Developing a Safer Caring Plan
Standards & Regulations
Fostering Services National Minimum Standards (England) 2011:
- Standard 3 - Promoting Positive Behaviour and Relationships.
- Standard 4 - Safeguarding Children.
- Standard 6 - Promoting Good Health and Wellbeing.
Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care:
Contents
1. Introduction
Working out a Safer Caring Plan for your family, including your foster child, is not about changing everything that you do; it is about thinking about which parts of your family’s behaviour could involve potential risks, and working out what you can all do so that safer care becomes part of everyday life.
It will also help you to know how to deal with situations that might seem ok in your own family but are not appropriate within a foster family. It is important that everybody in the house is aware of the plan and is signed up to it. Regular visitors to the home will also need to know about the Safer Caring Plan.
The whole family should be involved in agreeing your plan and in reviewing it each year (or more often if circumstances change). Your Supervising Social Worker can support you with this. When you have completed your Safer Caring Plan you should discuss it with the child’s social worker and give a copy to the Fostering Service. Sometimes you may need to review your Safer Caring Plan because of a change in circumstance, for example new placement.
The aim of the plan is for all those involved to understand what might happen and to avoid the child feeling worried or anxious.
When you go on holiday you will need to think about your Safer Caring Plan.
2. Safer Caring Plans and the Gender Role
Some Looked After Children/young people may have had negative relationships with men in the past. For such children the experience of having a positive adult role model can greatly improve the chance of them developing positive relationships with adults in the future. In foster homes comprised of both male and female carers, both should be involved from the start in developing their family’s Safer Caring Plan in partnership with their Supervising Social Worker and the child’s social worker. When developing the plan, the child’s background, experiences and individual needs must be taken into account.
3. Working out your Safer Caring Plan
The following are the some of the issues which you may need to consider when developing your family’s Safer Caring Plan. This is not intended to be an exhaustive or prescriptive list but should help in drawing up your own personalised plan, which should be tailor-made for your family.
You may wish to think about:
- The issues from everyone’s point of view (the foster-child, other children in the household, yourself, visitors, possibly pets etc.);
- Any specific situations when and where areas of conflict might arise;
- Which caregiver is responsible for implementing each aspect of the plan (remember to include outsiders like babysitters);
- Setting times to review the plan, not just annually or when there are significant changes;
- What will happen when you go for a holiday or weekend away?
- What will you do if one or more aspects of the plan aren’t working?
3.1 The Names you use
In general, and especially in short term placements, it is recommended that the foster child is discouraged from calling you ‘mummy’ and/or ‘daddy’ because it may cause confusion about their own family.
In long term placements there may be more discretion as to what your foster child calls you. There needs to be open discussion with social workers as we do have children who chose to call their foster carers ‘mum and dad’ or ‘gran and grand-dad’.
3.2 Physical Contact and Showing Affection
As with all children, fostered children need to be shown love and affection. You must provide a level of care, including physical contact, which demonstrates warmth, respect and a positive regard for children.
Whilst it is sensible to be cautious in short-term placements, in situations where a child has been living with you for some time and the relationship is established, then showing physical affection is appropriate. Showing affection is a very important part of your caring role and should never be avoided because of fear of allegations.
You should always check out with children whether they would like to receive a hug or a kiss. They need to learn from a caring adult that they can say no if they wish and to understand what is appropriate touching. In the case of infants you will need to use your emotional skills to look for the different ways they respond in order to judge their attitudes to and preferences regarding physical contact.
Families will all have different ways to show affection and you need to be careful not to impose your way onto others. If touch has meant something other than affection to a child in the past, they might not understand that you are trying to show them affection.
3.3 Playing
It is important for all children to play and learn to socialise with peers. In order for them to do this safely, carers should know where the children are and with whom they are playing. Children Looked After can be more vulnerable than those who have always benefitted from a loving family. They may not have the same knowledge and experience of playing safely and of negotiating everyday hazards such as roads, parks and water.
All parents will do a simple, almost unconscious, ‘risk assessment’ every time a child goes out to play that balances a child’s freedoms with possible dangers. Foster carers may need to exercise a little more caution in this assessment of a Child Looked After due to associated vulnerabilities. It may be helpful to discuss any fears, thoughts and reasoning with your Supervising Social Worker.
Likewise if you have delegated authority about whether a child can go to visit a friend or have a sleepover at a friend’s house etc. always refer to any factors highlighted in the Placement Planning Meeting and delegated authority tool when making your ‘risk assessment’.
Boisterous Play is usually strongly discouraged in guidance for foster carers.
3.4 Preventing Bullying
- Put in place clear rules that say bullying is not acceptable and explain what actions will be taken if you suspect bullying or are told of bullying which has taken place;
- Make it clear to children what is acceptable behaviour;
- Provide opportunities for children to think about the issue of bullying e.g. writing stories or poems or drawing pictures about bullying;
- Have discussions about bullying, what it is and its impact;
- Be good role models as foster carers.
3.5 Intimate Care
If possible, children should be supported and encouraged to undertake bathing, showering and other intimate care of themselves without relying on carers. If children are too young or are unable to bathe, use the toilet or undertake other hygiene routines, arrangements should be made for carers to assist them. Unless otherwise agreed, if at all possible children should be given intimate care by adults of the same gender.
The Bathroom/Toilet
Arrangements for intimate care of young and/or disabled child should be set out in the Placement Plan for each child.
Children who are old enough should be encouraged to wash themselves and should have privacy in the bathroom. It may be possible to sit outside the bathroom so a child remains safe yet is able to bathe in privacy.
Menstruation
Wherever possible, girls should be provided with their own supply of sanitary protection so they do not have to request it from carers. There should also be adequate provision for the private disposal of used sanitary protection.
Enuresis and Encopresis
If it is known or suspected that a child is likely to experience enuresis (bed wetting), encopresis (soiling) or may be prone to smearing it should be discussed openly, but with great sensitivity, with the child if possible. Strategies adopted for managing it should be outlined in the child's Placement Plan. Please be mindful of the fact that the review of the plan may be held in the presence of a variety of involved professionals and consider a child or young person’s sensitivities when discussing such sensitive issues. It may be appropriate to consult a Continence Nurse or other specialist, who may advise on the most appropriate strategy to adopt. In the absence of such advice, the following should be adopted:
- Talk to the child in private, openly but sympathetically;
- Do not treat it as the fault of the child, or apply any form of sanction;
- Do not require the child to clear up unless agreed as part of the treatment strategy; arrange for the child to be cleaned and remove then wash any soiled bedding and clothes;
- Keep a record;
- Consider making arrangements for the child to have any supper in good time before retiring, and arranging for the child to use the toilet before retiring; also consider arranging for the child to be woken to use the toilet during the night;
- Consider using mattresses or bedding that can withstand soiling. You may be able to request a mattress protector from the fostering service if you need it.
3.6 When you go out
You have responsibilities towards the children you are looking after and towards anyone you ask to baby-sit or look after children. You need to think what you can do to avoid potential risks.
You should be clear about what your Supervising Social Worker considers are satisfactory arrangements for caring for children when you are out. You could make an arrangement with other foster carers.
3.7 Travelling by Car
Think about who travels alone in a car with a foster child. It can be a good way of the child having one-to-one contact because it can be easier to talk without any eye contact. However, a child who has, or may have been, abused might feel unsafe alone in a car with an adult.
Where appropriate, give consideration to avoiding travelling alone with a foster child, especially early in the placement. If this cannot be avoided, the child should ideally travel in the back of the car. If there are two carers with a child, it may be safer for the child to be in the front of the car rather than in the back seat with one adult. Once you know the child well you may want to review this situation.
This advice needs to be considered in the context of practical arrangements about school runs, car sickness, whether children squabble when in the back of the car together as well as aspects of the child’s particular history. As with other aspects of safer caring, it is generally best to talk to the child or young person and their social worker and agree what feels comfortable and sensible, rather then having a blanket ‘one size fits all’ policy.
3.8 Photos, Videos and the Internet
It should be clear in the Placement Plan who can sign to agree for the child’s photo or video footage being taken in settings such as school.
If photos, videos or the internet have been part of any abuse for the child/young person, you should check the best way forward with the child’s social worker.
When you do take photos or videos, ask the child's permission first and make sure that they get copies and that they know who else will see them and why.
Be sensitive to how children react to having their photo taken. Do not take photos of children having a bath or wearing no clothes.
When the child uses the internet, take an interest in what they do and agree, when, where and how they will use it. Look into some software that filters inappropriate material for children.
Also see: Internet, Photographs and Mobile Phones.
3.9 Children with Disabilities or Complex Health Needs
Children with disabilities or other complex health needs can be particularly vulnerable to abuse.
There may be more of a need for intimate personal care. Where a child/young person has a disability or complex health needs, you should speak to the child’s social worker for advice.
Foster carers will need to make sure that a child/young people with communication difficulties are able to express their wishes about personal care, and this should also be recorded.
3.10 The Way you Dress
It is important for people to dress appropriately when in the house. Make sure that your family, and foster children have nightwear.
3.11 The Foster Carers' and Other Family Member’s Bedrooms
Some parents like to let young children get into their bed to talk, and listen to stories or to be comforted when they are not well.
Sharing your bed can trigger the memory of abuse and give the wrong messages about what might happen and what is acceptable. It will be safer to provide all children with a time of affection outside your bedroom, telling stories and may be having a hot drink together.
3.12 Children's Bedrooms
Your plan should be clear about bedroom rules.
Children over the age of 3 should have their own room but there are exceptional circumstances when children can share (following an assessment). When children do share, they should have their own space in the room and somewhere to store personal possessions.
Children should not share beds. It may be decided that you should knock on their bedroom door before going in.
Some children who have been abused might need their own space so that they learn that they have the right to be safe and private. The most important thing is for them to have somewhere to keep their belongings safe.
3.13 Bedtime
Bedtimes are an opportunity for carers to show care and warmth towards the child, striking the right balance between rules and safe caring need to be found for each individual child. Consideration should be given to whether the child’s previous experiences and preferences mean it might be better for either a male or female carer to carry out this task. Carers, including women, should leave the door open when putting children to bed.
3.14 Education about Relationships, Sex and Sexuality
Relationships and sex education is important for all children and young people. This should also be age appropriate. Children need to be helped to think about what makes a good friend and what makes a bad friend. They need to learn how to avoid situations that might put them at risk of abuse and how to protect themselves and others. Children need to learn how to say ‘no’. Carers need to know how to explain the difference between what is and is not acceptable behaviour and how to help children change behaviour that is not right for their age. You may need to say that you are talking to them about relationships and sex to help them deal with situations, feel safer and as part of growing up.
Families will have different approaches to this subject and how children get information about relationships, sex and sexuality and what they are told. You will need to find out from the child’s social worker what the family’s approach was and the best way of dealing with this, particularly if the child/young person has a different cultural or religious background from your own. You may also want to check out with their school / educational setting what they are doing on the subject so you can be prepared.
Providing a safer environment means that other children in the foster home must understand that any sexual activity with a foster child is as unacceptable as with a biological brother or sister. See Relationships and Sex.
The most important thing is that the child feels they can come and ask you questions and talk to you about the subject if they are not sure. Foster carers should never share personal details about this subject with the child.
3.15 Fire Plan
Discuss as a family what routes you will take if a fire starts and practice an evacuation. Think about where keys are kept so everybody knows where they will be for the front and back doors and windows.
