Support and Supervision

1. Introduction

As a foster carer you will be well supported to ensure that plans for children in your care remain in their best interests. You are an important part of the team around the child, who will also support you. You will be actively involved in planning for the children in your care, and your views are valued by the fostering service provider and will help to positively influence a child’s progress.

You will face many challenges when you become a foster carer and you will also feel very rewarded when you see a placement progress in a positive way. Once approved you will be allocated a Supervising Social Worker. The primary task of the Supervising Social Worker is to supervise and support you to enable you to carry out your role as a foster carer. The support you receive from your Supervising Social Worker is also designed to help you to cope with the additional demands of fostering on your family life.

You will receive regular and effective supervision that is focused on children’s experiences, needs, plans and feedback. Supervision is an important part of practice and as foster carers it is considered a key part of your training and development and an opportunity to reflect and learn from fostering experiences. Supervision also allows you time to consider complex case dilemmas and give you space to think through and share strategies and ways of helping a child in your care with your Supervising Social Worker.

The Supervising Social Worker will ensure you have the necessary guidance including an understanding about working within the National Minimum Standards for Fostering and all the fostering service's policies, procedures and guidance.

Family Placement Social Workers are qualified social workers experienced in working with children and their families who specialise in fostering and adoption work (In Bracknell, Adoption work is carried out by Adopt Thames Valley on behalf of Bracknell Forest Council). Often the Family Placement Social Worker who worked with you on your assessment as foster carers and presented it to the Fostering Panel will become your Supervising Social Worker but this is not always the case.

Your Supervising Social Worker's Role:

1. To be involved in the setting-up of a placement, in conjunction with the child's social worker;
2. To visit or speak to the carer regularly while a child is placed with him or her and at least every three months when there is no placement. The Supervising Social Worker must make at least one unannounced visit per year. During these visits the Supervising Social Worker ensures that the carer is informed of and fully complies with all policies, standards and guidance, including safe caring guidelines agreed by Bracknell Forest Authority. This must include practical issues such as ensuring the bedrooms for the children placed are safe, comfortable and adequately furnished. Bedrooms should be seen regularly and always where new placements are made. Supervising Social Workers must take responsibility for discussing hygiene issues, including those concerning the care of pets;
3. To allocate specific time to see the main carer's partner and own children living at home;
4. To record each supervisory visit detailing areas covered, with outcomes noted of any issues of concerns raised by either party. The carer should receive a copy of the report of each supervision visit or meeting;
5. To ensure foster carers receive appropriate advice on dietary needs commensurate to the child's age and developmental stage. Family wishes, cultural norms and religious beliefs might need to be taken into account;
6. To advise foster carers when statutory medicals and DBS' are due;
7. To attend Placement Agreement meetings and ensure the CLA agreement form is completed and received by the foster carer, and that Delegated Authority is discussed and agreed. To arrange the provision of necessary equipment;
8. To support the foster carers in carrying out the placement plan, assist in clarification of misunderstandings, difficulties or uncertainties and act as mediator if necessary;
9. To identify and discuss with the foster carers and their children their ongoing training needs and the development of their skills knowledge. A record should be placed on file to include proposals for meeting these needs and a copy given to the carers;
10. To enable the foster carers to participate in support groups and local activities;
11. To arrange the annual review of the foster carer's practice and terms of approval and recommend any changes or amendments to the approval. A routine safety check of the home should be carried out as a matter of course and monitored on the Review form;
12. To attend reviews of children placed with foster carers as appropriate following discussion with the child's social worker and foster carer;
13. To attend Disruption Meetings following the breakdown of a placement and ensure that notes of these meetings are sent to foster carers and also placed on their file;
14. To ensure foster carers are aware of the complaints and representations procedure;
15. To attend case conferences with the foster carer;
16. To assist foster carers to complete the Foster Home Placement form when a child moves and request that the social worker of the child does likewise.

A Supervising Social Worker from the Family Placement Team is identified for every foster carer who is approved by the Authority. This is useful for several reasons. Foster carers, especially short term ones, work with a large number of different Social Workers so it is important that they have one particular person to whom they can turn for personal help, advice and support. From an Authority's perspective, it is vital to provide efficient, effective and appropriate management of the foster care resource. As foster carers you are significant members of the child care team and your skills and experience in looking after children for us is highly valued.

The Fostering Network sees the role of the Supervising Social Worker as "pro- active, empowering and enabling". They aim to develop the skills, knowledge and practice of the foster carers, raise their level of confidence in their abilities and liaise with the child's social worker so that foster carers are used appropriately and sensitively.

The Supervising Social Worker does not have the responsibility for visiting or supervising any individual child in the foster home and supervisory visits by the carer's worker do not replace the visits of the child's Social Worker because they do not cover the statutory requirements.

However, good communication is vital between the workers and the carer, particularly where the carers are looking after children with different Social Workers or from another Authority. There should be regular joint visits to the carer. Supervising Social Workers and the children's Social Worker should ensure that they share the same understanding of the Local Authority's responsibilities to the carer as set out in the CLA Foster Care/Support Lodgings Agreement.

It is recommended that meetings between the family, the child's Social Worker, foster carer and Supervising Social Worker take place at regular intervals during a placement. These meetings should take forward the work identified in the child's care plan and monitor progress. At the end of a placement it would be useful to have a meeting to review how successful it was.

When a new placement is to be made the Social Worker of any children already placed will have been informed prior to the placement.

The Supervising Social Worker will also work closely with the child's social worker. It is the social worker for the child/young person in the foster placement who holds responsibility for specific advice or support for the child and their Care Plan and Placement Plan. Every Looked After Child will have an allocated Social Worker from one of the Children's Social Care Teams. The child's Social Worker is required to visit the child at the foster placement at regular intervals. The frequency of visits will depend on how long the child has been living with you and the reasons the child is being Looked After, their family and / or background. They will be the person responsible for the child's care plan, arranging contact with the child's birth family and organising any meetings about the child. When they visit the child in your home, you should expect to share information about the child and their placement with you with this social worker.

There will also be a number of other places you can get support from including:

• Other foster carers including Foster Carers' Support Group; Support groups in Bracknell provide you with an opportunity to meet other carers and share your experiences of fostering, concerns and ideas to undertake learning together;
• Other professionals;
• Out of Hours advice - A member of staff from the Family placement Team is contactable on Monday - Friday between 6pm - 11pm and Saturday and Sunday 12pm - 9pm, excluding Bank Holidays. Foster Carers should telephone the support line when:
  • A child in care their care goes missing or is not back at a pre-arranged time;
  • If a child becomes seriously ill, has an accident or needs hospital treatment;
  • If a child is involved in an incident where the police have been or are likely to be called;
  • If the foster carer wants to discuss difficult behaviour or a child has made allegations about another adult, member of the foster carer's own family household.
• Foster carers can also ring if they want to discuss less serious issues that are particularly worrying them about a child or young person in their care;
• EDS are contactable at all other times outside of normal working hours, and including Bank Holidays.

The contact details for the Family Placement Out of Hours service are: 07769 954618
Emergency Duty Service: 01344 351999.

2. Regular Supervision Meetings

Frequency of supervision meetings will be agreed between you and your Supervising Social Worker and as appears necessary in the interest of the children placed with them. Your allocated Supervising Social Worker will agree times and dates. Each session will be recorded and you should receive a copy of this.

See Foster Carers' Support and Supervision Agreement Template.

Supervision should be seen as a two way process to:

• Ensure you are taking into account the child's wishes and feelings;
• Ensure you have the opportunity to discuss any issues you have;
• Help you to identify possible solutions to any issues;
• Discuss any issues you may be having with your own children;
• Ensure you understand how you contribute to Children Services objectives;
• Give you feedback on your work to make sure you have the right skills and competencies;
• Ensure you are accessing relevant training and resources and are working towards achieving the Training, Support and Development Standards within a year of approval;
• Ensure you are working within the National Minimum Standards for fostering;
• Sort out any financial or practical issues;
• Keep you updated about new policies, procedures, training and good practice.

The supervision meetings will be an important part of collecting information for your annual review as a foster carer. The supervision session will be confidential; however, the Supervising Social Worker will discuss relevant information with the child's social worker, or other professionals working with the child or family.

As a foster carer, you are seen as a professional and both you and the Supervising Social Worker are expected to work within a framework of respect, honesty and trust.

Supervision helps you to evidence how you are developing, how you are meeting the National Minimum Standards and how you are providing an appropriate placement for the child/young person.

Supervision is a two-way process. You too have a responsibility for preparing for your supervision, consider the time and areas you wish to discuss, and actions form the last meeting. It is important that you also raise any issues and any tasks that need to be undertaken i.e. Annual Reviews; DBS checks.

If you are not happy in any way with the arrangement or content of supervision, speak to your Supervising Social Worker or a manager from the Fostering Service.

Your Supervising Social Worker will do one unannounced visit per year. The main purpose of the unannounced visit will be to look at the home environment that a child is living in. This visit will be recorded.

You will be provided with information about what support will be available from the Fostering Service outside office hours, including the contact details.

3. What Your Supervising Social Worker Will Do

Your Supervising Social Worker should ensure the following tasks are done:

After Approval

1. Ensure you complete the induction programme and that your support, development and training needs are assessed and met so that you meet the standards and achieve the Training, Support and Development Standards certificate of completion by your first annual review, or soon after if extra support is required;
2. Give the Foster Care/Support Lodgings Agreement to you: 2 copies to be signed and one returned and placed on your file;
3. Support you with any specialist issues for disabled children for e.g. support in completing applications for relevant entitlements etc.

Before Placement

4. 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 child's social worker, based on particular individual circumstances and agreed by the Service Manager);
5. Discuss and check equipment (especially in the child's bedroom) and ensure it is appropriate to the age of the child to be placed;
6. Take part in discussions about potential placements and planning meetings;
7. Ensure that the child's social worker gives you full information about children, including a history of abuse or suspected abuse and the reason for the placement;
8. Discuss contact with birth parents and family members;
9. Discuss how the child's health needs are promoted and how children should be encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle;
10. Help you in dealing with services such as health and education;
11. Help you with training needs for safer care practice, including skills to care for children who have been abused or training on issues affecting disabled children;
12. Discuss financial issues with you: allowances, pocket money, leisure activities, toiletries and travelling and the importance of your insurance policy;
13. Find out about holiday plans you have made, and whether the child is going with you? If not the child's social worker must be informed so alternative arrangements can be made;
14. Exchange contact numbers with all relevant members of the family, including out of hours support;
15. Ensure that arrangements are made for the provision of specialist equipment for disabled children;
16. Set a date for a first visit after a child is placed with you.

During Placement

17. Check and follow up on all issues raised during the placement planning. Discuss any concerns with you and ensure appropriate support is provided straight away rather than waiting for reviews;
18. Provide you with breaks from caring as needed, which must meet the needs of placed children;
19. Take part in any Strategy Meetings and Section 47 Enquiry relating to your foster family. Be involved in interviews/support as agreed if allegations are made against you;
20. Ensure you receive invitations to a child's Child Looked After Reviews and Child Protection Conferences, and attend when appropriate;
21. Prepare for and attend your Review meetings;
22. Ensure the training programme is updated and accessed by you and your family and children;
23. Visit regularly;
24. Make unannounced visits as required;
25. Update Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks on members of your family every three years, including those reaching 18, and other persons who come to live at the home, who are 18 or over;
26. Update medicals on you every 3 years or as necessary;
27. Record all contact with you;
28. Assess and review any health and safety issues within the fostering household including the addition of any new pets and the environment in which they are kept;
29. Provide reports for panel as required under the relevant procedures;
30. Where appropriate contribute to Court Reports as agreed with child's social worker;
31. Discuss how you can support young people into adulthood.

At the End of a Placement

32. Support your family in what can be a difficult time;
33. Discuss with you and your family all the issues that have led to any unplanned end of a placement and identify any learning opportunities;
34. Support you to complete an end of placement report;
35. Attend Placement Disruption Meetings as required.

If your Supervising Social Worker has any concerns about your care or feels you need extra support, they will not wait until supervision meetings or reviews but deal with any issues as they arise.

4. Independent Support

As well as support from your supervising social worker as Bracknell Forest Foster Carers you are also able to access independent support for yourselves from the Fostering Network. When signing your Foster Carer / Supported Lodgings agreement you are also agreeing to us providing you with membership to the Fostering Network.

As members you are able to contact them for independent advice and also access their training, guidance and reports. Please see link in Useful sections of this handbook.

5. Foster Carers Association

The values and purpose of the Bracknell Forest Council Foster Care Association

As an Association to strive for an honest and transparent healthy working relationship with Bracknell Forest Council (Children's Social Care) for the benefit of our children looked after and the foster families that support them. To help develop a culture of participation and learning.

To help advance the rights and equality of all children looked after with an inclusive, empowering approach that helps shape positive outcomes for young people in care and leaving care.

To work with Bracknell Forest Council (Children's Social Care) efficiently and openly to help develop best practise and shape policies and procedures whilst embracing the identified values Bracknell Forest Council promote, as a local government authority dealing with children's social care.

BFC Values

1. Forward Thinking
   We are forward thinking innovate and plan ahead. We plan and focus and deliver;
2. Open Minded
   We learn and seek out new ways of working;
3. Resourceful
   Work efficiently to deliver services;
4. Working Together
   Work together as a council with partners and customers;
5. Adaptable
   Embrace Change and work flexibly;
6. Resilient
   Resilient in our response to challenging circumstances;
7. Determined
   Can do approach.

All communications between the BFC Foster Care Association and any BFC foster carer will be treated in the strictest confidence and comply with the personal responsibilities of a BFC foster carer including the General Data Protection Requirements.

Chair Bracknell Forest Council Foster Care Association
Email: IntouchFCABracknell@outlook.com