Assessment and Approvals of Foster Carers
Scope of this chapter
If the enquirer or applicant is a Friends and Family or Connected Person, the process below applies but Viability Assessment/Regulation 24 constitutes the formal application and the stage 2 assessment is undertaken as a Full Assessment of Relative/Friends/Connected Person Wishing to Care for Children as a Family & Friends Foster Carer – BAAF Form C.
All members of the public who make an initial enquiry by telephone, email, web response or letter in relation to becoming a foster carer will be referred to the Fostering Recruitment Service. All enquirers will be treated as a potential resource and responded to within one working day of the enquiry. During the ensuing phone call information and advice will be given and if the enquirer consents, basic information for the Enquiry stage of the process will be obtained. The Fostering Service Recruitment Initial Enquiry Form will be completed and entered onto electronic records (LCS). The enquirer will be directed to Milton Keynes City Council Fostering Website to download basic information about fostering and the information pack. An appointment will be made to visit the enquirer’s at home, ideally within five working days of their enquiry and this will be recorded on the Enquiry Form.
Sections 13 & 19 of the Fostering National Minimum Standards 2011 require that recruitment is undertaken in a formal manner which is fully recorded. The preliminary basic information obtained in the initial enquiry includes numbers in the household, the availability of a separate bedroom for foster children, length of time of partnership, working hours/availability, motivation to foster, health and previous childcare experience. The Recruitment and Assessment Team will also discuss what the Fostering Service needs are, and explore the enquirer’s ability to provide a resource.
Following the initial enquiry, an LCS check will be carried out in relation to enquirers and all members of their household on Milton Keynes City Council Children Services records. Where the enquirer or a member of the household is known to Children Services, or where there are concerns that the enquiry does not have the capacity to meet the statutory requirements, the enquiry will be passed to the Fostering Recruitment) Team Manager for a decision on how to proceed. At this early stage, it may also be appropriate to advise these enquirers against pursuing fostering if they clearly do not meet the basic criteria. The Team 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.
The Recruitment Officer will visit the prospective carers in their home to have an in depth discussion regarding the fostering task. To continue with the application enquirers must be advised that:
- The home environment needs to meet the standards set out in the FNMS 2011 and Home Safety Checklist;
- They must also have sufficient accommodation in line with FNMS 2011 which states that each child over three has their own bedroom, unless sharing is agreed by a senior manager;
- They need to sign a Consent to Checks Form and DBS Risk Assessment which confirms they are prepared to undergo the following checks: a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check; local authority checks in areas they have resided since the age of 18; Medical, checks relevant to children living within the household (e.g. school, Health Visitors) and other fostering checks (if the enquirers have made previous applications or are currently approved by another agency);
- Evidence verifying the identity of each individual enquirer and any person living in the household over the age of 18 years must be seen (i.e. birth certificate, passport or driving licence) in order for a DBS check to be undertaken. The enquirer’s right to work in the UK must also be checked (S19 FNMS);
- They must also be able to provide names of suitable referees, including personal, family and employment. This will include referees from any current and any previous employment where the enquirer has worked with children or vulnerable adults;
- If there have been previous significant relationships (where they have lived together or parented) the enquirer must also consent to ex-partners being contacted;
- They must (both in respect of couples) be prepared to undertake Skills to Care training, prior to approval, continued training following approval;
- They must adhere to the requirements set out in the Smoking Policy for Foster Carers (to follow) and Policy on Pets in Foster Carer’s Homes (to follow);
- Corporal punishment is never appropriate for foster carers to use;
- If they have lived abroad for 12 months or more in the last 10 years they must be prepared to get a Certificate of Good Conduct from the country where they lived;
- A social media check will be undertaken during the assessment process;
- Nobody may be approved as a foster carer if they have been cautioned for, or convicted of, a specified offence, unless they were under the age of 18 at the time of the offence.
During the visit, the foster home will also be thoroughly checked to ensure it provides appropriate and safe accommodation for the child, as well as assess the enquirer’s ability to provide safe transport. An initial check will be undertaken in regards to pets and any observations / concerns will be recorded in the visit report. The Pet Assessment will be undertaken by the assessing social worker during the assessment.
Applicants will be asked to sign a Consent to Checks Form (see Section 5, Checks and References - Enquiry and Application Stage 1 and 2). DBS checks will be commenced and where a need is determined (e.g. medical issues disclosed) early checks will be commenced with the enquirer’s consent. Where the applicant has been previously approved as a foster carer or adopter by another fostering service provider or adoption agency, access may be requested to the relevant records, providing the enquirer gives consent. That agency must provide the information within 15 working days.
The outcome of this visit will be written in the Fostering Recruitment Team Initial Visit Form and passed to the Fostering Recruitment Team Manager, who will decide whether the application continues or not, taking account equality of opportunity. If the Team Manager does not think the application should continue s/he must write a personal letter to the applicant outlining the reasons for not pursuing the application. If the enquirers are already approved foster carers for another local authority or agency, they will be advised of the fostering transfer protocol. Initial Visit Form should be used, so that details about any child/ren in placement, the agency, supervising social worker and child/ren’s social workers can be obtained. An Agency Reference Request Form will be sent to the relevant agency/Local Authority upon receipt of the applicants’ notice of their intention to resign.
The Skills to Care Training Course will cover in detail all aspects of the fostering task. Enquirers/applicants will be booked on the course once their completed Initial Visit Form is accepted. If the Team Manager believes the application should continue, Invite to "Skills to Care Course" Letter must be sent inviting the applicant(s) to the next available course. The enquirers are encouraged to complete a Registration of Interest Form prior to attending the course.
All enquirers/applicants will be required to attend this training, which is an integral part of the assessment process. Trainers will inform enquirers/applicants that their feedback will form part of their assessment at the start of the course.
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.
Depending on local need, occasionally a decision may be made to fast-track enquiries. On these occasions, enquirers may attend the Skills to Care Course at a later stage, or attend other training courses in place of STC, prior to presentation to Fostering & Permanence Panel. The Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Manager must be consulted in these circumstances and agree this decision. If a foster carer transfers from another Local Authority or Independent Agency, their training record will be reviewed and a decision made regarding whether they need to repeat the STC, or whether there is other more relevant training they should attend.
It is expected that enquirers will attend all sessions of the training course. On occasions, it may not be possible for enquirers to attend each session (e.g. work commitments). Wherever possible, the enquirer will be invited to attend the relevant session on a subsequent course and the assessing social worker must check that this has been completed prior to attendance at panel. In exceptional circumstances, it may not be possible for enquirers to attend all sessions. On these occasions, a discussion will be held between the team manager to agree a plan for these sessions to be covered during the assessment, either by their assessing social worker or a foster carer trainer.
The trainers will provide written feedback on issues relating to the applicants, including evidence of competencies met, for the assessing social worker, which must be used in his/her assessment. The Feedback Form should be completed. Should the trainer become aware of any concerns during the course, s/he will raise these with the enquirer and subsequently with the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team Manager. The Team Manager will decide whether/how the concerns are addressed and if it is appropriate for the enquirer to continue with this process. If the decision is that it is not appropriate, the Team Manager will write to the enquirer to explain the decision.
When the home visit and initial enquiries lead to a decision to assess the enquirer’s suitability to become a foster carer he/she will be asked to complete a Registration of Interest Form. The Registration of Interest will be formally accepted when this has been collected and agreement given from the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Manager to either fast-track the assessment or to go into Stage 1 of the assessment. The Team Manager will record the decision to progress to assessment/Stage 1 on the ROI Form and a panel date will be booked will be booked by the Recruitment Officer.
The acceptance of the Registration of Interest Form signifies the start of Stage 1 and the ‘Enquirer’ then become the ‘Applicant’. Checks and references are then progressed as soon as possible. The Initial Enquiry Form, Initial Visit Form and the Registration of Interest Form constitute the full application. Stage 1 and Two will be undertaken concurrently, although the applicant will not be moved into Stage 2 until all the Stage 1 criteria, as specified in Regulation 26 (1A), have been met.
Milton Keynes City Council’s Fostering Service recognises that safeguarding of children is its highest priority. Therefore, to promote good practice, a number of the checks and references are above the statutory number required, as set out in the National Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011, Section 26 & 27 & Schedule 3. Milton Keynes Fostering Service recognises that it is not always possible to obtain required information (e.g. Certificate of Good Conduct for certain countries). Therefore, if it is not possible for applicants to provide the necessary requirements for Milton Keynes, providing the statutory requirements have been met, then a decision will be undertaken by the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Manager as to whether the assessment should proceed to panel.
These will be started at the Enquiry stage and continued through the Stage 1 of the Application process by the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team. These checks should be recorded, including the date when the checks were both requested and received (S19 FNMS 2011).
Health: Letter to the GP will be sent to the enquirer/applicants' General Practitioner along with the (Medical Form) The applicants will be sent letter (to Foster Carer - GP Medical Letter) with the CoramBAAF Adult Health Report. They will be asked to complete the relevant sections and make an appointment with their GP to undertaken the medical. Once completed, the medical report will then be sent to the county Medical Adviser for their comments on the applicant’s suitability to foster.
Health Visitor Reference Letter – will be sent to the health Visitor for any child living in the household under the age of five years.
Local Authority checks will be undertaken for each applicant. The form will be sent to each Local Authority where the applicants have lived since the age of 18 years. Where information is obtained confirming that the applicant or any member of the household has been known to Children's Services, information should be obtained from the relevant authority by the assessing Social Worker. If appropriate, arrangements should be made to view files.
Applicants who have recently moved to the UK (within the last 10 years): Checks may be made through Protecting Children and Uniting Families Across Borders (formerly known as International Social Services) and/or the relevant Consulate on all members of the household aged 10 and over. Additionally applicants will be required to obtain a certificate of good conduct from their respective embassy. If this is not possible, the applicant/s will be asked to nominate a personal referee, colleague or employer who will be able to account for the period whilst they lived abroad and the Overseas Reference will be sent.
Education: School Reference Letter/Form to the school.
Other Fostering Agencies/Adoption Agencies (where relevant): An agency reference will have been obtained during the enquiry stage where carers are considering a transfer. However, where previous applications to foster or adopt have been made by the applicants, further information will be requested from the relevant agency or local authority if not already obtained Agency Reference Request Form.
Ofsted - if any enquirer has previous been a registered childminder, a check with Ofsted will be made using the Ofsted Reference Letter.
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, the Team Manager will inform the applicant verbally and in writing that their application will not be progressed. If there is a criminal record which is not considered a Specific Offence, the Team Manager or the relevant area Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team Manager will carry out a risk assessment. Where the information relates to an offence, which does not automatically disqualify the applicant, the Team 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.
The manager will forward the completed risk assessment along with a signed copy of the DBS certificate to the Safe Staffing DBS Team to present to the Operations Director of Specialist Services. They must assess the trace against the likely risk to any child placed, taking account of the specified offences set out in the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011. The Operations Director records their recommendation whether to proceed on the risk assessment form, which is then returned to the relevant team manager. A copy of this form is uploaded electronically onto the applicant’s electronic case file. The applicant will be informed of the outcome by the relevant team manager.
As part of their Registration of Interest, applicants will be asked to provide the names of a number of referees who are able to account for the applicant’s suitability to foster. The references required are as following:
Personal references: Four referees are required in total per application and Personal Reference Letter/Form will be sent to all referees nominated. The referees should be adults who know the applicants well and have done for a period of time (at least three years). Where referees have known the applicants for less than three years, the Team Manager will need to approve this and this information will need to be shared with the Fostering & Permanence Panel.
If the applicants are making a joint application, referees need to know both applicants. They also need to be prepared to be interviewed about the applicants’ parenting/caring capacity and other issues relating to their application. Personal referees cannot be family members, nor can they be the same people who have been nominated for an employment reference.
Family references: The applicants are also asked to nominate a family reference for each applicant. Single applicants are therefore required to provide one family reference only. The Family Reference will be sent to each family member nominated.
Adult children: Where the applicants have adult children living away from the home, wherever possible, all of these children will also need to be contacted to discuss their parents’ application and suitability to foster. Interviews will need to be documented in the Form F Assessment Report. If it is not possible to speak to adult children, a discussion will be required with the relevant Team Manager and a decision made on how to proceed.
Employment reference: A written reference must be obtained from each applicant's current employer regardless of the applicant's occupation Employment Reference Form. the applicant has recently changed employers, it may also be appropriate to request a reference from their previous employer. If the applicants are self –employed, then they will be asked to nominate a regular client or accountant who would be able to verify their employment status and a Self Employed Employer Reference reference will be requested.
Previous experience working with children/vulnerable adults: As part of their Registration of Interest form, the applicants are also asked to give contact details of any employment/voluntary experiences they have had working with children or vulnerable adults. Wherever possible, the fostering service should attempt to gain further information from the provider and the Recruitment and Assessment team will request a testimonial reference accounting for the applicant’s previous work within their setting using the Childcare-Vulnerable Adult Reference form.
Ex-partner reference: When prospective foster carers have had previous significant relationships, where they have co-habited or parented children together, a reference should be sought from previous partners and/or adult children using the Ex-Partner reference. If this is not possible, or the applicant has a good reason why they do not want this (i.e. an abusive relationship) a reference must be sought from someone who knew the foster carers as a couple throughout the duration of their relationship using the Ex-Partner Alternative Referee form. Where there were any children of the relationship or where children were cared for jointly, the social worker will need to arrange to interview them face-to-face wherever practicable.
Where applicants have no contact with ex-partners, the assessing social worker will need to see evidence of attempts made by the applicants to obtain contact details. If these cannot be obtained, similarly an additional reference accounting for the period the applicant was in a relationship will be required.
Written information may be provided by an ex-partner which requires further exploration. In such cases, the assessing social worker may need to undertake an interview. When interviewing ex-partners, the assessing social worker will need to take care not to disclose confidential personal information about the applicant.
Referee interviews: The assessing Social Worker will choose at least three referees to interview, ideally one family member and two personal referees. These three referees will be interviewed in person or, in exceptional cases, over the telephone if agreed by the Team Manager. Assessing social workers can choose to interview more than three referees if this is required to corroborate information arising in 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 gives consent. However, referees need to be informed at the start of the interview that Information cannot be kept confidential if there are any safeguarding issues.
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 when this happens, the particular source of the information or opinion will not be disclosed, referees should be informed that an applicant may make a challenge through an access to records request. 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 written references will be returned to the fostering team, who upon receipt of the references, will upload them and record the date received in the LCS checks tab. Assessing social workers will need to regularly review the progress of all checks and references, to ensure that any potential delays are avoided.
A written reference must be obtained from each applicant's current employer regardless of the applicant's occupation. 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 or adopt, the relevant agency must be asked to confirm in writing the outcome of the application and provide a written reference.
On receipt of the references electronic records will be updated.
From the outset of any fostering enquiry it will be made clear to prospective foster carers that we will request references from ex-partners.
When assessing prospective foster carers it is important to establish at the beginning of the Stage 2 assessment the applicant's relationship history within the chronology to establish the length and significance of any previous relationships and to obtain an account from the applicant about the nature of the relationship, why it ended and whether there were any children born as a result.
In addition, whenever there has been a child born, every attempt must be made to identify and interview the previous partner (if appropriate) and any resulting children will also be contacted.
For any other relationship deemed to be significant every attempt must be made to interview the previous partner. Significant can be deemed to be when the couple lived together or were a couple in an ongoing relationship for more than three years.
If the previous partner cannot be face to face interviewed, a telephone interview must be held (if overseas or more than a two hour drive) and if an interview is not possible in any of the above circumstances this must be discussed and a plan agreed with the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team Manager.
If the foster carer has concerns for their own safety in relation to their ex-partner or the contact is deemed to be too difficult this must also be presented to the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team Manager for a decision about how to proceed. It would be best practice to seek out referees that can corroborate the information about ex-partners and can provide information about them as a couple.
If the prospective carer refuses to agree to the interview of the ex-partner they should be asked to give reasons. These should be recorded and reflected in the assessment.
Sharing of information about a person that is held in other local authority or agency fostering or adoption records is permitted for the purposes of informing a new assessment of a person’s suitability to foster or adopt. Information should only be shared with the informed, explicit consent of all parties referred to, including young people (or their parent/person with PR).
If consent is refused, the fostering service or adoption agency should only disclose information if it is considered that there is cause for concern. Documents may need to be redacted to remove information relating to individuals that have refused consent and guidance should be sought from the Milton Keynes City Council’s Information Governance Service in these circumstances.
If consent is given the following should be shared:
- Original assessment (if recent enough to be relevant;
- Last review or any other review considered useful;
- Details of any concerns and how addressed;
- Details of any allegations(see Children Act 1989 Guidance Volume Fostering Services para 3.79);
- Any other information considered to be relevant to the assessment of the person’s suitability to foster/adopt.
Request for information should be accompanied by written consent(s). The receiving service should acknowledge the request in two working days and seek consent from all other referred to in the information within five working days. The information, redacted where necessary, should be provided within 15 working days.
Regulation 26 (1B & 1C) states that if the fostering service’s decision maker decides, at any point during the Stage 1 process, that the applicant is not suitable to foster, the applicant must be informed in writing, with full reasons for this decision. This notification may be given whether or not all of this information has been obtained. This decision must be reached and the applicant informed, at the latest, within 10 working days of all the Stage 1 information (regulation 26 (1A)) being received.
The applicant has no right to make representations, or to have their case reviewed, under the Independent Review Mechanism, but will be informed that they can complain via the fostering service’s complaint process Complaints, Compliments and Representations (see Complaints and Representations Procedure). However the guidance sets out that the complaints process must consider whether the case has been handled in a reasonable way, rather than question the applicant’s suitability to foster.
Where all the specified information has been obtained and notification has not been given within 10 working days that the applicant is not suitable, then the application will proceed to panel. At this point, the Fostering Team Manager will send a letter to the applicants to advise that Stage 1 has been completed successfully.
Stage 2 assessment information will be obtained, and the assessment carried out, in parallel with Stage 1 of the process. Such assessments will be undertaken by a suitably qualified Social Worker or student Social Worker who is closely supervised by a suitably qualified Social Worker. The assessment will gain evidence of the applicant(s)’ competencies to become foster carer(s). The evidence could include testimonials from a range of sources in addition to direct observation of their interaction with children.
The assessment will be undertaken over a series of visits; and have at least one session individually with each applicant. Arrangements will need to be made to undertake interviews with any children of the household where they are of an appropriate age and understanding. The social worker will also need to undertake a tour of the property to complete Health & Safety Checklist – Fostering, which needs to also be signed by the Team Manager, as well as a Pet Assessment for each pet in the household.
The assessing social worker will draw up a written agreement in the Assessment Plan setting out the dates for the assessment visits and the date for the presentation to the Fostering & Permanence Panel. Any delays in presenting the report to panel must be agreed by the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team Manager, setting out clear reasons for the delay. The assessing social worker must also inform the applicant(s) of any revised timescales.
At the start of the assessment, the applicant(s) will be:
- Notified that the case is to be referred to the Fostering & Permanence Panel, who will consider their application;
- Informed of the date of the Fostering & Permanence Panel and advise them of the expectation that they will attend;
- Advised they will be given a copy of the completed report before it is sent to panel members;
- Invited to send any observations in writing within 10 working days (beginning with the date on which the notification is sent).
A letter will be sent to the applicants with the date, time and venue of the Fostering & Permanence Panel, 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 information gathered during the assessment, feedback from the Skills to Foster Preparation Course alongside the checks and personal references will form the basis of the assessment. The assessing social worker will need to complete a written report, which analyses the information obtained, to consider whether the applicant is suitable to be a foster carer and whether the applicant’s household is suitable. This written report will be set out as specified in the Fostering Form F Assessment document.
During the assessment of the applicant’s suitability to be a foster carer, the following information relating to the applicant and other members of the household needs to be obtained:
- Details of personality;
- Racial origin, cultural, religious and linguistic background and capacity to care for a child from any particular racial origin, cultural, religious 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;
- The Medical Advisor’s comments on the applicants’ suitability to foster;
- Proposals about any terms of approval.
The assessing social worker will complete all parts of the assessment report, which will record all appropriate factual information, analysis, highlight strengths and vulnerabilities and consider areas for development. The report will need to include information relating to the applicants' understanding of the following areas:
- Childcare experience and ability to care for children born to someone else;
- Ability to include a child in family life, be inclusive and help a child feel they ‘belong’. All applicants are expected to complete a child-friendly welcome profile as part of their assessment (see Applicant’s Homework pack);
- Ability to help children make sense of their past, as well as promote contact between children and their families;
- Awareness of the impact of physical, emotional and sexual abuse and the long-term effects of neglect;
- Attitude to healthy living and an ability to promote a child’s healthy development, including sexual health;
- Promotion of education and encouraging achievement;
- Approaches to discipline and promoting positive behaviour;
- Awareness of how to promote secure attachments between children and appropriate adults;
- Standards of living and lifestyles;
- Sexuality & attitudes to sexuality;
- Sexual practices & boundaries within the home, including evidence of applicants’ understanding of safe caring practices and a completion of a safe caring family policy;
- Experiences of disability and attitudes to disability;
- Awareness of equal opportunities;
- Evidence of a social media check & applicants’ awareness of online safety;
- Assessment of the applicant’s financial stability and security of tenure, providing confirmation (if in Social Housing or Privately Rented accommodation) that the landlord has granted permission to use the property for fostering;
- Attitude to training and development, including completion of a Personal Development Plan (PDP).
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 wish to do, e.g. short/long term, dependent upon the ages and needs of children. The assessment should focus on an analysis of the information obtained and present a clear picture as to how the applicants are able to meet the fostering task, as well as identify any further areas for development.
Applicants will be encouraged to be actively involved in contributing towards the assessment, and supported to provide their own written accounts to evidence their capabilities in support of their application.
Once the assessing social worker has completed a draft, it should be submitted to the Team 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. It should be explained to them that that they have five working days to do this and that any written comments they make will be circulated to the Fostering & Permanence Panel members with the report.
The Assessment will then be passed to the Team Manager to be endorsed and counter-signed. A worker will be identified within the fostering team who will undertake a second opinion visit.
This will be sent to panel as soon as possible before the panel date.
The social worker will then send the Assessment and the applicants' written comments (if any), a health report, the report on the interviews with the referees, the report from the local authority for the area where the applicant lives (if they live in a different local authority area) and any other relevant documents, to the Panel Administrator at least five working days before the relevant Fostering & Permanence Panel meeting. This should be held to enable the Panel to make its recommendation on the application within eight months of the receipt of the formal application.
If a decision is made that the applicant is not suitable to foster, and the 10 days have passed since all stage 1 information has been received, then a brief report or a partially completed report will need to be taken to Fostering & Permanence Panel. This report will need to summarise the details of the assessment undertaken and outline the reasons for considering the applicant unsuitable.
The applicant must be:
- Advised that the brief report is to be sent to the Fostering & Permanence Panel;
- Provided with a copy of the brief report;
- Given 10 working days from the date of the notification to send their observations to the Team Manager;
- Invited to attend the Fostering & Permanence Panel, with date, time and venue and information about the Panel process.
The brief report or assessment report should then be presented to the Fostering & Permanence Panel for consideration along with any observations/verbal feedback submitted by the applicant and any other relevant information. The Fostering & Permanence Panel will then make a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker.
Please see Fostering Panel Procedure, for coverage of recommendations and decision making.
The Fostering & Permanence 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 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 and any limitations of the approval in relation to named children (e.g. for long-term placements). The panel will also make recommendations regarding the approval age range and number of placements.
If the decision is to refuse approval, the Assessing Social Worker and Team Manager will assess the need for further counselling and arrange any necessary follow-up action e.g. offer to write to the GP.
If the Agency Decision Maker determines that the applicant is not suitable to foster, the applicant will be sent a copy of the report and informed in writing that they may:
- Make an Appeal to the Fostering & Permanence Panel;
- Exercise the right to apply to the Secretary of State to request a review of the decision (Qualifying Determination) by the Independent Review Mechanism. They must write within 28 calendar days of the written notice by the manager, with their reasons for so doing;
- Make a representation or complaint via the MKC Complaints, Compliments and Representations Procedure (see Complaints and Representations Procedure) and provide information as to how to do so.
If the panel recommends approval, the Agency Decision Maker reviews the fostering panel minutes and makes a decision on approval. Advice may be provided by the ADM as part of their decision. Once approved, the Panel Administrator will enter the foster carers' approval details, including their first review date, on LCS (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.
See Supervision and Support of Foster Carers Procedure.
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 Disclosure and Barring Service and other checks and assessments on any new member of the household - see Change of Circumstances Procedure and Guidance on the Assessment of New Partners within Fostering Households (Changes in the Fostering Household/Circumstances)
Or, where there is any significant change in their circumstances which affects their fostering, for example any new relationship, pregnancy or bereavement and the need to repeat Disclosure and Barring Service checks on themselves every three years - see Review and Termination of Approval of Foster Carers Procedure.
The Fostering Service holds a Register with information provided from LCS of all approved foster carers. This will have:
- The name, address, date of birth, sex and ethnic origin of each foster carer;
- The date of approval and of each review of the approval;
- The 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 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 foster carers' approval details, including their first review date, will be added.
Note: Hertfordshire Stage 1 and 2 are undertaken concurrently. This diagram, devised by the Department for Education as part of Assessment and approval of foster carers: amended guidanceillustrates how stages 1 & 2 of the assessment process fit together. It is not intended to cover all actions a Fostering Service must undertake as part of the process - Foster Services must refer to the regulations and statutory guidance for this information. It should be noted that at any point in the process applicants (1) can withdraw, in which case the process ends; and (2) can complain to the FS (and must be informed of their right to do so if they are turned down in stage 1).
Last Updated: November 13, 2023
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