• contents
• keywords & contacts
• quick guide
• forms library
• values
• contact us
• search

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Personal Referees
3. Employment Checks
4. Financial Security
5. Marital Status
6. Previous Relationships and Parenting History
7. Nationality and Immigration Status
8. Applicant's Children
9. Competency Based Assessment
10. Safe Caring Guidelines
11. Completion of the Assessment

1. Introduction

This stage in the process follows satisfactory completion of Initial Interview, including declaration of criminal offences and the Preparation Group.  If there are any significant doubts as to the suitability of the applicant to progress to the assessment stage these must be discussed with the Team Manager.

Once the assessment begins the Social Worker should, with their Supervisor, identify the date of the Fostering Panel  to which the case is to be presented and schedule all visits, enquiries and recording time to ensure that the assessment is completed to this timescale. Any difficulty in adhering to this must be discussed with the Team Manager and any variation of timescale must be agreed by them.  See Fostering Panel Procedure.

All applications should be dealt with within 8 months of receipt of the initial, formal application

Framework Action TM/DTM allocates fostering assessment

2. Personal Referees

Two referees will be identified by applicants on their formal application form. The allocated Social Worker must write to each referee to request information about the applicant's suitability to care for children in general and specifically to become a foster carer.  The written references will be placed on file with a copy attached to the completed Form F.

The assessing Social Worker must interview all referees to assess how well the referees know the applicants and consequently the weight to be placed on their views.  Referees should feel free to express any reservations whatsoever about the suitability of the applicants and should therefore be assured that their comments will be treated in confidence and not discussed with the applicants without further consultation with the referee.  The assessing Social Worker must prepare a written report of these interviews.

Personal referees must not be related to or work for the applicants.  Fostering Social Workers should however consider the need to also interview any relatives or friends who are likely to play a significant role in the life of any child who may be looked after by the applicants. Referees must be asked whether they have any objections to the content of the reference being shared with the applicant.

3. Employment Checks

Applicants should be informed that references will be taken up with a current or previous employer.  Where the prospective foster carer(s) work with or previously worked with children, it is appropriate to seek a detailed reference from the relevant employer, focusing on their ability to safeguard and promote the needs of children in their care.

Checks with employers need to be handled sensitively and the assessing Social Worker will need to discuss the timing of such a check with applicants.  The applicant may wish this to be carried out when the preparation and assessment process is underway and they are certain of their wish to proceed and have more of an idea of the likely outcome of their application. If a decision is made not to pursue an employment reference then the reasons for this decision need to be given as part of the assessment record. 

4. Financial Security

Applicants should be asked to confirm that their housing arrangements as outlined in Recruitment of Foster Carers Procedure, Section 6 Housing and Utilities.  It is important that they understand that fostering allowance payments do not represent a guaranteed income.

5. Marital Status

For couples who are married or in civil partnerships the relevant certificate should be seen, as should any divorce certificates. Details should be recorded on the BAAF Form F.

6. Previous Relationships and Parenting History

Previous partners should be contacted for all long-term or otherwise significant relationships i.e. where they lived together, brought up children together or were otherwise closely involved for a period of time. A reference should be obtained from the former partner or spouse which must include their views as to the former partner's understanding of and ability to meet children's needs given the demands of the fostering task; their ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships with adults and whether there is any aspect of their character or behaviour that would make cause difficulties if they were to become a foster carer.

Whilst seeking such information from former partners may stir strong feelings, particularly where such relationships have ended badly, experience has shown that in some instances the information provided by former partners can be very significant.  Any information received from former partners will need to be considered in the context of all the other information gathered in the assessment process.  Information from a former partner is taken alongside a range of other factors and this should be carefully explained to the applicant concerned. 

7. Nationality and Immigration Status

Applicants must have the unconditional right to live and work in the UK. Proof of this should be sought at the initial interview. Where there are outstanding immigration issues it is normally most appropriate to postpone further assessment until these have been resolved. It may however be appropriate to begin assessments in particular circumstances, such as when a family member is being assessed to care for a specific child or where there is written evidence that the process of regularising the applicant's status is well advanced. This will often be with the agreement of the Family Proceedings Court and the Head of Service must always be notified of any such situation.

8. Applicant's Children

Children living at home should be involved in the assessment process as fully as possible having regard to their age and understanding. They should normally be seen at least once on their own to ascertain their wishes and feeling about their parent's application to assess how well prepared they are for becoming a member of a fostering family and to consider any help and support that may be necessary regarding this. Consideration should also be given to interviewing children of applicants who are no longer living in the household.  These may be grown up children or children of a previous relationship now living with the applicant's former partner.

Whatever the circumstances of previous adult relationships, applicants should be able to demonstrate a caring and responsible attitude towards their own and other children in whose lives they have played a part.  Any situation in which applicants are no longer in regular contact with their children should be very thoroughly explored.

9. Competency Based Assessment

The Code of Practice states that a good assessment must be "efficient, effective, thorough and fair". A competency based framework, recorded within the standard BAAF Form F format is used to conduct this assessment.

However, an assessment should also be a two-way process and give the applicant the opportunity to consider whether fostering is the right option for them in the light of their current lifestyle, relationships, commitments, career and other personal issues and goals. There are many other ways of contributing to the welfare of children and young people, which applicants may wish to consider if they are concerned as to the depth of commitment entailed in caring for a child within their own home and of dealing with contact and other potentially painful areas.

All assessments will be completed by professionally qualified Social Workers who are supervised by Managers with fostering experience. Where an assessment is undertaken by a Student Social Worker the supervisor is professionally responsible for ensuring an appropriate quality of work undertaken.  The full assessment will be undertaken over a series of planned visits to the applicants. The target timescale for assessing applicants is twelve weeks from the point at which the case is allocated, though for placements under Regulation 38 an interim report must be completed within four weeks.  Where a longer period is necessary due to unavailability of the applicants or other factors this must be agreed by the Team Manager and a target date for completion recorded on the applicants Framework record.

As a minimum standard, single applicants must be seen at least six times during the assessment. Joint applicants should each be seen at least three times individually and twice together. Additionally, where there are children or other family members in the household each must be seen individually at least once and the whole family seen together on at least one occasion.  Please note that these are minimum standards: additional interviews may need to be arranged where there are particular issues that require exploration.

The assessing Social Worker will prepare a BAAF - Form F which will include appropriate evidence put forward by the applicant and will include a genogram.  In addition to the general areas covered in the Form F guidelines, all assessments must address health and safety issues that relate to any member of the household who smokes, dogs and other pets and any specific issues arising from the accommodation and its immediate environment.

Progress with the draft assessment report must be reviewed by the manager as part of all supervisions; they may suggest additional areas for exploration. A copy of the draft assessment must shared with the applicants to ensure factual accuracy and that they are aware of any particular issues which may be raised by the panel or which will need to be dealt with in their future supervision and training. 

It is important that the assessment is not purely descriptive and it should not accept uncritically the applicant's account, particularly regarding problems they have experienced in their lives.  It is essential that every section is concluded with a paragraph or more of analysis, critically examining the issues in question and the evidence used, balancing positives and negatives and indicating possible implications for the fostering role. Where there are areas of concern it is important to indicate how they could be balanced through support, training or other experiences. It is a better indication of suitability for fostering to show how applicants have come through difficult times and are able to acknowledge their own shortcomings than to present an unrealistically perfect individual or couple.

Concerns Arising During the Assessment;

If any concerns arise during the course of the assessment as to the suitability of the applicant or to practical circumstances which may affect the likelihood of eventual approval this must be discussed with the Team Manager at the earliest possible point. The Team Manager has the discretion to terminate an assessment prior to completion and if in doubt should discuss this with the Head of Service.

Framework Action Terminate Fostering Assessment > NFA

In the event that the applicant is not in agreement with the recommendations of the report or with any of the information upon which this is based every effort must be made to reduce areas of disagreement; this should include a meeting between applicants and any advocate or supporter and the responsible Social Worker and Team Manager.  If agreement cannot be reached in this way they should be invited to submit a written statement for the Fostering Panel.  This should be submitted to panel alongside the completed Form F, which must be signed by the applicants, the assessing Social Worker and the Team Manager.  See Fostering Panel Procedure.

10. Safe Caring Guidelines

Safe caring guidelines must be provided, based on a written policy, for each foster home, in consultation with the carer and everyone else in the household. See Safe Caring Guidance.

It is important however that these guidelines are individualised: assessing social workers should work with carers to draw up guidelines that relate to the specific household in terms of both physical aspects (ponds etc.), as well as the number, age, gender and any special needs of adults and young people in the household, availability of bathroom facilities etc. These will need to be reviewed in the light of the individual needs of every child and young person placed there.

This is also an opportunity for the assessing Social Worker to help the applicants reflect both on their feelings about abuse or inappropriate care of children; as well as to consider the practical implications for their daily lives and household arrangements, including the need to observe modesty at all times; to be sensitive in matters of display of affection as well as in discussion of any issues which may be sensitive for the child placed with them.

11. Completion of the Assessment

It is the supervising Team Manager/Deputy Team Manager's responsibility to monitor that the assessment is being completed to a satisfactory standard within an appropriate timescale and to ensure that the assessing social worker is liaising with the Statutory Compliance Officer regarding completion of checks.

The supervising manager is then responsible for ensuring that the assessment is of suitable quality to go to the panel, including:

• All checks have been completed and any issues to arise from them have been enquired into.
• All relevant areas have been dealt with in appropriate depth within the assessment, including an appropriate balance of factual detail and of analysis of fostering competencies and of any aspect of the carer's family or personal circumstances which has implications for the fostering task.
• There are as far as possible no typographical, grammatical or spelling errors and that the identity of everyone referred to in the assessment is clear and consistent.
• The recommendation is logical and relates to the areas explored within the assessment.
• The Team Manager must complete the pre-Panel check list.
• The completed assessment should then be passed to the relevant panel advisor 3 weeks prior to the date of the panel which is to hear the application.

Framework Actions Complete Statutory Checks episode. Draft report to manager 5 weeks before panel date; amend/revise as advised OR Endorsed by manager>commence Fostering Panel Episode.

End