Foster Carer Review

Once you have been approved, a supervising social worker will work with you to support you in looking after children placed with you – but their role is also to monitor and help you in your development as a carer. You will also receive an annual foster carer review.

Who is at this review?

You and your partner, your supervising social worker, and the Reviewing Officer.

Where is this review held?

Your review will take place at the local FCA team office, or at your home if considered to be more appropriate.

Who contributes to my review?

We seek comments from you, your children, your supervising social worker, the local authority social workers who have had children placed with you during the review period, and the children who are placed with you at the time of your review. Where there may have been significant change to your health during the review period (and at specified intervals) a medical questionnaire, or report from a relevant Health Professional, will also be considered as part of the review.

How often will I have a review?

The fostering services regulations state that FCA must satisfy itself that all foster carers continue to meet the required standards and terms of the Foster Care Agreement and that this should be done through review at least every 12 months. Early review will be held following a serious complaint or an allegation of abuse, if you have had a significant change in your circumstances, or at the request of a foster carer or member of FCA staff eg to consider a proposal for a change of approval category.

What happens at a review?

The focus of the discussion is about your experience of the fostering you have done over the year and how it has impacted on you and your family. It is an opportunity to discuss what you think you have achieved and whether the support and training provided has met your needs in supporting the children placed with you. It is also a chance to look ahead to what support /training etc you might need in the coming year and to discuss what kind of fostering best suits you and your family, and what kind of placements you feel able to offer and we feel would be appropriate.

The review is also the opportunity for FCA to monitor that your work meets the agency and National standards and expectations and that your statutory checks are up to date.

What happens after a review?

The Reviewing Officer will write a report which reflects the discussion you have in your review meeting. In the conclusion, the Reviewing Officer will make recommendations about whether you and your household continue to be suitable to act as a foster carer /foster home and whether the terms on which you were approved remain appropriate or should be altered in any way (age range/capacity/type of placements).

Your first annual review report (and others where there have been significant issues or when changes to approval status are recommended) is presented to the FCA Fostering Panel. The recommendations from the Reviewing Officer and the panel are passed to the Agency Decision Maker (ie the relevant FCA Regional Director) who is responsible for making the decision about the approval of foster carers. You will then receive a letter confirming the continuation of your approval and any changes to your approval criteria, or a letter giving reasons why it is felt that you should not continue as a foster carer.

What if I don’t agree with what has been written about me in contributions to the review, the review report, any recommendations or the final decision?

You have the right to make written representations at any stage and FCA will provide you with information about how to do this and how they will be considered.

What happens to the review report(s) after completion of the review?

The paperwork is stored on the confidential file that FCA must keep about any Foster Carer. It is also used to update your original “form f assessment” and this may be shared confidentially with any Local Authority who wish to consider placement of a child/young person in your household.