Social Work Service
Carers can draw on a wide-range of expertise from the Social Work Service – with advice, guidance and support for every aspect of fostering.
All children and young people placed with FCA foster carers should have their own Social Worker from the relevant Local Authority/Health and Social Care Trust who will keep in touch with them throughout their placement, make statutory visits and make care planning decisions with and for them. In some cases, where requested and funded by the care authority, FCA may undertake some of these roles through a specifically allocated Social Worker.
However, in addition to the child’s Social Worker, an FCA Supervising Social Worker is also allocated to support and supervise every FCA foster carer.
FCA Supervising Social Workers will:- Keep in frequent touch with the carer and children/young people in placement through visits and telephone calls
- Make unannounced visits to the foster home
- Advise, guide and support foster carers on their care of children/young people in placement
- Offer out-of-hours support to foster carers
- Co-ordinate other support services as appropriate e.g. children & young people support services, respite care provision
- Liaise with other professional service providers involved in the child’s care and contribute to formal meetings about care plans
- Identify and help respond to foster carers’ training needs
- Keep careful records of the progress of placements.
