number and ages of the children they are seeking to foster. They must be able to offer separate bedrooms for each foster child. Only in exceptional circumstances would sharing bedrooms be allowed and this would NEVER be with adult sons or daughters of the foster carer.
It is important that the home environment is child-friendly, welcoming to children, safe and meets reasonable levels of hygiene.
All applicants will have a safety check on their home undertaken by a trained safety assessor. This will include the outdoor space, animals (including the sleeping and toileting arrangements for any pet) and the holding of any firearms.
It is important that the applicant who is going to be the main carer has some experience of 'hands-on' care of children of the age group in which the applicants are interested.
All applicants must be prepared to facilitate family time/contact between any foster child and their parents and significant family members.
Once approved, the administrative staff will enter the Foster Carers' approval details, including their first review date, on the Fostering Register database (see Section 11, Register of Foster Carers) and update the electronic records. 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. A transfer meeting will be held between the Assessing Social Worker, the Supervising Social Worker and the foster carer. The Supervising Social Worker will read the assessment report and the supporting documentation presented to the Fostering Panel including the references prior to introducing themselves to 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 Children's Service Trust and the Foster Carer, which contains the information the Foster Carer needs to carry out their functions as a Foster Carer effectively, ensuring that the Foster Carer understands its contents. Newly approved foster cares (and any approved foster carers) cannot proceed to foster children until the Foster Care Agreement is signed and a copy uploaded onto Mosaic.
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 and internet usage;
- 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 supervising social worker of the child's progress and any significant events relating to the child;
- The need to give 28 days' notice in writing if they wish to cease fostering;
- The need to allow access to the regulatory authority.
New Foster Carers will also be access to the Doncaster Foster Carer's Handbook, which contains information about fostering and covers policies, procedures, guidance, legal information and insurance details. Information about local foster carer support groups will also be provided.
The Foster Carer(s) must sign confirmation of receipt. The signed and dated confirmation of receipt will be placed on their file.
The supervising social worker will continue to provide support and supervision to the foster carer up to, during and after all placements and ensure that they understand the need to undertake DBS and other checks and assessments on any new member of the household - see Section 12, Changes in the Foster Carer's Household or Circumstances - and the need to repeat DBS checks on themselves every 3 years (unless they have subscribed to the Disclosure and Barring Service Update Service) - 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:
- The name, address, date of birth, gender and ethnic origin of each Foster Carer;
- The date of approval and of each review of the approval;
- The category and current terms of the approval;
- 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 2011 who has been granted temporary approval as a Foster Carer, together with the date and terms of the temporary approval.
Once approved, the administrative 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 all newly approved Foster Carers are clear about their 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 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.
Where the proposed new member of the household is a partner of the Foster Carer, there will be a presumption that they will have a part to play in caring for any child in the placement and therefore a full Form F assessment, or equivalent assessment, of their suitability for this role must be completed before the partner moves into the foster home. The same procedure for this assessment will be carried out as for any Foster Carer applicant and it will be presented to the Fostering Panel and the ADM in accordance with the preceding paragraphs of this chapter. There will be no presumption that any such assessment will be approved.
Pending the completion of the full assessment, where the Foster Carer wishes their partner to stay overnight before the full assessment is completed, a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced check must be carried out, and a risk assessment must also be completed to determine the level of additional checks required, before agreement to overnight stays can be given. The risk assessment should take account of, amongst other things, the number and ages of the children in the placement, their views about the Foster Carer's partner, the significance and stability of the relationship (including how long they have known each other) and the Foster Carer's history of fostering. Any agreement to overnight stays must be endorsed by the Service Manager for the Fostering Service.
Where a Foster Carer proposes that any person will join the household, notice must be given before this occurs in sufficient time to enable a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced check to be carried out on the relevant person and an assessment at the appropriate level to be undertaken before the change in household composition occurs. The required detail of the assessment will depend on the extent to which the new member of the household will undertake a caring role in relation to any child placed. Where the new member of the household will play a part in caring for the child in the placement, consideration will be given to the need for a full assessment as for any new partner of the Foster Carer as stated above. Otherwise, the assessment may be considered at a Foster Carer Review which should be convened to consider the change in the Foster Carer's circumstances - see Review and Termination of Approval of Foster Carers Procedure subject to the approval of the Service Manager for the Fostering Service This will determine whether any change to the Foster Carer's terms of approval is required and if so, a report to the Fostering Panel will be prepared.
For Exemptions to the usual limit of three children, see Exemptions Procedure.
Last Updated: August 19, 2024
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