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4.7.1 Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers

AMENDMENTS

This chapter was significantly amended in October r 2011 to take account of the changes in the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 see sections, 3,4, 7 and 12.


Contents

  1. Responding to Requests for Information
  2. Information Meetings
  3. Initial Visit (IHV)
  4. Case Files, Checks and References
  5. Health
  6. Skills to Foster Course
  7. Assessment
  8. Presentation to the Fostering and Permanence Panel
  9. After the Fostering and Permanence Panel’s Recommendation
  10. Representations/Independent Review Procedure
  11. After the Approval
  12. Register of Foster Carers


1. Responding to Requests for Information

All fostering enquiries are referred initially to the Administrator, Recruitment Team in the Placements Service.

Enquiries for Adoption, and the Short Breaks Service should be passed immediately to the administrators or workers for those respective teams.

All fostering enquiries are referred initially to the Administrator, Recruitment Team in the Placements Service.

Enquiries for Adoption, and the Short Breaks Service should be passed immediately to the administrators or workers for those respective teams.

A member of the Fostering Team will visit applicants once they have completed their Yellow 'expression of interest' form.

Where an Enquirer or Applicant indicates that they have a current approval with another Registered Fostering Service (IFA or Local Authority) this should be noted by Recruitment Service.

Such applicants will be invited to complete an Application to Transfer Approval form giving permission to Wandsworth Fostering Service to approach their approving agency. This approach will be undertaken by the Placements & Commissioning Team in the first instance.


2. Information Meetings

Open Information meetings are held monthly. These are planned in advance and the dates given to enquirers on the telephone. A member of the Fostering Team and experienced foster carers will always be present at these sessions.


3. Initial Visit (IHV)

The assessment stage commences upon receipt of an application form and the decision to allocate to Initial Visit. The episode of Framework(i) is tasked by the team administrator at this stage and passed to the Team Manager for allocation.

Initial visits are allocated at weekly team meetings to named Supervising Social Worker(SSW) who will telephone the applicant to discuss any areas of uncertainty and to arrange a suitable time and date to visit. The SSW will check the APR before visiting. The initial visit should take place within 2 weeks of allocation.

All decisions regarding no further action or pended applications must be recorded, together with the reasons for those decisions by the Team manager following a discussion with the worker undertaking the IHV.

When it is decided not to proceed with an enquiry at this stage, the decision will be conveyed verbally and will be followed by a letter to the applicant within 10 working days.

The visiting Social Worker will inform the applicant about:

  • Stages of assessment
  • Timescales involved
  • Skills that will be necessary to become a foster carer
  • Tasks/issues with which they are likely to be confronted for the applicant and the fostering family
  • The various supports that are available to all carers, the training programme and expectations of foster carers
  • The Council’s Equal Opportunity Policy
  • The procedures for making representations about any decisions that have been made.
  • The fostering allowance scheme

The visiting SSW will make the scope of the assessment process clear to the applicant and explain the checks and reference process prior to getting consent for police checks to be carried out on the applicant’s household.

The visiting Social Worker must take with them the “Application Form” and complete it with the applicant, taking care to explain the thinking behind each question.

The completed Application Form will be approved and signed by the Team Manager.

A letter will be sent to the applicant confirming whether the application is to be:

  • Accepted and the letter will give details of the next skills to foster course
  • Not accepted, in which case the letter will state the reasons
  • Temporarily postpones, in which case the letter will give reasons and a time for renewing contact.

The Fostering Panel must make its recommendation on the application within eight months of the receipt of the formal application.

All checks and references should be initiated by the fostering administrator immediately upon receipt of a completed Application Form where the applicants have been approved for the next state of assessment.


4. Case Files, Checks and References

The checks on the applicant and all members of the household and other adults who have regular access to fostered children, will be actioned by the fostering administrator who will write to the Health Trust, Education Authority and Children’s Services for the area where the applicants live and whether the applicant’s have a right to work in the UK. 

The Criminal Records Bureau disclosure form will also be completed and sent (See Persons Disqualified from Fostering Procedure) Where the applicant discloses convictions, consent must be obtained from the Service Manager before the assessment can continue. The assessing social worker will complete a CRB disclosure form and this will presented to the Agency Decision Maker (the Assistant Director for Children's Specialist Services). These checks should be recorded including the date when the checks were made.

Two personal references will be sought, from people who have known the applicant for a minimum of five years. All these referees must be interviewed in person and the interview must probe in detail for evidence that the applicant has the experience and personal qualities required and that there is no evidence to suggest that s/he may be unsuitable in any way.

If there are pre-school children in the family, enquiries must be made of the health visitor.

A written reference must also be sought from previous partners and those who have lived at the same address in a one-to-one relationship. Consideration will be given to waiving this where undertaking it could place someone at risk, or reasonable efforts to locate a previous partner have proved unsuccessful. This decision is taken by the Service Manager in consultation with the Agency Decision Maker and the Panel Advisor.

Where there are school-aged children in the applicant’s household a written reference must be sought from their school along with details of the child's progress and the support offered by the applicant.

References are confidential and should not be shared with applicants unless specific permission has been given to do this.

Where the applicant is a tenant, approval for the applicant to foster must be obtained from the landlord.

A full employment history must be obtained from each applicant and references must be obtained from current employers as part of the FORM F.

Where the 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.

The administrator will record the dates when the checks were sent and the dates when replies were received. Checks will be tracked to ensure that there are no delays and that all checks are returned in good time. A panel date will only be confirmed when all checks have been returned.

The replies to the checks should be placed in the confidential section of the case record.


5. Health

All applicants must agree to have a medical with a written report being obtained from the GP on their health and any other relevant health issues. Written advice from the Medical Advisor to the Fostering and Permanence Panel should be obtained and referred to in the report to the Fostering and Permanence Panel. Where the applicant’s GP has expressed concerns or where clarification of the implications of any health issues is required, detailed advice must be sought from the Medical Advisor to the Fostering and Permanence Panel at an early stage and the implications fully discussed with the applicant and in the report.


6. Assessment/Preparation Groups

The assessment process has two stages: assessment at Skills to Foster followed by an individual assessment.

Assessment Groups are held regularly with dates set annually in advance.

The Skills to Foster Course will usually be planned to enable applicants to have at least 4 weeks' notice of their date and venue so as to encourage extensive participation.

Written invitations will be sent out to applicants.

The Skills to Foster Course provides an opportunity to find out more about the applicants and have a clearer idea of their strengths, areas for further work and any concerns which need to be clarified as part of the assessment process.

The courses are also aimed at self-assessment in that they enable applicants to find out more about fostering and help them discover their own strengths and weaknesses and whether they wish to pursue their application.

Applicants are expected to attend all the course days offered before being considered for the assessment stage of the process.

Group facilitators will evaluate performance and any issues that arise will usually be taken up as part of the assessment. Applicants will also evaluate their own experience and the effectiveness of the group process. If necessary issues may be raised directly with applicants if this might otherwise impact on them or the group.

At the end of the final session, applicants are to be told that they will receive feedback about the next stage of the assessment process within 21 days.

Group facilitators meet with the Team Manager and present their evaluations. If it is decided that an applicant should proceed, they are:

  • Allocated a Social Worker to progress the application through the assessment phase.
  • Written to within 21 days informing them of this and given the name of the assessing Social Worker.

Where it is decided that an applicant should not proceed, they should be visited by Social Workers to discuss their evaluation and counsel them out of the process. The reasons for not proceeding with the assessment must be recorded on the applicant’s file and a letter confirming these sent to the applicant.

All decisions about no further action (NFA) or pended applications must be approved by a Team Manager and recorded on the applicant’s record, together with reasons.


7. Assessment

All individual assessments, will be allocated to a named Social Worker or Independent Workers immediately following the Skills to Foster Course so that applicants have a named assessor. Evaluation of participation in Skills to Foster Course forms part of the assessment.

The time taken to complete the assessment and present the report of the assessment to the Fostering Panel after the applicant has completed a formal application will generally be no more than eight months unless the need for additional work with the prospective foster carers is identified. 

Where there are two adults, each should be seen individually at least once.

Applicants may withdraw from the assessment process before it is completed. In addition, where an issue arises during the course of an assessment which requires a decision as to the future direction of the assessment and this cannot be resolved by discussion between the assessing social worker and the applicant or by reference to the team manager, this can be referred at an early stage to the Service Manager/ Panel Advisor for advice.

The foster home must also be assessed to ensure it provides appropriate and safe care for the child, as well as safe transport. Each child over 3 has their own bedroom, or where this is not possible, the sharing of the bedroom has been agreed by the placing authority. A risk assessment must be conducted in regard to any pets in the household (see the forms), any issues that arise from the check should be recorded in the assessment report and an agreed plan of action established.

The completed assessment report (which should contain all material that will be presented to Panel) should be shared with and signed by the applicant at least one week before the papers are sent to panel members. The applicants should be notified of the panel date and time for the assessment to be considered at least a month prior to the panel.


8. Presentation to the Fostering and Permanence Panel

All the relevant information (incorporating the assessment report , the applicant’s portfolio, references, a full report on visits to the referees, full information about all the statutory checks and the Medical Advisor’s report) should be sent to the Fostering and Permanence Panel administrator at least two weeks  prior to the stated panel deadline. 

At the Panel meeting, the information will be presented by the assessing social worker responsible for the assessment  And the social worker’s Team Manager will also be present.

The applicant is expected  to attend the panel meeting. The Panel will consider the written report together with all the supporting documentation and any additional information presented verbally, and make a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker (Assistant Director for Children's Specialist Services) regarding the outcome of the assessment. 

The recommendation will be recorded in writing and, where approval is recommended, any limitations of the approval to named children (for example where the foster carer is a relative or family friend) or conditions as to the age range or number of children to be placed in the foster home will also be specified. 

Reasons for the recommendations and any conditions will be recorded in the Panel’s minutes.


9. After the Fostering and Permanence Panel’s Recommendation

After the Fostering and Permanence Panel has considered the report and made a written recommendation, this will be sent to the Agency Decision Maker (Assistant Director for Children's Specialist Services) who will make a decision as to the approval of the foster carers based on the Panel’s recommendation. Where the application is approved, the nature and any terms of the approval must be also specified in writing.

A letter containing written notice of the decision and the terms of the approval will be sent to the applicant as soon as practicable by the staff of the Fostering Service. A copy will also be placed on the foster carer’s case record on Framework(i).


10. Representations/Independent Review Procedure

Where a decision is taken not to proceed with an enquiry from the outset, or at the early stages of an application, the applicant(s) should be informed in writing of the decision and the reasons for not pursuing their enquiry.

The applicant will be advised that if he or she wishes to challenge the decision once an assessment has commenced that, one of two options are available:

The applicant can choose one of these two options.

If the applicant chooses the IRM option, the recommendations of the Review Panel must be consider by the Agency Decision Maker in coming to a final decision.

If the applicant wishes to make a representation to the Fostering and Permanence Panel they should a submit these in writing within 28 days of the letter of notification to them of the decision.

The Panel will:

  1. Overturn the original decision;
  2. Agree to a re-assessment;
  3. Agree to meet the applicant(s) before deciding on a., b. or c.

If the applicants remain dissatisfied with the way the appeal was handled, they may complain using the Council’s Complaints Procedure.

Where an application has progressed to the point of completion or near completion before a decision is taken that the applicant(s) would not be suitable, the applicant(s) a full report a full report based on information obtained to date will be completed and presented to the Fostering and Permanence Panel.

If the Fostering and Permanence Panel do not make a positive recommendation to approve the applicant , and this is approved by the Agency Decision Maker (Assistant Director for Children's Specialist Services), written notice of the decision together with the reasons will be sent to the applicant as soon as is practicable. The applicant will be advised that if he or she wishes to make written representations to the Fostering and Permanence Panel, these must be submitted within 28 days of the date of the letter notifying them of the decision. These representations will then be considered by the next meeting of the Fostering and Permanence Panel and the applicant will be invited to attend.

If no written notification or representations are received within this period, the decision to refuse the application can be confirmed and a letter will be sent to the applicant.

If written representations are made within the period, the matter must be referred to the Fostering and Permanence Panel for further considerations the applicant wishes to attend the panel The Panel Administrator will advise the applicant no less than 7 days prior to the date of the Panel meeting when their written representations will be considered. In these circumstances, a friend or supporter can accompany applicants who wish to attend the meeting of the Fostering and Permanence Panel.

After considering the representations, the Panel will make further recommendations either confirming or amending their previous views and the Agency Decision Maker (Assistant Director for Children's Specialist Service) will consider these before a final decision is made.

Written notice of the final decision, together with reasons, must be sent to the applicant as soon as practicable after the  Panel meeting. A copy of the report to the Panel, the Panel’s recommendation and the decision to refuse an application must be retained on the applicant’s case record.


11. After the Approval

Where an application is approved, the foster carer will be allocated a Supervising Social Worker who completed the assessment.

The Supervising Social Worker will require the foster carer to sign a Foster Care Agreement between Children’s Specialist Services and the foster carer, which contains the information the foster carer needs to carry out his or her functions as a foster carer effectively. The foster carer will be given two copies for signature, and will retain one signed copy. The other will be kept on the foster carer’s case record, together with the report and supporting documents presented to the Fostering and Permanence Panel, a copy of the Panel’s recommendation and a copy of the approval decision.

The Foster Care Agreement will contain the following information (as set out in the Fostering Services Regulations:

  1. The terms of the foster carer’s approval
  2. The support and training to be provided to the foster carer
  3. The procedure for the review of the foster carer’s approval
  4. The procedure for placements of children
  5. The procedure for making representations and complaints
  6. The requirement to inform the fostering service of any change of circumstance, address or in the household composition, or of any registration as a childminder or application to adopt or of any offence
  7. The requirements in relation to confidentiality
  8. The procedures for behaviour management and unauthorised absences of children placed with the foster carer including the ban on corporal punishment
  9. The procedures for informing the family placement worker of the child’s progress and any significant events relating to the child
  10. The need to give 28 days’ notice in writing of they wish to cease fostering

New foster carers will also be given their personal copy of the Foster Carer Hand-Book (on line), which covers policies, procedures, guidance, legal information and insurance details.

The allocated family placement worker will continue to provide support to the foster carer up to, during and after all placements. 


12. Register of Foster Carers

The manager of the Fostering Service will maintain a register of all approved foster carers containing the following particulars (as per the Fostering Regulations):

  1. The name, address, date of birth, sex and ethnic origin of each foster carer
  2. The date of approval and of each review of the approval
  3. The current terms of the approval
  4. 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 of foster carer, together with the date and terms of the temporary approval.

End