4.7.8 Allegations Against Foster Carers

AMENDMENT

This chapter was updated in March 2011 to reflect the name of the Fostering and Permanence Panel and Section 7, Inquiries Concerning Standards of Care, should be re read.

At the time of the September update of this manual the need for this chapter to be reviewed/revised in the light of recent national regulation and guidance was noted. Please therefore refer to the “Changes from 1 April” available from the yellow link button.

Introduction
Complaints
Serious Concerns
Allegations
Our Pledge to Foster Carers
Safeguarding and Child Protection Concerns
Inquiries Concerning Standards of Care
Reviewing a Carer's Approval
Debrief Meeting Following Investigations and Inquiries

1. Introduction

Council foster carers play a critical role in achieving good outcomes for children in care. It is a unique and challenging role. Foster carers look after some of our most vulnerable children, many have challenging behaviours. It is essential that carers are supported properly in the role, including when they become subject to complaints, serious concerns and allegations. The way in which complaints, serious concerns and allegations are handled is an integral part of the support and supervision of foster carers, as set out in the National Minimum Standards and in Regulations.

The Fostering Service has clear processes for dealing with complaints, serious concerns and allegations. These processes are set out in the Foster Carer Handbook, which is provided to all carers approved by the Council. While taking its safeguarding responsibilities and duties very seriously, the Fostering Service strives to treat carers fairly and openly, in line with the procedures set out in this document, to give appropriate support and information throughout the process of an investigation and to provide any relevant and necessary training. Council foster carers should expect the same standard of treatment and support as Council staff when they face similar situations.

The following procedure distinguishes between complaints, serious concerns and allegations. It sets out how these are dealt with by the Council. In order to safeguard both carers and children, investigations of allegations and serious concerns lead to a review of the foster carer's approval (Regulation 29, Fostering Regulations 2002).

2. Complaints

A complaint about the standards of care provided by a foster carer, that does not warrant investigation under child protection procedures, will be dealt with under the Council complaint procedures. Wherever possible, complaints are dealt with informally in the first instance in order to achieve a resolution that is satisfactory to all parties. In some circumstances, where complaints cannot be resolved informally, the Fostering Service may undertake an investigation.

Complaints can range from important but relatively minor matters to quite serious issues. Examples of complaints dealt with by the Fostering Service have included, the quality of food provided, to carer's not being at home enough to the child's cultural or religious needs not being met appropriately. A complaint about the standard of care provided by a carer may be made by a fostered child, a parent (or someone with Parental Responsibility for the child), a professional, or anyone else with a legitimate interest in a child's welfare. The Council is required by law to provide a process for dealing with complaints and details about this is provided in the Foster Carer's Handbook.

When a complaint is made, the Council seeks to respond quickly and efficiently, ensuring fair treatment. This involves listening to all sides. A complaint is dealt with at Stage 1 in the first instance, which allows an opportunity to resolve the problem informally and within a maximum of 20 days. Mediation is undertaken by the supervising social worker. If a complaint cannot be resolved informally the person making the complaint can ask to go to Stage 2 of the complaints procedure, where the Fostering Service will undertake a formal investigation. All parties are entitled to see the report of the investigation, findings and recommendations.

3. Serious Concerns

A serious concern that does not warrant investigation under child protection procedures will always be investigated by the Fostering Service. An example of a serious concern could be the way in which a carer applies discipline or fails to co-operate with contact arrangements or does not undertake tasks assigned to the carer under the terms of the child's Care Plan.

A serious concern could be raised by the child, a parent, (or someone with parental responsibility for the child,) a professional or someone else with a legitimate interest in the child's welfare. A serious concern could arise during an investigation of a complaint. For further detail, including timescales for such investigations, see Section 7, Inquiries Concerning Standards of Care

4. Allegations

An allegation is defined as an accusation of Neglect or physical, emotional or Sexual Abuse. An allegation may be made by a member of the public, a health, social care or education professional, a member of the fostered child's family, or by a child, parent (or someone with parental responsibility for the child).

The London Child Protection Procedures and the Wandsworth Safeguarding Children Board procedures require any allegation of abuse by a foster carer to be reported to a manager within the Fostering Service and the Safeguarding Standards Unit. The Safeguarding Standards Unit (the Manager or a Child Protection Coordinator) will decide, in discussion with the fostering manager and the child's social worker, whether a child protection investigation under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 is required. The Safeguarding Standards Unit may take the view that the allegation does not warrant an investigation under child protection procedures but that a joint investigation by the Fostering Service and the child's social worker is needed under the procedure for dealing with a serious concern.

5. Our Pledge to Foster Carers

Although we take complaints, serious concerns and allegations about the welfare of children extremely seriously and investigate these matters rigorously, we also seek to ensure that foster carers are treated fairly, with respect and basic justice. Our approach is to balance our safeguarding duties and responsibilities towards the child/young person with supporting our foster-carers. This means that the investigation will be balanced, fair and independent. The approach to be taken includes access to independent support during the process of investigation, a commitment to good communication, an outline of the timescale, a fair hearing and opportunity to appeal. The following list constitutes our pledge to foster carers during this difficult process:

On receipt of a complaint, serious concern or allegation, the indicative timescale for actions, decision-making and communication is set out and explained to the carer verbally and confirmed in writing by the Fostering Manager;
Wherever practicable, and especially in the case of serious concerns, an investigating officer independent to the Fostering Service will be appointed to undertake the investigation within 10 working days of the complaint to ensure due process in the conduct of the investigation;
Carers are given access to independent information, advice and guidance from 'Fosterline' by telephone, email or post. 'Fosterline' is open between 9.00am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday except bank holidays, Contact details are freephone 0800 040 7675, textphone, 0800 040 7675, email, fosterline@fostering.net;
The carer's views and feelings will be ascertained and taken into account at all stages. The carer's own supervising social worker (SSW) will continue to act as a link between the carer and the Fostering Service through the process, including providing advice and support. If this is not appropriate an alternative worker from within Children's Specialist Services will be allocated to undertake this role;
As soon as reasonable and practicable within a maximum of 15 working days of the complaint/serious concern/allegation being raised, in consultation with the carer, the Fostering Service will commission an independent supporter to support them through the process of investigation into allegations and serious concerns. The independent supporter will offer to assist in clarifying the stages of the procedure and help them to represent their point of view;
Training will be provided to members of the Wandsworth Foster Care Association (WFCA) who wish to act in the role of a supporter. Membership of WFCA entitles carers to advice and support from the association;
Carers will be advised of their right to seek the advice and support of a lawyer. They can still have an independent person provided by the Fostering Service. Carers are entitled to some free legal advice through Foster Line (Fostering Network) Funding of additional legal costs which may be incurred by the foster carer can be considered by the Head of Service;
If it is deemed necessary for the child to be removed from the placement and approval to be suspended or varied during the period of investigation, the carer will continue to be paid the fostering fee (but not the child related allowance);
If the investigation is prolonged and/or the carer experiences financial hardship at any point during the process the SSW can, with agreement of the carer, prepare a report of the carer's circumstances for the Head of Service who will decide whether an exceptional hardship payment is warranted. The decision of the Head of Service will be communicated by the SSW to the carer within 5 working days;
At the conclusion of the investigation a decision about the suspension of approval and continuation of the fee payment will be communicated to the carer by the Fostering Registered Manager within 5 working days;
Where a carer wishes to transfer to another Fostering Service during the process of investigation, the Fostering Registered Manager will notify the new Fostering Service that the carer is subject to an investigation and inform them of the target time for completing the investigation;
Carer training, supervision and continuing support will be made available to Wandsworth foster carers to ensure that carers are enabled to provide good standards of care and to safeguard fostered children, thereby minimising the risk of complaints, serious concerns or allegations.

6. Safeguarding and Child Protection Concerns

Consideration of complaints, serious concerns and allegations in those exceptional circumstances that may constitute a safeguarding or child protection concern will be conducted in line with Working Together 2010 and the pan London Child Protection Procedures. The Working Together framework lays out three strands in the consideration of an allegation against a foster carer, where a decision has been made that the cause for concern may constitute child protection:

A child protection enquiry under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989. This is initially a joint investigation by Children's Specialist Services and the police where the allegation against the foster carer may concern safeguarding or child protection;
A police investigation of a possible criminal offence;
A review of the foster carer's suitability to foster in accordance with the Fostering Services Regulations 2002.

Each Local Authority has a designated officer (LADO) responsible for the management of allegations against staff and foster carers that may constitute safeguarding or child protection concerns. Although the Wandsworth LADO is the Head of Human Resources, operational responsibility for dealing with allegations against professional staff and foster carers is devolved to the Manager of the Safeguarding Standards Unit (SSU). The decision about whether a complaint, serious concern or allegation constitutes a safeguarding or child protection concern and whether to undertake a child protection enquiry is made in consultation with the SSU.

The Fostering Team manager must inform the Safeguarding Standards Unit as soon as practicable about any allegation or serious concern about a foster carer that could constitute a safeguarding or child protection concern. The SSU manager or a child protection co-ordinator will consult with both Police and relevant Children's Specialist Services (CSS) staff before making a recommendation about the appropriate course of action. A formal strategy meeting/discussion will be convened within 72 hours where the allegation constitutes a child protection or safeguarding concern. The Fostering Team manager must make a record of the strategy discussion and decisions, incorporating it into the carer's record.

The Fostering Team manager should have the following information available for the strategy discussion with the SSU:

Information about the legal status of the child, length of time in placement with the foster carers, contact details of relevant staff and foster carers;
Information about other children in the foster home, including the foster carer's own children;
Source and details of the allegation;
Any action already taken by the Fostering Service, the responsible local authority or others;
Information about the carer's record in fostering;
Whether the foster carer (and family member, if they are the subject of the allegation) has been made aware of the allegation, bearing in mind that there would need to be exceptional reasons not to do so i.e. where sharing information about an allegation could potentially put the child at risk or lead to the possibility of the child being "silenced".
The foster carer's views, where known, concerning the allegation;
The views of the supervising social worker;
The views of the child's social worker and/or team manager;
The views of the Independent Reviewing Officer;
Discussion about the safeguarding needs of all the children in the foster home;

The Fostering Team manager must confirm in writing to the carer and supervising social worker the main points of the discussion and decision about next steps, within 3 working days of the Strategy Meeting. The SSU will summarise the agreed course of action for the foster carer file and the Fostering Team manager will advise the Fostering Registered Manager. Any decision to suspend the approval of a carer (end current placement(s), restrict placements or suspend further placements) while an investigation is undertaken must be made jointly by the Fostering Registered Manager and the SSU. Reasons to suspend approval must be recorded on the carer's record and notified to the carer verbally and subsequently in writing as soon as practicable within 10 working days of the decision.

The Fostering Team manager must provide the carer and the Fostering Registered Manager with the written plan for supporting the carer during the investigation within 2 working days of the strategy meeting. The plan must include arrangements for keeping the carer informed and should be agreed at each strategy meeting/discussion.

The Fostering Registered Manager must inform the Head of Service, Agency Decision Maker and Ofsted of allegations constituting safeguarding and child protection concerns, strategy decisions and arrangements to safeguard the child within 5 working days of the strategy discussion.

The child's social worker should inform those with Parental Responsibility for the child about the allegation, decisions and measures to safeguard the child both verbally and in writing.

Lengthy enquiries may require further strategy meetings/discussions to be held at least every 15 working days and a representative of the Fostering Team who is known to the carer must be present at each meeting/discussion. In the event of an investigation by the Police proving to be longer than 6 weeks, the Agency Decision Maker will consider whether a carer who has had approval suspended can resume fostering. The Fostering Registered Manager is responsible for keeping the Agency Decision Maker informed of the progress of investigations.

At any stage in the course of the investigation, the SSU in consultation with the Fostering Registered Manager may decide that the evidence does not justify continuing with a Child Protection Enquiry but may constitute a less serious, standards of care issue. These should be investigated by the Fostering Service. The carer will be advised about these decisions within 5 working days of the decision being reached by the Fostering Service Registered Manager.

The conclusion of the child protection investigation will usually be one of the following options, in that the allegation is;

Found to be untrue;
Unsubstantiated or unfounded; or
Found to be true.

Depending on the outcome, the Fostering Team manager will consult with the SSU about whether the foster carer should be referred for inclusion on the Children's Barred List Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). The Head of Service, Agency Decision Maker and Ofsted should be informed of any decision to refer a carer for inclusion on the Children's Barred list. The carer will be informed of this decision in writing within 10 working days.

In all cases where a child protection investigation was deemed appropriate a review of the foster carer's suitability to foster will be conducted and the Fostering Registered Manager will determine whether this should be presented to the Fostering and Permanence Panel in consultation with the Agency Decision Maker.

7. Inquiries Concerning Standards of Care

Inquiries concerning a complaint, serious concern or allegation about standards of care are instigated when the concern does not constitute a safeguarding or child protection or once the SSU has consulted the police and CSS and it has been decided not to commence or continue with a Section 47 Enquiry.

The Fostering Team manager will decide whether further information is required, prior to undertaking a review of the foster carer's approval. In cases where a Section 47 investigation has been undertaken and discontinued the Fostering Team manager will consult with the SSU in order to obtain the necessary records of interviews conducted by CSS and the Police. In most circumstances it will be possible to proceed straight to a review of the carer's approval to foster or the subsequent inquiry may be brief in the light of information already available. The purpose of the inquiry is to ensure that all information about the concern is brought together prior to a review of the carer's approval. The process should always be proportionate to the circumstances of the case. Every effort should be made to keep the right balance between a rigorous process and being fair and just to carers and their families. Consideration should be given at all times to the need of minimising disruption to children in placement and ensuring their welfare and placement stability.

All meetings and decisions taken will be documented and the carer will be kept informed of the decisions, verbally within 3 working days and confirmed in writing within 10 working days.

The Fostering Team manager will decide in consultation with the Fostering Registered Manager whether any further inquiries are necessary. When further inquiries are deemed necessary, this will be recorded and the carer will be advised verbally within 5 working days and confirmed in writing within 10 working days laying out the reasons and the process:

Who will investigate and when and arrangements for their supervision;
How children or young people who have been affected by the allegation/ complaint (including the children of the carer) will be involved, and supported;
How parents/those with parental responsibility will be involved and consulted;
Whether the carer is suspended from taking further placements while the matter is being investigated;
Who will provide independent support for the foster carer;
The arrangements for liasing with the local authority responsible for the child.

The Fostering Team manager is responsible for maintaining awareness that a representation or complaint under the Representations Procedure (Children) Regulations 2005 may have been made in relation to the same or related circumstances that give rise to an inquiry under this procedure. The Fostering Team manager will consult with the complaints manager and the independent reviewing officer for looked after children, in order to ensure that the two procedures can be managed in tandem without duplication or confusion for the parties involved.

A worker who has not previously worked with the carer will be allocated by the Fostering Team Manager in consultation with the Fostering Registered Manager to undertake the inquiries. Where the concern is particularly serious consideration must be given to appointing an independent investigating officer and an independent person in line with the Council's complaints procedure. The Fostering Team Manager will co-ordinate the process and meet together with the two staff to brief them.

The carer's supervising social worker will be responsible for ensuring good communication with the carer/adult member of the carer's family and/or their independent supporter about the investigation, including information about:

The substance of the complaint/allegation;
Who will undertake the inquiries;
The process and time-scales;
Who will be informed or interviewed;
The right of the foster carer to independent advice and support throughout the process and details of where this can be obtained;
Decisions about the carer's approval during the inquiry;
Financial arrangements;
Decisions about children currently in placement and reasons for them;
The progress of the investigation, both verbally and in writing, and on a regular basis thereafter and at least every 10 working days.

Arrangements should take the carer's views and needs into account. Where a carer is unable or unwilling to co-operate with the inquiry, the Fostering Team manager should decide in consultation with the Fostering Registered Manager whether to proceed without the co-operation of the carer. The carer will be asked to give their reasons in writing.

The Fostering Team manager will discuss and agree with the carer and where appropriate members of their family about any arrangements that may be required to maintain a child's placement. In rare circumstances a member of the household subject to the complaint may live elsewhere during the inquiries. In such cases all possible support and assistance will be considered.

The inquiry will be planned with clear timescales in order to prevent unnecessary delay. In most circumstances inquiries should be completed within 4 weeks. The investigating officer will meet with the carer and other persons on as many occasions as is necessary, and may interview people both separately and together. It may be necessary to arrange for the interviews to take place away from the carer's home and to limit the length of interviews. The carer's supervising social worker will ensure that the carer has access to appropriate independent support. The person providing independent support may attend all interviews and meetings with the carer.

All relevant parties will be interviewed. Those who might be involved are:

Any child or adult who has made the allegation/complaint or reported a concern;
The foster carer(s), other members of the carer's household;
The parents of the child or those with parental responsibility;
Anyone else with information that will be material to the investigation, for instance, the child's school, health service professionals;
In some circumstances, children previously fostered by the carers.

The investigating officer and the carer or other parties interviewed will be given the opportunity to review notes of interviews and will be required to sign all written statements. The Fostering Registered Manager will decide which of these reports can be made available to the carer and provide reasons for not disclosing any reports.

The investigating officer should provide a report that summarises the information, sets out the findings and makes recommendations. Following the conclusion of the investigation a meeting between the Fostering Team manager, investigating officer, the carer and independent supporter will then be arranged to discuss the findings of the investigation. The investigation report will be made available to the foster carer at least 5 working days before the meeting. The meeting will be chaired by either the Fostering Registered Manager or Head of Service. The objective of the meeting is to ensure that all available information has been considered and that the carer has had every opportunity to respond.

The Fostering Registered Manager will present the findings of the investigation and recommended actions. The Carer will be given an opportunity to respond. Each party will be given the opportunity to ask questions or seek clarification. The Chair will then adjourn to make a decision. Wherever possible the decision will be made and the parties informed on the same day. The decision will address all matters, including the approval of the carer and whether a report need to be considered by Fostering and Permanence Panel. A record of the meeting will be sent to all parties within 5 working days of the meeting.

The Fostering Registered Manager will decide, in consultation with the Agency Decision Maker, whether a review of a carer's approval is to be presented to the Fostering and Permanence Panel following an investigation or inquiry. If it is decided that the report does not need to be considered by the Fostering and Permanence Panel in order to review a carer's approval, the findings of the inquiry will be placed on the carer's file and a copy given to the foster carers.

If it is decided that the report does need to be considered by the Fostering and Permanence Panel in order to review a carer's approval, the carer will be informed not less than 20 working days prior to Panel. The Fostering Team manager will send a copy of the report to the carers, giving them the opportunity to correct any matters of fact and inviting them to submit written representations. The foster carers written representations will be included with the report sent to Panel. The foster carer will entitled to attend Panel and to be heard.

If a foster carer makes a complaint or representation about the Fostering Service during the course of the inquiries and review, the complaint will be logged with the Complaint Service. The investigation of the complaint will not commence until the completion of the investigation and a presentation of the outcome to the foster carer, and where deemed appropriate the Fostering and Permanence Panel and the Agency Decision Maker. The Fostering Team manager will consult with the Complaints Service manager to ensure the smooth working of the two procedures.

If the carer resigns before or during an inquiry, the Fostering Team manager will continue to collate the information already known in order to incorporate it into the carer's record.

8. Reviewing a Carer's Approval

In addition to a one-off complaint or allegation leading to a serious concern about a foster carers' practice, there may be a low level concern about a carer's practice or standard of care which may arise and cannot be resolved in the course of normal supervision or the annual household review process. Examples of such concerns are:

Methods of disciplining children;
The quality or nature of the diet, clothing or routine care provided for children;
Non-compliance with contact arrangements;
Non compliance with the child's Care Plan.

Concerns of any kind must be addressed with carers openly and honestly by their supervising social worker in the first instance and immediately they arise. Carers should be supported to improve in those areas causing concern. Opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, including post-approval training, will be documented and agreed dates put in place for carers to improve in the key areas of practice. If the standards of care do not improve sufficiently by the agreed dates, consideration will be given to review the carer's approval.

Reviews of approval should:

Clarify the reason for the review, ensure that the foster carer understands the process, the role of the Fostering and Permanence Panel and the Agency Decision-Maker, and provision for representations;
Draw together a fair picture of the foster carer's career and their strengths;
Provide a summary of any S47 enquiries or standards of care inquiries and/or any record of unresolved concerns;
Enable the foster carers and the Fostering Service to explore the future in terms of continuing the carer's approval;
Consider what the Fostering Service has put in place to support the carer to achieve the required standards;
Identify and clarify any requirements on the carer to improve their practice.

Reviews will be undertaken by a suitably qualified and experienced person who has no primary involvement with the care of the children in placement. In some circumstances the review will be undertaken by an independent person. The reviewing officer will prepare a report for the Fostering and Permanence Panel with recommendations about:

The foster carer's suitability and competence to continue fostering;
Any variations in the terms of their approval;
Any needs they may have for further training and development, or other assistance they may require.

If a foster carer resigns before or during the review, whether the review arises from an investigation, inquiry or unresolved concerns about standards of care, the Fostering Service will collate whatever information is available and a report will be presented to the Fostering and Permanence Panel, with recommendations. The carer will be given a copy of the report to be presented to the Fostering and Permanence Panel no less than 20 working days before the Panel meets. The carer will be informed of this process, the findings and recommendations. The carer will be given 14 days to respond in writing about any matters of fact they dispute, as well as any representations they may wish to make about the report. The carer will be invited to attend the Fostering and Permanence Panel and their written response will be submitted to the Panel along with the report.

If the carer is unable or unwilling to co-operate with a review of approval, the Fostering Service will collate whatever information is available and a report will be presented to the Fostering and Permanence Panel, with recommendations The carer will be given a copy of the report to be presented to the Fostering and Permanence Panel no less than 20 working days before the Panel meets. The carer will have 14 days to respond in writing about any matters of fact they dispute, as well as any comments they may have about the recommendations. The carer will be invited to attend the Fostering and Permanence Panel and their written response will be submitted to the Panel along with the report.

The process of the review should take no longer than 30 working days, from the date when the reviewing officer is appointed. The reviewing officer will be appointed within 10 working days of the decision to conduct a review. In the course of the process, the carer will have clear opportunities to express their point of view about all aspects of the information, evidence and opinion relevant to the review. If there are extenuating circumstances and a longer investigation is required this will be discussed with the Fostering Registered Manager and a decision will be referred to the Head of Service. The decision will be communicated to the foster carer.

The Fostering and Permanence Panel will make a recommendation to the Agency Decision-Maker. The Fostering Service will inform the carer of the Decision Maker's decision in writing within 5 working days, along with information about the process for making representations, in accordance with the Fostering Services Regulations. The Fostering and Permanence Panel will be informed of the Agency Decision Maker's decision. The foster carer will be advised in writing of this decision within 5 working days.

If it is the decision of the Agency Decision-Maker that a carer is no longer approved to foster for the Council the Fostering Team manager will consult, where relevant, with the SSU about the issue of referring the foster carer for referral to the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) for inclusion on the Children Barred List. There is no mechanism for appealing the decision to refer the foster carer for inclusion on the Children Barred List, although the ISA will always contact the carer to seek their views and representations before finalising the decision as to whether an individual's name will be included on the Children Barred List. If such a referral is made, the authority will need to review the foster carer(s) approval, see Annual Review of Foster Carers Procedure.

As a part of the regular reviews of the Fostering and Permanence Panels functioning, all reviews of a carer's suitability to foster as a result of an allegation or serious concern will be considered to determine whether there are any improvements to be made in the services procedures or practice. This feedback will be presented to the Agency Decision Maker and Head of Looked After Children Services.

9. Debrief Meeting Following Investigations and Inquiries

Complaints, serious concerns and allegations are extremely stressful for carers and their families. At the end of a Section 47 investigation or an inquiry about standards of care by the Fostering Service, carers will be offered an opportunity to discuss the impact at a debrief meeting. They will be able to request who should attend and who should facilitate the meeting. The meeting will provide an opportunity to express the impact of the process on them and members of their family. They will be able to feed back on the conduct of the process. They will be able to express any needs that arise from the process. Consideration will also be given as to whether a separate process should take place for any children and young people, including the sons and daughters of foster carers. A debrief meeting will be arranged within 20 working days of the conclusion of the investigation or inquiry. The timing of the meeting will be agreed with the carer and be available up to three months after the conclusion of the process. A record of the meeting will be kept and sent to everyone present within 15 working days.

The debrief meeting will consider:

The impact of the allegation and investigation on the carers/family member who was the subject of the complaint/allegation;
The impact of any decision to remove children or suspend approval;
The needs of everyone in the carer's family;
The perspective of the Fostering Service;
Clarification of the carer's current approval to foster and the need for any review of the carer's approval;
The foster family's comments on the way in which the Fostering Service undertook their roles and responsibilities;
How any needs raised by the carer or identified by the Fostering Service will be met.

End