Matching and Placements with Foster Carers
REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS
The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011:
Regulation 26 - Assessment of prospective foster parents
Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards:
STANDARD 10 - Providing a suitable physical environment for the foster child
STANDARD 11 - Preparation for a placement
STANDARD 15 - Matching the child with a placement that meets their assessed needs
STANDARD 31 - Placement Plan and Review
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
This chapter explains the arrangements that need to be in place for the matching and initial planning of placements, including introductions and the drawing up of the Placement Plans. It also includes arrangements where placements end.
Placements will only be made with carers who have been approved by the Agency (within their terms of approval) and who have signed a Foster Care Agreement.
Contents
- Initial Referral Process
- Matching Process
- Placement Process
- Ending Placements and Placement Moves Within the Agency
- Long Term Foster Placement
- Administration
1. Initial Referral Process
The Agency will only accept referrals for placements from local authorities.
Where a referral is made, the referring local authority should be requested to provide information as to the following:
- The purpose of the placement;
- The Care Plan, including issues around contact;
- Timescales;
- Any risk assessments that have been prepared in relation to the child;
- A description of the child's wishes and feelings and relevant others.
In the case of an emergency placement where it is not possible for the referring local authority to provide the above information at the time of the referral, they should be asked to provide as much information as is available and, if the placement goes ahead, they should be asked to provide full information within 5 working days of the placement.
Any information that is not provided within those timescales should then be requested from the social worker's manager and if it is still not provided the name of the child's Independent Reviewing Officer should be requested and they should be contacted by the foster carer's Supervising Social Worker.
It is particularly important for the Agency and in particular the carer, to have all information about the child and their family which would hinder the carer in providing a safe environment for the child and others in the household.
2. Matching Process
The referral should be considered immediately by the fostering manager who will liaise with the referring local authority as necessary. As part of this exchange, information about proposed foster carers will be provided to the referring local authority in order to consider whether the carers can reasonably be expected to meet the child's assessed needs, taking into account the impact of the proposed placement on existing members of the household.
Each child over 3 will have their own bedroom or, where this is not possible, the sharing of the bedroom will be agreed by the placing authority following a risk assessment if appropriate.
The various placement options should be discussed with the referring local authority and a professionals' planning meeting can also be convened at this stage if required, for example, if a child has complex needs. The Agency must ensure that it works well with local authorities to ensure that full information is always shared with foster carers before a placement begins so that appropriate care can be provided. If appropriate and sufficient information is not shared with the Agency by the local authority, the Agency will pursue this with the local authority.
Managers should make child-centred decisions when matching children with foster carers, including considering the needs of other children already living with the carers. Careful matching contributes to the stability of placements and the retention of foster carers.
The matching process should consider the child's needs especially regarding the following key areas:
- Schooling/education (note that where a child in year 10 or 11 is moving to a placement which will disrupt their education, the approval of the placing authority's Nominated Officer is required);
- Expectations around contact with the child's family or significant others, particularly in relation to the foster carers' part in facilitating and/or supervising such contact;
- The child's identity/race/culture/religion;
- The child's history;
- The child's behaviour;
- The child's health;
- The focus of the placement.
The matching process should also consider the carer's availability and:
- Their experience;
- Their strengths;
- Their address and the distance from the foster home to the child's school;
- Any other children in the placement;
- The foster carers' own children and other family members.
All the various parties involved in the matching process should feedback to the proposed carer's Supervising Social Worker with any problems and gaps identified between the needs of the child and the carer's ability to meet them. An action plan should be agreed to see if any of the outstanding issues can be resolved, such as transport difficulties and the agreement of the carers and the Supervising Social Worker to the plan sought.
Assessments that identify foster carers as suitable for a child should be informed by a clear understanding of that child's needs and of the skills necessary to help and support them. The Agency will not propose a placement if the assessed needs of the child cannot, with support, be provided by the proposed foster carers.
The child's social worker should be advised to contact or visit potential carers prior to a decision about a placement being made.
Once the child's needs have been matched with the carers and a viable action plan agreed (to resolve any unmatched needs or outstanding issues), the placement match should be passed to the fostering manager for final agreement before it is confirmed to the referring local authority.
3. Placement Process
3.1 Placement Planning
Children who are new in placement must be welcomed sensitively and with careful and considered planning.
Once a decision has been made to make a placement, a pre-placement planning meeting should take place between the foster carers, the supervising social worker and the placing local authority. If appropriate the child and their family/significant others should attend.
This meeting must consider and agree the detailed placement arrangements for the child.
Where it is not possible to hold a pre-placement planning meeting, for example where the placement has to be made in an emergency, a planning meeting must take place within 5 working days of the placement.
The main purpose of the planning meeting is to share full information about the child with the foster carers and agree the contents of the Placement Plan which will include confirmation of the following arrangements:
- Registration of the child with local health professionals (GP, Dentist and Optician) and arrangements for the child's health care (including the administration of medication). Any other health professionals involved will be informed of the placement by the placing authority and a decision made by the relevant health trust with regard to future plans for their continued involvement or moving to a more local provision;
- Signed medical consent from the placing authority and parents if appropriate;
- Plans for the child's schooling and educational needs, including seeking the role of the foster carer in implementing the child's Personal Education Plan, Education, Health and Care Plan (where applicable), any extra educational support, etc. This should include the education arrangements for children under 5 and the training or educational requirements of those over 16;
- Regularity of visits from the placing authority's social worker. (These should take place within one week of the placement and thereafter at least every six weeks (unless the placement is to last until the child is 18 in which case after the first year visits can be at least every three months);
- If appropriate, details of contact arrangements with family members/significant others (including whether the foster carer has delegated authority to make arrangements for the child's social visits to friends and relatives including overnight stays - see below);
- Any specific cultural, religious or dietary needs of the child;
- Any behaviour management issues, likelihood or previous episodes of missing;
- Where the proposed placement relates to a young person whose plan includes leaving care, arrangements should be in place for their preparation for independence including their Pathway Plan;
- The steps that the fostering Agency will take if reviews and visits do not take place within the designated timescales, for example contacting the child's independent reviewing officer.
The Placement Plan must specify delegation of authority to make decisions about the child's care and upbringing by the foster carer.
It also sets out the matters upon which authority may be delegated:
- Medical and dental treatment;
- Education;
- School trips and overnight stays;
- Leisure and home life;
- Faith and religious observance;
- Use of social media;
- Any other matters which the local authority/persons with parental responsibility consider appropriate.
The Placement Plan must also identify any matters about which the local authority/persons with parental responsibility consider that the child may make a decision about.
The planning meeting will also agree whether there will be a period of introduction for the child prior to the placement - see Section 3.3, Introductions.
As well as providing the Placement Plan, the child's social worker should also be requested to provide as much information about the child as possible, for example:
- The Chronology of significant events in the child's life;
- A copy of the Care Plan;
- Any other relevant information about the child. For example, recent Looked After Review reports, Pathway Plan, Personal Education Plan, reports from specialists or therapists.
3.2 Placement Preparation
It is the Agency's aim to make moving a positive experience for each child/young person. Whilst appreciating it is an apprehensive and stressful time, the Agency will endeavour to minimise the effects upon each child and help them to settle into their new home as effortlessly as possible.
Once the placement has been identified, the supervising social worker should ensure that the child has a copy of the Children's Guide within which there are details regarding the Complaints Procedure. A copy of the Complaints Procedure should be provided to the parents/carers.
Wherever possible, arrangements should be made for the child, parents or carers and the social worker to visit the foster home prior to the placement. If this is not possible, arrangements may be made for the carers to visit the child and parents or carers; or, as a minimum, for information about the foster carers to be sent to the child - see Section 3.3, Introductions.
If none of these arrangements can be made, for example where the child is being placed in an emergency or at short notice, extra care must be taken in case the child is frightened or confused, and the information described above should be provided to the child as soon as possible after the placement including the foster carers family book/profile.
The Placement Plan will be drawn up by the child's social worker as agreed at the planning meeting and this should be provided to the foster carer and supervising social worker by the child's social worker prior to or within 5 working days of the placement, together with a copy of the child's Care Plan and the other written information about the child as agreed at the Placement Planning Meeting.
The placing arrangements should ensure that when the child arrives, their belongings are transported in suitable luggage; they should never be transported in bin-bags or other inappropriate containers.
3.3 Introductions
Wherever possible there should be a period of introductions between the child and the foster carers.
This should involve the following:
- The child receiving information about the foster home including a profile of the foster carers and members of their household and family network; and
- A meeting between the child and the carers, preferably at the foster home, as an initial introduction during which the child can become familiar with the house and the household;
- Ideally, the child having at least one overnight visit before a placement is confirmed.
Throughout the introduction process, carers will discuss issues with the child regarding routines within the placement, information about bedtimes, meals, visitors, pocket money, school, privacy and the overall expectations regarding behaviour within the placement. Equally, the child is encouraged to discuss their views and what expectations they have in an effort to resolve any uncertainties/concerns at the outset and to reinforce transparency and honesty to the child.
3.4 Notification of Placement
Notification of the placement must be sent, by the placing authority to all those consulted and involved in the decision-making process.
The placing authority must also notify the following:
- The service within the local authority responsible for arranging looked after reviews;
- The relevant Health Trust, Education Service and the local authority's Children's Services in the area where the child is placed; these notifications must be made in writing advising of the placement decision and the name and address of the person with whom the child is to be placed.
3.5 Health Care Assessments
It will be necessary for the child's social worker to ensure the child is registered with a GP, Dentist and Optician, either retaining practices known to them or in the area where they are placed. This is usually covered in the child's Placement Plan - see Section 3.1, Placement Planning.
Where it is the child's first placement as a looked after child, it will also be necessary for the child's social worker to arrange a Health Care Assessment so that a Health Care Plan can be drawn up in time for the first looked after review. If the child's social worker agrees, these arrangements may be undertaken by the foster carer and will be covered in the Placement Plan.
4. Ending Placements and Placement Moves Within the Agency
Placements will not be ended by the Agency for reasons other than:
- The end of the placement is within the child's Care and Placement Plan or Pathway Plan;
- To protect the child;
- To protect the other members of the household;
- In an emergency where other more suitable arrangements to maintain the placement cannot be made.
If the placing authority is proposing to end the placement for reasons other than those stated above, the Agency will inform the child's independent reviewing officer.
Whenever a placement move is being considered the wishes and feelings of the child must be obtained and considered. Where their wishes and feelings are not being observed the reasons for this must be explained to them. Children should not move placements until they have had a chance to express their view and they have been given an explanation that they can understand of the reasons for the move.
If a move to another carer within the Agency is being considered, this will be treated as a move to a new placement. Their belongings should be transported in appropriate luggage (see Section 3.2, Placement Preparation).
If a young person is approaching 18 and there is a view that the placement should continue, this can be explored further and if it is in the child's interests, it may be possible for the placement to continue - see Preparing Young People for Adulthood and Leaving Care Procedure and Staying Put Procedure.
Foster carers will be encouraged wherever possible to be able to maintain contact with placed children and young people who have moved on.
Where a former carer's records are requested by a new Agency, these must be made available within one month of the request.
5. Long Term Foster Placement
Where it is the case that the most appropriate route to permanence is long-term foster care, the regulations set out the arrangements for making such a placement, including:
- That foster care is the plan for permanence and is recorded in the child's Care Plan, (Reg 5(a));
- That the foster carer has agreed to act as the child's foster carer until the child ceases to be looked after;
- That the placing authority has confirmed the nature of the arrangement with the Agency, the foster carer(s), the birth parent and the child; and
- The child and foster carer have a clear understanding of the support services they will receive to promote the placement.
The assessment and planning process for long-term foster care should address the child's current needs and likely future needs, and the capacity of the foster carer to meet these needs now and in the future. The length of placement will vary according to the child's age and the long-term plan for the child, including the transition to adulthood. These factors must all be taken into account in planning for support and services where long - term foster care has been identified as the plan for permanence for a child.
6. Administration
The fostering Agency will make arrangements to support the carer with the placement including making arrangements for the appropriate payments to be made promptly.