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Contents

1. Introduction
2. Planned Supervision Visits
3. Frequency of Supervision
4. Unannounced Visits
5. Support Provided by the Fostering Social Worker
6. Training

1. Introduction

All approved foster carers will have an allocated, suitably qualified fostering social worker.  The allocated fostering social worker is responsible for supporting the foster carers, ensuring that they have the necessary guidance, support and direction to provide and maintain a quality service, including safe caring practices.  This will include an understanding that they must work within the National Minimum Standards and the agency's policies, procedures and guidance. 

Membership of the Fostering Network for all foster carers will also be paid for by the fostering service.

The fostering social worker has the responsibility to assist in the individual development of the foster carers, to ensure they are equipped - emotionally and practically - for the fostering task, to establish their training needs and to make appropriate plans to meet their identified needs.

It is important that the foster carers see the role of their fostering social worker as twofold - namely, to give support through the provision of advice and advocacy and to supervise the foster carer in carrying out the fostering tasks. The supervision process is crucial in helping foster carers to achieve the standards of care and practice required. It is achieved through the fostering social worker's own observations, together with the views of the child/children placed, their parents, the foster carer and his or her family and the views of the child's social worker and other professionals involved.

Supervision and support should be presented as a positive and a right the carer has throughout his or her career as a foster carer, rather than as an imposition.

2. Planned Supervision Visits

A programme of supervision visits should be set up and agreed between the foster carer and the fostering social worker from the time of the foster carer’s approval, and endorsed by the team manager.

Supervision is essentially a supportive and enabling two way process to:

• Ensure the foster carer understands how they contribute to the local authority's services for children
• Ensure they are aware of the need to notify the local authority of any significant events relating to the care and protection of the child or children placed, as required by Schedule 7 of the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011, e.g. notifiable diseases
• Provide appropriate monitoring and feedback on the foster carers’ work to ensure National Minimum Standards and CWDC standards are fully met
• Complete personal development plans for each carer, which are linked to their training and their annual review.
• Enable foster carers to contribute effectively to the plans for the children for whom they are caring and ensure that they are aware of the need for Placement Planning Meeting which are held either before or within 72 hours of any new placement - see Placement in Foster Care Procedure.
• Provide appropriate monitoring and feedback on the foster carers’ work
• Support foster carers by providing advice or making this available from elsewhere as appropriate and providing the names and addresses, times and venues of any support groups and the out of hours support.
• Give foster carers an opportunity to raise any problems and make sure they are addressed appropriately
• Help foster carers cope with the stresses fostering may entail
• Recognise and address any difficulties the foster carers’ own children may be experiencing arising from fostering
• Assist foster carers to work in an anti discriminatory way that respects and promotes individual differences

The agenda for each meeting should cover:

1. Matters arising from the last supervision
2. Personal issues, e.g. the effect of a placement on the foster carer’s own family
3. Child/ren in placement – and their health, cultural, educational, leisure and contact needs – and any support needs
4. Training and development issues for the foster carer and family
5. Safe caring and health and safety issues
6. Foster carer’s recording

The supervision visits should be recorded on a pro forma Foster Carer Supervision Record, signed by the foster carer, the fostering social worker and the team manager, and should include:

• Any concerns expressed
• Any support needs expressed by the carer and how they will be met
• Any financial issues

A record of all meetings should be kept on the foster carer’s file and one copy given to the foster carer.

The supervision records will inform the foster carer’s review – see Foster Carer Reviews Procedure.

3. Frequency of Supervision

Supervision meetings will usually take place at least once every six weeks during a placement.

Additional visits and telephone contact will be made for the purposes of support (to the foster carer or any member of the foster family) as required according to the foster carer's circumstances.

The precise frequency of visits will be agreed with the foster carer at the beginning of each placement and each visit will have a clear purpose and be recorded on the foster carer's file. See Section 5, Support Provided by the Fostering Social Worker for a list of the tasks which may be undertaken.

If the fostering social worker is unable to meet the minimum visiting requirements,s/he must inform the team manager and alternative arrangements must be put into place.  In the event of the long term absence of the fostering social worker, the team manager must ensure that appropriate levels of contact and visits occur.

Should a foster carer be taking an agreed break from caring then the fostering social worker will maintain telephone contact during this period and when the foster carer is available for further placements, a supervision session will be set up prior to the first placement taking place.

4. Unannounced Visits

There should also be unannounced visits at least once a year. These will normally take place in office hours but in certain circumstances where the manager considers it appropriate, they may take place between 8 am and 8 pm and, although usually on weekdays, they may be arranged to take place at weekends. 

The main purpose of the unannounced visit will be to look at the home environment that a child is living in.

The unannounced visits will be undertaken by the foster carer’s supervising social worker who will need to check:

1. Who is in the home
2. Who is looking after the child
3. If the carer is not at home, what arrangements have been made for the care of the foster child

If the carer is not at home, the fostering social worker should leave a note for the foster carer to say that they have visited.  If the foster child is being looked after by someone other than the carer, the social worker should check the identity of that person but should not continue with the visit.

Unannounced visits should be recorded on the Unannounced Visit Pro-Forma, signed by the foster carer and the fostering social worker and a copy placed on the foster carer's file.

There should not ordinarily be a regular programme of unannounced visits without particular reason – for example if a foster carer is being closely monitored.  In such an event the reason for such will be explained to the foster carer.

5. Support Provided by the Fostering Social Worker

Fostering social workers should ensure the following tasks are done: 

Post Approval

1. Provide new carers with a thorough induction programme, and thereafter arrange training and development opportunities for carers, as appropriate.
2. Give the Foster Carers’ Handbook to new carer.

3. Give the Foster Carer Agreement to the carer: 2 copies to be signed and one returned and placed on the carer’s file.

Pre-Placement

1. Complete risk assessments surrounding bedroom sharing (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), mixing with other children in home, etc. Discuss and check equipment (especially in the child’s bedroom which should be seen prior to the placement) and ensure it is appropriate to the age of the child in placement.
2. Take part in discussions about potential placements.
3. Take part in planning meetings regarding placements - either before or within 72 hours of the placement and if required a further planning meeting within 14 days - and ensure the foster carer has a copy of the child's Placement Plan/Placement Information Record.
4. Ensure the child's social worker gives the foster family required full information about any child about to be placed.
5. Discuss any issues relevant to contact with the child's parents.
6. Discuss how child’s health needs are promoted and how children should be encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
7. Assist the foster carers in dealing with other relevant services such as health and education. 
8. Discuss appropriate training to provide appropriate care when caring for children with complex health needs.
9. Assist carer with training needs for appropriate safer care practice, including skills to care for children who have been abused. For foster carers who offer placements to disabled children, this includes training specifically on issues affecting disabled children.
10. Discuss financial issues with the foster carer: allowances, pocket money, leisure activities, toiletries and travelling etc. and the importance of complying with the terms of the Council's insurance policy for carers
11. Enquire about holiday plans. Have they made plans for the child to go with them?
12. Exchange contact numbers with all relevant members of the family, including out of hours support.
13. Assess the need for furniture or equipment and inform the administrative staff so that delivery can be arranged.
14. Set the date of their first visit after the placement.
15. Provide carers with training and written policy on behaviour management.

During Placement

1. Where necessary, check and follow up on all issues raised during the placement. Discuss any areas of concern with foster carers and ensure appropriate support/advice is addressed and in place at the time rather than waiting for reviews.
2. Provide foster carers with breaks from caring as appropriate, which must meet the needs of placed children.
3. Take part in any Strategy Meetings and Section 47 Enquiry relating to the foster family. Be involved in interviews/support as agreed.
4. Ensure they and the foster carers receive invitations to the child’s Child Care Reviews and Child Protection Conferences, and attend when appropriate.
5. Prepare for and attend review meetings (See Reviews of Foster Carers Procedure).
6. Ensure the foster carer's training programme is updated and accessed by the foster carers and their family.
7. Visit regularly according to the agreed programme of visits.
8. Make unannounced visits as required - see Section 4, Unannounced Visits.
9. Update Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosures on members of the family every three years, including those reaching sixteen years of age, and other persons who come to live at the home, who are 16 or over.
10. Update medical's on the carers every 2 years or as necessary.
11. Record contact with carers.
12. Provide reports for Panel as required under the relevant procedures.
13. Contribute to Court Reports as agreed with child’s social worker.
14. Provide support and take part in any investigation processes where concerns have been raised about the standards of care or practice of the foster carers. 
15. Discuss how the carers can support young people into adulthood.

At End of Placement

1. Support the family as much as possible in what can be a very difficult time.
2. Discuss fully, with the carer and their family, all the issues that have led to any unplanned end of a placement and identify any learning/training opportunities.
3. Assist the foster carer to complete their end of placement report
4. Attend Disruption Meetings as required.

6. Training

All prospective foster carers will normally undertake the Choosing to Foster training as part of their assessment and a report of their participation on this course will be provided and any issues raised will be considered within the assessment process - see Section 4 of the Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers Procedure.

All foster carers will be provided with information each year about the Foster Carer Training Programme which they will be required to complete.

Each allocated fostering social worker will;

• ensure that each carer they are responsible for is aware of the training opportunities available
• ensure that carers are aware of their responsibility to take advantage of the training available in order to increase their knowledge and skills and enhance their child care practice
• continually assess the training needs of each carer to inform both their support plan for the carer and planning for future training programmes
• assist foster carers to attend training events through providing advice and assistance with child care arrangements and transport requirements
• maintain a record of all training undertaken by each foster carer they are responsible for
• ensure that an evaluation of the impact of training undertaken and training needs is included in each foster carer annual review - see Reviews of Foster Carers Procedure
• when carers’ training  need are being considered, this will include consideration of additional internal and external training.

End