Our expectations from all foster carers.
For every day that you care for a child in your home, you'll receive support and financial payment appropriate to the child's needs.
There are a core set of expectations that we require all of our foster carers to meet, regardless of experience.
We expect you and all of our carers will:
- care for children and young people as a member of your family, providing a positive experience of family life, including consideration of staying put post 18
- contribute to positive outcomes for children in line with their care and placement plans, including positively promoting their culture and identity
- attend relevant meetings and take children to appointments, such as placement planning meetings, child in care reviews, personal education plan meetings, health assessments and appointments including review, dental and optician and CAMHS appointments
- fill in a log about how children are progressing and any issues or concerns with their care, these should be sent on a weekly or monthly basis to your supervising social worker
- complete all health assessments, dental checks, immunisations and strengths and difficulties questionnaires for the children you care for
- share your email address with us so we can communicate efficiently with you
- give children and young people the best chance of achieving positive outcomes by engaging with plans to support. If there are difficulties, we'll organise a home stability meeting and if it's agreed that the child should move this will happen over a period of at least 28 days following the meeting
- complete the training identified in your personal development plan
- use your allowances to budget for all the needs of the children you care for. Any possible additional allowances are in the special payments policy and must be agreed in advance
- attend supervision and support groups to give and receive support, get to know other foster carers, share experiences and learning, and contribute to the development of the fostering service
- meet the standards set out in fostering regulations and guidance, work to the foster carer agreement and follow departmental policies and procedures
- achieve a positive annual review, including positive feedback from children and children's social workers
- support the child to have time with their family and important people and, if assessed as safe and in the child's best interests, to return to their family's care in future
- enable the child to be seen regularly by their social worker, IRO and other relevant professionals alone either at home or at school
- be available to take the child to school except in exceptional circumstances
Progression between Levels
More complex fostering gives you the opportunity to progress in your fostering career as you gain the necessary skills and experience.
As you go along your fostering journey and develop your responsibilities as a carer, the level of support and financial payment will grow accordingly in recognition of your time and skill as a foster carer.
Level 2
To progress from non-fee paid Level 1 to Level 2 you must fill in an application with your supervising social worker showing how you meet the additional requirements. This must be then agreed by the fostering team manager. Level suitability for both Kinship and mainstream carers will be part of the fostering annual review process.
New mainstream carers can start their fostering career at Level 2 if they:
- have completed the Skills to Foster training
- have a positive recommendation from the fostering panel
- are fully approved by the Agency Decision Maker (ADM)
The aim for any child placed in a Kinship care arrangement is to achieve permanency with their family through the making of a special guardianship order. Therefore, Kinship carers will be assessed for their suitability to progress to Level 2 once the child's permanency plan has either been ratified through the court process or through legal panel if the child is being accommodated under section 20, because long term care is not our aim for children living within their families.
To progress from Level 1 to Level 2 as a Kinship carer a report will be prepared by the SSW to demonstrate the following competencies are met.
You must:
- meet the expectations required of all foster carers as outlined above
- have completed the Skills to Foster training or kinship preparation training
- complete the 8 core mandatory training courses within the first year of fostering if you're the main carer, with secondary carers completing child protection and safeguarding, safer caring and diversity and inclusion as a minimum. If these courses aren't accessible to the learner, equivalent learning must be documented
- complete the Bristol Model training within the first 12 months of your approval or equivalent (for example, extensive Bristol Therapeutic Support Service involvement and support)
- be fully approved by the fostering panel
- work with your supervising social worker to develop a personal development plan
- engage positively in regular supervision with your supervising social worker
- engage positively with the child care social worker including allowing the child to be seen on their own
- show a commitment to your ongoing training and development by doing all mandatory training within the required timescales
- actively contribute to your annual review in a timely manner
- support family time and show ability to work with children's networks as expected
- be prepared to care for children for short term or emergency periods if you're a mainstream carer, in line with your approval
- ensure appropriate and regular recording on the appropriate recording template
Level 3
To progress from Level 2 to Level 3 you must again work with your supervising social worker to show how you meet the additional requirements. This must be then agreed by the fostering team manager and will be part of the fostering annual review process.
To progress to Level 3 you must:
- demonstrate and exceed all the requirements at Level 2
- participate in therapeutic work to support the children in your care as required, including engagement with Bristol Therapeutic Support Service
- not refuse to care for any appropriate matched children
- have at least one carer available in the day or be able to make arrangements at short notice if, for example, children are excluded from school
- attend your agreed support group regularly (at least 9 of 12 meetings per year)
- actively contribute to the fostering community by the active undertaking of one specialism. This must have been demonstrated regularly at Level 2 prior to Level 3 progression. This could be to:
- engage with and support other foster carers, such as through buddying
- contribute to training, preparation courses, information sessions and recruitment events
- engage in service development
- evidence a positive annual review including your feedback, analysis from your supervising social worker and feedback from children and childcare social workers
- commit to and complete ongoing training to meet the competencies required at Level 3
Maintaining Level 2 or 3 status
As a Level 2 or 3 foster carer, you must continue to evidence your skills, experience and how you've contributed to positive outcomes for children to remain on your current level in your fostering reviews.
Foster carers can also move down the levels if competencies are not evidenced at each foster carer review.
If you cannot evidence the competencies relevant to the level you're on, you'll be asked to agree an action plan with your supervising social worker and their team manager. Your progress will then be reviewed within 6 months. If the competencies have not been evidenced by the 6 month point your fee level may be reduced. This will be referred to the fostering Agency Decision Maker who will make the final decision. You'll be given the opportunity to submit your view in writing.
