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Contents

1. Introduction
2. Planned Supervision Visits
3. Frequency of Supervision
4. Unannounced Visits
5. Support Provided by the Supervising Social Worker
6. Out of Hours Support
7. Training

1. Introduction

All approved foster carers will have an allocated, suitably qualified supervising social worker. The allocated supervising social worker is responsible for supporting the foster carers, ensuring that they have the necessary guidance, support and direction to provide and maintain a quality service, including safe caring practices. This will include an understanding that they must work within the National Minimum Standards and the agency's policies, procedures and guidance. 

The supervising social worker has the responsibility to assist in the individual development of the foster carers, to ensure they are equipped - emotionally and practically - for the fostering task, to establish their training needs and to make appropriate plans to meet their identified needs.

It is important that the foster carers see the role of their supervising social worker as twofold - namely, to give support through the provision of advice and advocacy and to supervise the foster carer in carrying out the fostering tasks. The supervision process is crucial in helping foster carers to achieve the standards of care and practice required. It is achieved through the supervising social worker's own observations, together with the views of the child/children placed, their parents, the foster carer and his or her family and the views of the child's social worker and other professionals involved.

Supervision and support should be presented as a positive and a right the carer has throughout his or her career as a foster carer, rather than as an imposition.

2. Planned Supervision Visits

A programme of supervision visits should be set up and agreed between the foster carer and the supervising social worker from the time of the foster carer’s approval, and endorsed by the team manager.

Supervision is essentially a supportive and enabling two way process to:

• Ensure the foster carer understands how they contribute to the local authority's services for children
• Ensure they are aware of the need to notify the local authority of any significant events relating to the care and protection of the child or children placed, as required by Schedule 8 of the Fostering Services Regulations 2002, e.g. Notifiable Diseases - see Notification of Significant Events and the On-Call/Out of Hours Policy
• Enable foster carers to contribute effectively to the plans for the children for whom they are caring and ensure that they are aware of the need for Placement Planning Meeting which are held either before or within 5 working days of any new placement - see Placement in Foster Care Procedure.
• Provide appropriate monitoring and feedback on the foster carers’ work to ensure National Minimum Standards and CWDC standards are fully met
• Complete personal development plans for each carer, which are linked to their training and their annual review.
• Support foster carers by providing advice or making this available from elsewhere as appropriate and providing the names and addresses, times and venues of any support groups and the out of hours support.
• Give foster carers an opportunity to raise any problems and make sure they are addressed appropriately
• Help foster carers cope with the stresses fostering may entail
• Recognise and address any difficulties the foster carers’ own children may be experiencing arising from fostering
• Assist foster carers to work in an anti discriminatory way that respects and promotes individual differences.

The agenda for each meeting should cover:

1. Matters arising from the last supervision
2. Personal issues, e.g. the effect of a placement on the foster carer’s own family
3. Child/ren in placement – and their health, cultural, educational, leisure and contact needs – and any support needs
4. Training and development issues for the foster carer and family
5. Safe caring and health and safety issues
6. Foster carer’s recording.

The supervision visits should be recorded on a pro forma Foster Carer Supervision Record, signed by the foster carer and the supervising social worker, and should include:

• Any concerns expressed
• Any support needs expressed by the carer and how they will be met
• Any financial issues.

A record of all meetings should be kept on the foster carer’s file and one copy given to the foster carer.

The supervision records will inform the foster carer’s review – see Foster Carer Reviews Procedure.

3. Frequency of Supervision

Supervision meetings will usually take place at least once every four weeks during a placement.

Additional visits and telephone contact will be made for the purposes of support (to the foster carer or any member of the foster family) as required according to the foster carer's circumstances.

The precise frequency of visits will be agreed with the foster carer at the beginning of each placement and each visit will have a clear purpose and be recorded on the foster carer's file. See Section 5, Support Provided by the Supervising Social Worker for a list of the tasks which may be undertaken.

If the supervising social worker is unable to meet the minimum visiting requirements,s/he must inform the team manager and alternative arrangements must be put into place. In the event of the long term absence of the supervising social worker, the team manager must ensure that appropriate levels of contact and visits occur.

Should a foster carer be taking an agreed break from caring then the supervising social worker will maintain telephone contact during this period and when the foster carer is available for further placements, a supervision session will be set up prior to the first placement taking place.

4. Unannounced Visits

There should also be unannounced visits at least once a year.

The main purpose of the unannounced visit will be to look at the home environment that a child is living in.

The unannounced visits will be undertaken by the foster carer’s supervising social worker who will need to check:

1. Who is in the home
2. Who is looking after the child
3. If the carer is not at home, what arrangements have been made for the care of the foster child.

If the carer is not at home, the supervising social worker should leave a note for the foster carer to say that they have visited.  If the foster child is being Looked After by someone other than the carer, the social worker should check the identity of that person and record the details.

Unannounced visits should be recorded on the Unannounced Visit Pro-Forma, signed by the foster carer (if present) and the supervising social worker and passed to the team manager to sign off and then place on the foster carer's file.

There would not ordinarily be a regular programme of unannounced visits without particular reason – for example if a foster carer is being closely monitored.  In such an event the reason for such will be explained to the foster carer.

Any concerns noted during the unannounced visit should be addressed immediately unless impractical or inappropriate to do so. The reason will be clearly recorded on the Pro Forma and the matter addressed as soon as practicable afterwards - in a separate and additional visit where necessary.

5. Support Provided by the Supervising Social Worker

Supervising social workers should ensure the following tasks are done: 

Post Approval

1. Provide new carers with a thorough induction programme, and thereafter arrange training and development opportunities for carers, as appropriate.
2. Give the Foster Carers’ Handbook to new carer.

3. Give the Foster Carer Agreement to the carer: 2 copies to be signed and one returned and placed on the carer’s file.

Pre-Placement

1. Complete risk assessments surrounding bedroom sharing (each child over 3 has their own bedroom or, where this is not possible, the sharing of the bedroom has been agreed by the placing authority), mixing with other children in home, etc. Discuss and check equipment (especially in the child’s bedroom which should be seen prior to the placement) and ensure it is appropriate to the age of the child in placement.
2. Take part in discussions about potential placements.
3. Take part in planning meetings regarding placements - either before or within 5 working days of the placement - and ensure the foster carer has a copy of the child's Placement Plan/Placement Information Record;
4. Ensure the child's social worker gives the foster family required full information about any child about to be placed.
5. Discuss any issues relevant to contact with the child's parents.
6. Discuss any issues in relation to the foster carers delegated responsibility - the details will be discussed on a case by case basis at the placement planning meeting.
7. Discuss how child’s health needs are promoted and how children should be encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
8. Assist the foster carers in dealing with other relevant services such as health and education. 
9. Discuss appropriate training to provide appropriate care when caring for children with complex health needs.
10. Assist carer with training needs for appropriate safer care practice, including skills to care for children who have been abused. For foster carers who offer placements to disabled children, this includes training specifically on issues affecting disabled children.
11. Discuss financial issues with the foster carer: allowances, pocket money, leisure activities, toiletries and travelling etc. and the importance of complying with the terms of the Council's insurance policy for carers
12. Enquire about holiday plans. Have they made plans for the child to go with them?
13. Exchange contact numbers with all relevant members of the family, including out of hours support.
14. Assess the need for furniture or equipment and agree finance with the Fostering Team Manager - ensuring that receipts are collected and placed on the foster carer's file for auditing purposes.
15. Set the date of their first visit after the placement.
16. Provide carers with training and written policy on behaviour management.

During Placement

1. Where necessary, check and follow up on all issues raised during the placement. Discuss any areas of concern with foster carers and ensure appropriate support/advice is addressed and  in place at the time rather than waiting for reviews.
2. Provide foster carers with breaks from caring as appropriate, which must meet the needs of placed children.
3. Take part in any Strategy Meetings and Section 47 Enquiry relating to the foster family. Be involved in interviews/support as agreed.
4. Ensure they and the foster carers receive invitations to the child’s Looked After Reviews and Child Protection Conferences, and attend when appropriate.
5. Prepare for and attend review meetings (See Reviews of Foster Carers Procedure).
6. Ensure the foster carer's training programme is updated and accessed by the foster carers and their family.
7. Visit regularly according to the agreed programme of visits.
8. Make unannounced visits as required - see Section 4, Unannounced Visits.
9. Update Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosures on members of the family every three years, including those reaching sixteen years of age, and other persons who come to live at the home, who are 16 or over.
10. Update medicals on the carers every 2 years or as necessary - alternating a full medical and an updating medical.
11. Record contact with carers.
12. Provide reports for Panel as required under the relevant procedures.
13. Contribute to Court Reports as agreed with child’s social worker.
14. Provide support and take part in any investigation processes where concerns have been raised about the standards of care or practice of the foster carers. 
15. Ensure carers are maintining weekly savings on behalf of the foster children.
16. Ensure carers are supported in completing their CWDC portfolio within the first twelve months following approval.
17. Supporting and guiding foster carers in completing placement albums for children to have a record of their placement.
18. Discuss how the carers can support young people into adulthood.

At End of Placement

1. Support the family as much as possible in what can be a very difficult time.
2. Discuss fully, with the carer and their family, all the issues that have led to any unplanned end of a placement and identify any learning/training opportunities.
3. Attend Disruption Meetings as required.

6. Out of Hours Support

The Fostering Team provide out of hours support to all foster carers between 5.30 p.m. and 11.00 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and between 11.00 a.m. and 11.00 p.m. at weekends and on bank holidays.

Support required by foster carers outside these hours is available from the Emergency Duty Team.

7. Training

All prospective foster carers will normally undertake the Fostering Preparation Training Course as part of their assessment and a report of their participation on this course will be provided and any issues raised will be considered within the assessment process - see Section 3, Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers Procedure.

All foster carers will be provided with information each year about the Foster Carer Training Programme which they will be required to complete.

Each allocated supervising social worker will;

• ensure that each carer they are responsible for is aware of the training opportunities available
• ensure that carers are aware of their responsibility to take advantage of the training available in order to increase their knowledge and skills and enhance their child care practice
• continually assess the training needs of each carer to inform both their support plan for the carer and planning for future training programmes
• encourage foster carers to attend training and in turn the department will support the foster carers by contributing to the cost
• maintain a record of all training undertaken by each foster carer they are responsible for
• ensure that an evaluation of the impact of training undertaken and training needs is included in each foster carer annual review - see Reviews of Foster Carers Procedure
• when carers’ training  need are being considered, this will include consideration of additional internal and external training.

End