View LCP Procedures View LCP Procedures

3.10.6 Supervision of Foster Carers

RELATED CHAPTER

Home Supervision Record (To Follow)


Contents

  1. Frequency and Purpose
  2. Agenda
  3. Recording


1. Frequency and Purpose

The Supervising Social Worker must maintain regular contact with foster carers from the time of approval, during, between and after placements.

Supervising Social Workers must make a formal visit to foster carers regularly while children are placed with them. Supervision sessions should normally be announced and planned.

It is expected that Supervising Social Workers must conduct at least one unannounced  home visit to the foster carers per year.

The Supervising Social Worker must maintain telephone contact between visits.

The Supervising Social Worker should ensure, through supervision, that foster carers are aware of, understand, accept and operate the standards, policies, procedures and guidance required of them.

The Supervising Social Worker should set aside enough time to meet the children of foster carers, listening to and recording their views.

Team Managers will occasionally conduct home visits. These may be with or without the Supervising Social Worker.

Exceptionally the Service Manager will conduct a home visit to some foster carers. These visits will also form part of the Quality Assurance and Safeguarding requirements. Joint visits between Supervising Social Workers and children's Social Workers should occur as appropriate.


2. Agenda

Supervision is a positive, enabling and supportive opportunity for foster carers and should help them to have:

  1. Their strengths and weaknesses recognised and developed
  2. Their skills and potential enhanced
  3. Their relationship with the local authority enhanced
  4. Their performance positively challenged and managed.

The supervision agenda will be agreed at each meeting and will likely include:

  1. A discussion about how a child or young person's education, development and health care are being promoted.
  2. Reflective space for the carer to consider how their actions and family relationships impact on the emotional development and progress of the LAC.
  3. An assessment of the understanding of the foster carer of the standards, policies, procedures and guidance of Children's Social Care Services in relation to looked after children, including health and safety issues.
  4. An assessment of the training needs of the foster carer and the identification of suitable ways of meeting those needs including the foster carer's responsibility for their own development.
  5. A discussion about the foster carer's attendance at support meetings.
  6. The need for any additional support or training.
  7. A review of the foster carer's record keeping to ensure that the Daily Records are being completed appropriately and in sufficient detail and that records of the child's health, any incidents, absences and restraints are being kept in accordance with procedures.
  8. The monitoring of how the records kept by the foster carer are stored.


3. Recording

Foster Carer Supervision visits must be recorded by the Supervising Social Worker. A copy must be provided to the foster carer at the following supervision or emailed in advance. The Team Manager is expected to quality assure the supervision of foster carers by auditing the supervision records as part of their supervision of Supervising Social Workers.

The Service Manager conducts audits of the records of the supervision provided to foster carers at least twice each financial year.

End