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Contents

1. Emergency Placements
2. Relevant Plans
3. Approval of Placements
4. Assessment of Family and Friends as Foster Carers
5. Post Placement Arrangements and Support
6. Ending of Placements

N.B. Where any placement of a Looked After Child with a relative, Connected Person or friend is proposed for a continuous period of sixteen weeks or more, in addition to the assessment and checks set out in Section 4, Assessment of Family and Friends as Foster Carers, the relative, Connected Person or friend will have to be assessed as a foster carer . Ordinarily responsibility for the foster carers’ assessment will lie with the child's social worker and will need to be approved by the practice manager in the City Corporation but the application will be considered by the Hackney fostering panel.

Children who are the subjects of care proceedings may not be placed with, or removed from carers , without the agreement of the court, except in an emergency where there are safeguarding issues.

1. Emergency Placements

Before any placement with a relative, Connected Person or friend is made, the child’s social worker must assess its suitability including the level of support likely to be required and the effect of the proposed placement upon the child’s contact with parents, siblings, Connected Person and other relatives and friends who are significant to the child

In making such an assessment of suitability:

• The proposed carer must be interviewed
• The accommodation must be inspected and
• Information must be obtained about other persons in the household.
• The proposed carer(s) and all members of the household aged 16+ must be checked against the City Corporation databases and filing systems and to establish if they are subject to a Child Protection Plan.
• Family GP’s must also be consulted

Matters to be taken into account when assessing the suitability of a Connected Person to care for the child are:

1. The nature and quality of any existing relationship with the child
2. Their capacity to care for children and, in particular in relation to the child (or children) concerned,  to provide for his/her physical needs and appropriate medical and dental care; to protect the child adequately from harm or danger including from any person who presents a risk of harm to the child; to ensure that the accommodation and home environment is suitable; in relation to the child's age and developmental stage, to  promote his/her  learning and development; to provide  a stable family environment which will promote secure attachments for the child, including promoting positive contact with parents  and other connected persons, unless this is not consistent with the child's welfare.
3. State of health (physical, emotional and mental), and medical history including current or past issues of domestic violence, substance misuse or mental health problems
4. Family relationships and the composition of the household, including particulars of all other members of the household, their age and the nature of any relationship with the  connected person and each other including any sexual relationship; any relationship with the parents; any relationship between the child and other members of the household; other adults (not members of the household) likely to have regular contact with the child; any current or previous domestic violence between members of the household, including the connected person
5. Their family history, including their childhood and upbringing, and the strengths and difficulties of their parents or others who cared for them; their relationship with parents and siblings and each other; educational achievement and any learning difficulty/disability; chronology of significant life events; particulars of other relatives and their relationships with the child  and the connected person
6. Any criminal offences
7. Past and present employment and other sources of income
8. Nature of the neighbourhood and resources available in the community to support the child and the Connected Person.

The home must be visited by the social worker as part of the assessment of the suitability of arrangements.

The child's wishes and feelings (subject to age and understanding) must be ascertained and recorded and wherever possible, an opportunity must be provided for the child to visit the home before the decision.

The views of parents/ those with Parental Responsibility must also be obtained.

The social worker must arrange for the carers and others aged 16+ to complete applications for Criminal Records Bureau checks and arrange for them to be sent as soon as practicable for checks to be made.

In addition, prior to the placement, a written agreement must be completed by the child's social worker for signature by the carer confirming their commitment to meet their duties in relation to the placement, as set out in the Placement Plan (recorded on the Placement Information Record)

The placement may only continue after sixteen  weeks if the relative, Connected Person or friend is approved as a Foster Carer and this timescale should be achieved wherever possible - (see Section 4, Assessment of Connected Person) or in exceptional circumstances where the temporary approval is extended.

This temporary approval can be extended for a further period of up to 8 weeks (if it is likely to expire before the assessment is completed) or until the outcome of the Independent Review  (if the outcome of the assessment is that the Connected Person is not approved and seeks a review of the decision).

Before deciding whether to extend the approval, the Local Authority must consider if the placement is still the  most appropriate placement available, and it must be considered by the Fostering Panel before the above approval is given.

2. Relevant Plans

The child's placement with a Connected Person must be part of the Care Plan, which should be drawn up before the placement begins or, if it is not practicable to do so, within 10 working days of the child's first placement.  . It will also be necessary to draw up a Placement Plan (recorded on the Placement Information Record).

For other required documentation, see Decision to Look After Procedure

3. Approval of Placements

Prior to any placement with a non-approved relative or friend, the child’s social worker must obtain approval for the immediate placement and the proposed financial arrangements to support the placement through the Service Manager.

4. Assessment of Connected Person as Foster Carers

If the plan is for the placement to last longer than 6 weeks, the child’s social worker must immediately inform the Hackney Fostering Service that the assessment is due to commence and agree a date and time for the assessment to be considered at the fostering panel.

The assessment will proceed on the basis of a BAAF Form F although, having regard to the existing relationship between the child and the carers, the requirement for the carers to attend Preparation Groups prior to their approval will be waived. The assessing social worker should also, as part of the assessment, interview the child’s parents and other significant family members, as well as reading the child’s file and discussing the case with the child’s social worker. During the assessment the relationship between the Connected Person carers and the child’s parents should be explored.

On conclusion, the assessment will be considered at the fostering panel. The panel should be attended by the child’s social worker, the assessing social worker, and, wherever possible, the prospective carers.

The procedure for approving the assessment via the Fostering Panel is the same as the procedure for the approval of all approved foster carers in Hackney.

The foster carers, once approved, will be asked to sign a Foster Carer Agreement.

In addition the procedures relating to the review and support of the foster carers will be the same as for any approved social worker.

5. Post Placement Arrangements and Support

The child’s social worker must following procedures set out in Post Placement Arrangements Procedure.

6. Ending of Placements

All those notified of the placement must also be notified when the placement ends.

End