3.10.7 Annual Review of Foster Carers

AMENDMENT

This chapter was significantly updated in October 2011 and should be read in its entirety.

Frequency of Reviews
The Review Process
Termination of Approval and Changes in Terms of Approval
Representation and Independent Review Procedure

1. Frequency of Reviews

Lewisham foster Carers will be reviewed within a year of their approval and subsequently annually.

The first review of foster Carers will be presented to Fostering Panel.

Thereafter, subsequent reviews will always be presented to Fostering Panel where a change of approval is sought and/or there has been significant changes in circumstances, e.g. change of address, death of a spouse, remarriage or change in health; significant child protection concerns/allegations; or if requested by Fostering Panel. All these situations should be discussed in supervision.

It is the responsibility of the Team Manager to alert and consult with the Service Manager on any contentious matters prior to the report being presented to the Fostering Panel. In addition, other annual reviews will be brought to Fostering Panel for objective scrutiny. All Team Managers must quality assure reports prior to presentation to the Fostering Panel including those produced by Children’s Social Workers for matching.

2. The Review Process

Foster Carers are to be sent their feedback form to complete and, if appropriate, one for their children.

Supervising Social Workers will need to be sensitive to the needs of Carers who may not be confident in writing in English in order to help them complete their part of the annual review.

Social Workers and IRO's for the children in placement, and any other children who were placed during the review period, are to be sent feedback forms for them to complete with a clear deadline for return. These should be attached to the final review document.

Criminal Records Bureau checks are updated every three years and health checks updated every two years for carers. They may need to be done at shorter intervals if there are significant issues arising from any of these.

CRB checks must be completed on all members of the fostering household 16 and over.

The Supervising Social Worker must conduct a home visit to meet with the foster carer as part of the Annual Review process. It is essential to see all adult members of the fostering household and to speak with the birth/adopted children of the family if they still live at home.

Supervising Social Workers must see the bedrooms used by the foster children and must see other communal space in the house that foster children use, in particular the kitchen and bathroom.

The Supervising Social Worker must check that appropriate safety equipment is in place and in working order. The Fostering Network Health and Safety checklist is to be completed (available as hard copy in the Fostering Service).

Prior to approval the fostering family will have completed a ‘Family Policy’, which must be regularly updated.

The Supervising Social Worker will provide a summary of the work the family has done throughout the year, training they have attended with any particular strength or difficulty identified. This will form the basis for the recommendation which the Supervising Social Worker will make.

Views must be sought from any other authorities who may have children in placement or who have had children placed with the carers in the period since the last review.

Foster carers must be given the completed copy of the review form to sign together with a copy for them to keep.

The review must be signed off by the Team Manager. If there is any dispute regarding the reviews, these cases must be referred to the Service Manager.

The Supervising Social Worker is responsible for ensuring that the review is presented to the Fostering Panel a month in advance of or by the due date.

The carer will then be sent either a letter from Fostering Panel confirming Fostering Panel’s recommendation for re-approval or a letter from the Service Manager.

A copy of the completed review must be placed on the carer’s file alongside a copy of the letter confirming their re-approval/termination or resignation.

3. Termination of Approval and Changes in Terms of Approval

Please read this section in conjunction with Fostering Panel Procedure

If the Fostering Service believes that the foster Carer or their household are not suitable, the Panel will consider whether to recommend a change in terms of approval or if a change of terms does not satisfy the criteria of suitability, termination of approval.

The foster Carer will be invited to submit written representations within 28 days of receipt of the Agency Decision Maker’s decision.

A foster Carer may give 28 days notice in writing that s/he no longer wishes to act as a foster Carer. Termination of approval follows 28 days from the receipt of the written notice.

4. Representations and Independent Review Procedure

Where, as a result of a review, the variation or termination of a foster carer's approval is proposed, he or she must be advised, when informed of the outcome of the Agency Decision Maker's decision that if they wish to challenge the decision, they have the opportunity to make representations to the Panel or to request a review by an Independent Review Panel as set out in the Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers Procedure. The only circumstances where the foster carer will not have the right to request a review by an Independent Review Panel is if he or she is regarded as disqualified as a result of a conviction or caution for a specified offence - see Persons Disqualified from Fostering Procedure.

If no written representations or notification of a request for a review are received within the period,the final decision to terminate or vary an approval takes effect.

Where the termination of the approval of a foster carer is being considered, plans for the termination of any current placement will also be required and made as appropriate.

Any proposed termination of approval of any foster carer must be discussed with the Service Manager in advance and the draft report should be properly quality assured by the Team Manager and presented to the Service Manager prior to the Fostering Panel.