Allegations against foster carers

Reasons for allegations against foster carers

Foster care is by definition an activity that takes place in the home.

It means devoting a great deal of time and attention to young people who may display a range of challenging behaviours or have extremely complex needs. In this close and often delicate environment, allegations against carers can be made at any time and for any number of reasons.
The reasons for such allegations can vary. Sometimes, birth parents make allegations as they believe this may cause the child to be returned home. On other occasions, the child in foster care may make an allegation because they also believe that this will enable them to go home.
Other times, it is because they are unhappy with their placement and want to move, or it could be for another reason entirely. The motives behind allegations are often complex and it is only in a minority of cases that they are found to be true.

Sadly, children do not always realise the consequences for them and for their foster family when they make false allegations. They may do this on the spur of the moment because they are angry about something that has been said or done.

Types of Allegations

National Minimum Standards (NMS) seek to ensure that carers are provided with independent support throughout the process of the investigation and in dealing with the aftermath. Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards (2011) (updated in 2013)

NMS 22.12 states:

“During an investigation, the fostering service makes support, which is independent of the fostering service, available to the person subject to the allegation and, where this is a foster carer, to their household, in order to provide:

A. Information and advice about the process

B. Emotional support, and

C. If needed, mediation between the foster carer and the fostering service and/or advocacy (including attendance at meetings and panel hearings)”

Support for Foster Carers facing allegations

Due to the nature of the allegation process, your supervising social worker may not be able to give you the support you feel you will need during the investigation, which may leave you feeling isolated and frustrated. It is very difficult for a supporting social worker to fulfil a supporting role during these situations. They will, however, endeavour to continue to communicate effectively with you and will signpost you to additional Independent Support.

Sunbeam has commissioned Foster Talk to provide Independent Support to all their foster carers as we believe that providing the best possible support during these difficult times can make the process clearer and more manageable for everyone involved. They provide help, information and support to foster carers who find themselves in this situation, enabling them to feel more in control and to identify their options for further action.

If you have had an allegation made against you and would like  independent support, this is available through your Foster Talk membership. Please speak to your social worker and we can support the arrangements. Please see the relevant link: https://www.fostertalk.org/our-services/allegations-against-foster-carers/

Glossary of Terms

Strategy Meeting:-

a meeting between child protection staff and other relevant bodies such as the police, school, healthcare staff and any professional involved in the initial referral.

Children’s Social Care must hold a Strategy Meeting whenever there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child has suffered or is likely to suffer Significant Harm.

This may be following a Referral and Child in Need Assessment or at any time during an assessment or where a child is receiving support services if concerns about Significant Harm to the child emerge.

The purpose of the Strategy Meeting is to decide whether a Section 47 Enquiry under the Children Act 1989 is required and if so, to develop a plan of action.

More than one Strategy Meeting may be necessary.

Professionals Only Meetings:-

There are occasions when professionals need to come together to discuss a case of concern which does not meet the threshold or is outside the scope of Child Protection/Child in Need Policy and Procedures. Aimed at professionals to share information whilst participating in professional meetings of concern.

A professional’s only meeting differs from a multi-agency meeting as it does not involve the family members.

Significant Harm:-

Where the question of whether harm suffered by a child is significant turns on the child’s health and development, his health or development shall be compared with that which could reasonably be expected of a similar child.

harm’ means ill-treatment or the impairment of health or development (including, for example, impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another),

‘development’ meant physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development;

‘health’ means physical or mental health; and

‘ill-treatment’ includes sexual abuse and forms of ill-treatment which are not physical.

Placement Plan

Ensure all relevant information is recorded in the placement plan, including information which answers further questions such as:

Following the completion of the placement plan, ensure that there are methods and procedures set in place to deal with any issues that might arise.

Safer Caring Plan

Every foster home will have a safer caring policy in place whereby the foster carer will be required to: