Foster Parent Handbook

Information to foster parents

Foster parents should feel reassured that essential information for providing safe care to the child will be available to them at the start of the placement.

We know that a placement is much more likely to succeed if foster parents know in advance about behaviours that have been a cause for concern in the past and how these have been successfully (or unsuccessfully) managed. The local authority should inform foster parents of past behaviours such as fire setting or sexually abusive incidents which might put their home or their family at risk. Knowing that a previous placement has broken down and why is also important information for foster parents who have to try to understand how a child is attempting to make sense of difficult and confusing experiences.

Fosterplus will collect the information initially, as well as ensure there is an initial risk assessment and we will pass all this information on to the foster parents. We will also regularly follow up with responsible authorities any gaps in information. These are duties placed upon us by fostering regulations and national minimum standards and we take them very seriously.

What information should you ask for?

There is some essential information that foster parents should have before the placement takes place. The care plan and placement plan will provide these details, but these documents may not be available at the outset. Foster parents should make sure that they have been given answers to most if not all of the following questions by the Placements Team or their supervising social worker:

• Child’s Name.
• Gender.
• Date of birth.
• Ethnicity and religion of child.
• How long the placement is expected to be for.
• Whether the child is subject to a legal order, or accommodated.
• Whether the child is subject to a child protection plan.
• Why the child is looked after or needing to be looked after.
• Is this the child’s first experience of being looked after?
• Where are the child's parents, brothers and sisters?
• Whether there will be contact with relatives.
• What the child's health is like - are they on any medication or do they have any medical conditions?
• Whether the child has any special needs.
• What school the child attends. Do they need to change school?
• Whether there are any specific behaviours which may be of concern.
• Whether there are any activities, clubs, sports or talents that it is important to support and encourage.
• If the placement requires children to share a bedroom are there any known risks?

Information to children/young people

Unless an emergency placement makes it impossible, we aim to provide children and young people with information about foster parentss before arrival, in a format appropriate to their age and understanding. This will be a Child Friendly Profile and may include photographs of the proposed foster parentss, their children and pets, as well as the bedroom.

Introductory meetings

Wherever possible, children are assisted to visit the foster parent’s home and to talk with the foster parents in private prior to a placement decision being made. Whilst a foster child and foster parent should receive written and verbal information about each other from the local authority social worker before a placement is arranged, a face to face meeting is a much better opportunity to find out about each other and can dispel fears and anxieties for all the people involved. Depending on the nature of the placement, it may be appropriate to organise a number of introductory meetings before all involved feel comfortable to proceed.

Bedrooms

Fosterplus has a policy which states that, as a general rule, each child will have their own bedroom:

1. A birth child of the foster parents will not share a bedroom with a foster child.
2. Fostered children should not share a bedroom with other fostered children, unless they are siblings.
3. Children in care under the age of two years may share the same bedroom as their foster parents, if appropriate.

These general standards apply to all families who foster for Fosterplus. Any exceptions will apply to specific children and specific relationships, following a risk assessment, and on condition that the sharing of a bedroom is agreed by each child and their responsible authority, and that each child has their own area within the bedroom.

Before approaching responsible authorities to seek agreement for the sharing of a bedroom, Fosterplus will take into account any potential for bullying, any history of abuse or abusive behaviour, the wishes of the children concerned and all other pertinent facts. A bedroom risk assessment will be carried out as part of this process. The final decision as to whether fostered children share a bedroom rests with Fosterplus and the responsible authorities.

Placement Planning Meetings

When a final decision has been agreed for the placement to take place, a placement planning meeting will usually be arranged by Fosterplus with the placing authority. The purpose of the meeting is for all the participants to provide and receive information so that the foster foster parent/s, foster child, parent/s, child’s social worker, and supervising social worker have a clear understanding of the purpose and likely duration of the placement.

It is best for this meeting to take place in the foster home, as an important part of the meeting is for the foster foster parent and foster child to agree on the day to day living arrangements once the placement starts. The meeting will contribute in a key way to the placement plan.

This meeting is also an appropriate opportunity to share the Family Safer Caring Plan.

What is a placement plan?

The child’s placement plan is part of their care plan. Each time a child or young person has a new placement, they should have a new placement plan and it should be regularly reviewed. The placement plan should clarify the foster foster parent’s role, and how the day to day parenting tasks will be shared between the foster foster parent, the local authority and the child’s parents, as well as the financial arrangements for the child’s upbringing. It sets out in detail how the foster placement is intended to contribute to meeting the child’s needs as set out in the care plan.

The placement plan should ensure that the foster foster parent understands the child’s likes, dislikes and routines, and reduce the potential for disputes around decision-making on behalf of children. A lack of clarity, about who does what, can lead to confusion, frustration and placement breakdown.

The placement plan should also ensure that the foster foster parent receives essential information about the child, including details of their health, educational and emotional and behavioural needs, how these may affect the child day to day and appropriate strategies for responding to them. In particular, it is important to identify any behaviour which has been of concern to a child’s previous foster parent and which has contributed to the breakdown of a previous placement.

Timescales for the placement plan

The child’s social worker is responsible for ensuring that a placement plan is drawn up before a child is placed. Where it is not possible to do so, regulations state that a placement plan must be made within five working days of the start of the placement.

The foster parent should be involved in this process as they have to agree to the plan and be given a copy. The best way to achieve an appropriate plan is to hold a placement planning meeting which involves the foster parent, supervising social worker, the child’s social worker and the child and their parent/s.

Fosterplus will ensure that the foster parent is given a copy of the written placement plan as soon as this is provided to us by the responsible authority. If provision of any elements of the care plan is delayed, we will actively follow this up with the responsible authority.

Contents of the placement plan

Most local authorities have developed their own format for recording a placement plan. The basic requirements are laid down in regulations and the placement plan should cover at least the following information:

Current Placement Details - including the expected duration of the arrangements and the steps which should be taken to bring the placement to an end, including arrangements for the child to return to live with their own family.

Day to Day Care and Routines – as far as possible, the anticipated placement routines for the child/young person, including meal times, bed times, getting up in the morning, school attendance, staying out and coming in times. The expectations around smoking, drinking, household chores, visitors, use of mobile phones and computers. Whether there are any concentration and behaviour issues, including issues of control and restraint. The sanctions that will be used if basic expectations are not met. Whether any specialist equipment is required e.g. for a child with a disability.

Health and Diet – the arrangements made for health (including physical, emotional and mental health) and dental care, including the name and address of the child’s registered medical and dental practitioners (current and proposed), and dietary needs; any arrangements for the giving or withholding of consent to medical or dental examination or treatment.

Education and Training – the arrangements made for education and training, including the name and address of any school at which the child is a registered pupil, the name of the designated teacher at the school, the name and address of any other educational institution the child attends, or of any other person who provides the child with education or training, and - where the child has a coordinated support plan in place - details of the local authority that maintains the plan; the role of the parent/s and foster parent/s regarding communication with the school.

Identity – the arrangements to meet the child/young person’s identity needs, including consideration of gender, religious, cultural, language, disability, communication and racial origin needs; if the placement is trans-racial, how it will meet the child’s needs; the impact of diet, clothing and lifestyle; religious observance, festivals, holidays; personal identity needs arising from gender and sexuality.

Social and Leisure Activities - details of the child/young person’s current hobbies, special interests and leisure activities and how they will be supported in the placement.

Family Time – the arrangements made for contact between the child and any parent and/or person who is not the child’s parent, but who has parental responsibility for them, and any other connected person – type, frequency, timing, venue, transport and supervision; restraining or other relevant Court orders; arrangements for notifying any changes in the arrangements for contact.

Placement Support - the arrangements made for the child’s social worker to visit the child, the frequency of visits and the advice, support and assistance to be available between visits; if an independent visitor is appointed, the arrangements made for them to visit the child; the name and contact details of the IRO, the child’s independent visitor (if one is appointed), the child’s social worker and, if the child is an eligible child, their personal advisor.

Decision Making for Children who are Looked After and Accommodated - Studies and surveys have shown that children in care want to grow up just like everyone else and that means to be able to experience the same things as other children – friendships, activities, holidays and family times. Decision making should support this and not be exercised with such caution and risk-aversion that the

child’s experiences are restricted and controlled beyond what is reasonable and compatible with their needs. However decision making regarding the day to day life of a young person must always take account that the rights of children and the rights and responsibilities of parents are respected and supported, while the welfare and wellbeing of children in care is safeguarded and promoted.

Foster parents will be advised at the outset of a placement as to the day to day decisions that they can make and those that require the approval of the local authority as these may vary from child to child depending on the legislative framework a child is subject to.

When the child arrives

We all feel nervous meeting new people. Children are usually wary of strange adults and it may be more concerning if they are not. For a child having to leave their home and meet foster parents may be extremely stressful. When we think in terms of the secure base model, it is easy to see how, not knowing you at all, a child may find it difficult to trust you, or be unsure about what to expect and how to behave. Foster parents need to remain very sensitive and patient, continuing to be available and affirming of the child and mindful of what the child may be thinking and feeling.

It is important that you try to understand how confused and frightened a child may be. Your home may be very different from the child's own home, or previous placement, and things which you take for granted can be bewildering to a child. Meals and other occasions when family members are together may be tense. It will help if you can do the following:

• Start the way you mean to go on.
• Be understanding.
• Accept the child or young person for who they are.
• Be super aware.
• Make sure you have checked the information given to you by the social workers telling you about the child; ask if you need more information.
• Tell the other child(ren) about the new child and keep them involved.
• Have a welcoming tea where everyone can meet each other.
• Remember all children's needs are different.
• Do not treat one child with favouritism.
• Remember the child has parent(s) - talk to the child about them if appropriate and not detrimental or distressing to the child – seek advice from the LA social worker
• If you know them, continue with the routines which the child is used to, such as bedtimes, and use similar words and languages if appropriate.

The first few days

Little things can be initially important in helping a child to relax and start to get to know you. For example, what do they like to drink and eat? Do they have a favourite television programme? What was the child’s routine at home? This is a good starting point to understanding the foster child joining your family and how routines may differ.

A tatty teddy and dirty clothes should not be discarded or immediately washed, because they remain the child's link with their home and family. Smells are particularly important to some children and they usually hate their comforters or soft toys to be washed. Older children may have a comforter, but may be embarrassed about anyone knowing. Never throw away any clothes or possessions that a child brings with them before discussing this with your supervising social worker.

What if I have doubts?

During this initial period, foster parents should be realistic about the child and clear if they have any doubts. If you do, please keep a careful record of what concerns you and discuss this with your supervising social worker, who will listen carefully and talk to you about whether any more support can be offered to enable the placement to continue. We all know that frequent changes of placement can be very damaging to children’s overall wellbeing and we should try to avoid unnecessary moves. New placements often go through recognisable stages.

What do we call each other?

Most children you care for will have parents. It is very rare for a child not to have known a mum or a dad or both. In temporary placements, it is not appropriate for the child to call a foster parent ‘Mum’ and/or ‘Dad’ because it can be confusing to the child and insensitive to the birth parents.

Some children struggle to know what to call foster parents and may choose not to call them anything at all, at least in the early stages. Foster parents should suggest to the child what they could call them; this may be a first name, ‘aunt’ or ‘uncle’ or anything else that is appropriate in your view.

It is vital for a child to be aware of their identity and their birth name is a major part of that identity. Please ensure you have the correct spelling of a child’s first name and surname, and please do not change or adapt it to call them something else. Foster parents are not allowed to change the surname or the first name of a child placed with them. Where a child is old enough to make this decision for themselves and wishes to do so, foster parents should seek advice from the child's social worker.

Belongings and Suitcases

Foster children may bring items of clothing, toys or other possessions with them when they come to stay. These belongings may not seem very valuable, but they may be precious to a child and therefore should be treated with respect. Any toys the child brings along, whatever condition they are in, are regarded as the child’s belongings. They should be looked after and go with the child when they leave. This also applies to any toys bought for the child whilst living with you or any toys given by relatives for birthdays and at other celebrations.

When a child first arrives in the foster home having left their own home in a crisis, they may have few belongings and may not have a suitcase or holdall. Foster parents should purchase a suitable bag which is solely the property of that child and will go with them if they leave the placement. This bag should be purchased irrespective of the child’s length of stay in the foster placement.