4.2.6 Placement of Parent and Child in Foster Care

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This is a new chapter for the April 2011 update of the Children and Young People’s Service manual.

Introduction
Placement Planning Meeting
Purpose and Potential Outcomes of the Placement
Payment Arrangements
The Expectations of the Placement
Parent’s Expectations of the Local Authority
Obligations of Parent in Placement
Foster Carer’s Expectations of Parent
Family Centre Expectations and Agreement
Recording the Agreements made at the Placement Planning Meeting

1. Introduction

Parent and child foster care placements offer a home to a baby or young child together with its parent. The aim of this type of placement is to provide a safe, family based placement for parent and baby. It may be that a parent has not had a positive experience of family life and positive input from a foster carer may provide the help a young parent needs with reassurance, guidance and support during a period of considerable change. Foster carers in this situation help a new parent to develop their own parenting skills whilst ensuring the child is safeguarded by a safe, secure and nurturing environment. Such placements may be made as part of care planning or as a direct result of Care Proceedings where an assessment of parenting capacity is required.

Enhanced CRB checks are needed on anyone over 16 or 18 residing in a fostering household. In the absence of these, a risk assessment using all available social history and up to date case knowledge must be completed. Adults placed within the household must be matched with Looked After Children in the same way as children.

2. Placement Planning Meeting

Prior to placement a placement planning meeting must be held to establish the expectations of the social workers, the carer(s), the parent and any other professionals involved. Every person in attendance at this meeting should be given a copy of the completed pre-birth assessment so that the purpose of the placement can be clarified and the objectives that need to be met are identified and agreed–when, how and by whom.

At the meeting the following will be discussed:

Purpose and potential outcomes of the placement
Local Authority’s expectations of the placement including the roles and responsibilities of the professionals involved, the carer(s) and the parent(s). To include detailed supervision arrangements and discussion of back up care arrangements, as foster carers will have additional commitments.

Parent obligations and expectations including benefits, allowances and payments.
Contact arrangements with other family members, including the location of contact, whether this will be supervised, and which parties will be informed of the foster carers’ address.
The legal status for all persons under or over eighteen - this can include care order; s20 accommodation; child in need under a “supported lodgings” arrangement, or adult lodger under a “supported lodgings” arrangement. Foster carers will need to be fully aware of the responsibilities and duties entailed in providing lodgings for an adult. Foster carers should contact their insurance companies re. their “supported lodgings” status. They may need additional “landlord” insurance.
Foster carers’ expectations of parent - to include reasonable leisure tome for the parent.
Family centre’s expectations of parent
Timescales
Alternatives in the event of breakdown or placement termination
Who will make the agency decision to terminate the placement (normally the Head of Service in consultation with the Practice Manager and Service Manager of both the Child Care Unit and the Children’s Placement Service) and how any such decision will be made.

3. Purpose and Potential Outcomes of the Placement

A clear understanding must be reached and recorded as to the purpose of the placement and the potential outcomes of the placement. It is essential that the parent(s) understand why they are being asked to commit to living in a foster home with their child and understand the range of potential outcomes. These will include:

Return to live independently or with support in the community with their child;
The Local Authority seeking an order from the court to permanently remove their child from their care.

4. Payment Arrangements

The payment arrangements including any enhancements must be made clear and agreed by all parties, and match the legal status of the parent and child involved. Appropriate benefits should be claimed where applicable.

The placement of a parent over 18 is paid at the supported lodgings rate. The parent is expected to support him/herself financially via benefits.
The placement of a parent who is under 18 but not LAC is also paid at a supported lodgings rate, but extra allowances may be payable subject to their access to benefits.
The placement of a parent who is looked after is paid at the full fostering rate.

5. The Expectations of the Placement

If a parent and baby are to be placed in foster care together it must be on the basis that the parent will provide the primary care for the child - albeit with support from the carer. It is essential therefore to be clear about the role and responsibility of the parent and the carer as well as the roles and responsibilities of the professionals involved in progressing the care plan.

The role and responsibility of the parent

As the primary carer the parent will be expected to attend to their baby’s needs - getting the baby up, washed, dressed, fed, attending at parent and baby groups, the family centre, the health visiting clinic etc. The parent will be expected to demonstrate their ability to manage a routine, interact positively with their child, and attend to the child’s needs appropriately.

Alongside the care of their baby the parent is expected to keep their living space clean and tidy, washing and ironing their clothes and bedding, and those of the baby, at regular intervals and managing their finances.

The parent will need to know the carer(s) current routine in order to fit in with the household. The carer(s) need to be clear about their expectations around getting up, washing, cooking, going to bed etc.

The parent will need to know what any financial allowance will be. They will generally be entitled to income support but not child benefit. It is essential that the parent is aware of this so that they may budget for their own needs. Clarification needs to be given as to what the carer will be expected to provide financially for the baby and what the parent is expected to provide. The carer will be given an allowance for the baby in placement so careful consideration will need to be given to the financial arrangements and some flexibility used in calculating the appropriate allowances paid to the parent and foster carer respectively. It is essential that a parent is budgeting within the same financial constraints as they would face in the community where applicable.

The parent can request or be provided with a separate cupboard in the kitchen for their food supply.
The role and responsibility of the foster carer(s)

The foster carer(s) will be expected to offer guidance and assistance to the parent in managing the daily care tasks for the baby. This may include direct instruction or modeling, responding to questions, or practical support such as accompanying the parent to parent/ baby groups, health visiting clinic, shopping etc.

It is unlikely that a foster carer is able provide 24 hour supervision. Especially if the baby or young child sleeps in the same room as the parent. Most foster carers will have other responsibilities and commitments in addition to caring for a parent and child. An assessment of the degree of supervision needed will need to be made before the placement is agreed and no placement should be made where there is a need for unrealistic levels of supervision. Baby monitors linked to the foster carers’ room should be used at night.

The Parental Responsibility for babies or young children subject to an Interim Care Order is shared with the Local Authority and the arrangements for the child’s supervision must reflect this. For any child in this type of arrangement the Local Authority has a very high duty of care and the arrangements for the care and supervision of the child must be clearly outlined and agreed prior to placement and be subject to regular review thereafter.

The foster carer will be expected to show the parent how any technical appliances work so that they are able to use any cooking and cleaning facilities appropriately. As the placement progresses there will be an expectation that the parent becomes less reliant on guidance and support from the carer(s) as they become more confident in their role.0

The foster carer will be expected to keep a daily record noting observations of the parent’s ability to respond to the child’s needs, manage the routine, manage the practical tasks of washing, ironing, shopping, budgeting etc.

These observations will inform any parenting assessment that has been agreed, and should be forwarded to the child care social worker regularly.

These recordings should also be shared with the parent who should be encouraged to add any comments relating to the foster carers’ observations, including any disagreements. The foster carer(s) should be aware that that they may be required to give evidence in any care proceedings about the placement and the quality of parental care given to the baby.
The role and responsibility of the child’s social worker

The baby’s social worker must visit the placement every week for the first month. During these visits the social worker should assess that the baby is well, developing appropriately, attaching to the parent and being kept safe at all times. The arrangements for the care and supervision of the child must be regularly reviewed.

The social worker should discuss with the foster carer and parent the foster carers’ recorded observations ensuring that records are fair, objective and helpful to the assessment process, and any further objectives planned as a result.

The social worker must check that the room the baby is sleeping in is safe and that the bedding is clean. The social worker should check that the parent is participating appropriately with the agreed plan and whether they have any concerns/anxieties/difficulties that need to be addressed. The social worker should establish that all appointments have been kept by the parent in relation to their child’s development and general well being.

The social worker must review the agreement periodically and at Looked After Children Reviews to ensure that the placement continues to meet the objectives set and that the child’s needs continue to be met.

The Supervising social worker from the Children’s Placement Service must be aware of the placement’s stability and highlight any concerns expressed by the foster carer(s), including any need for respite. The supervising social worker must ensure that any annual review and un-announced visits due during the lifetime of the placement are undertaken.
The role and responsibility of the health visitor

It is expected that a health visitor will be allocated to the child. It should be clarified at the placement planning meeting whether the health visitor will visit the placement and how often or whether the parent should attend with the baby at the health visitor’s clinic and how often. Clarity should be gained whether or not the carer will be present during these visits and if not whether the health visitor will give feedback and to whom.

It is critical that information about the baby’s health and development is available to the social worker and carer. Access to health information about the baby must be agreed as part of the of the placement agreement, signed by the parent at the making of the placement agreement.
The role and responsibility of the family centre and other professional input

If parenting work is to be provided, the objectives of this work need to be clear and the worker undertaking it clearly identified. When the parenting work will take place, for how long and how the parent will access it (transport costs/issues etc).

It will need to be made clear whether the parent should attend for any work with the baby or whether the carer will look after the child at these times.

The parent may need to make themselves available for specialist assessments or intervention (with the mental health team etc). It should be clarified whether the child will accompany the parent for these appointments or whether the carer will look after the child at these times.
The arrangements for contact

If another parent is available to the baby but not in the foster placement, arrangements will need to be made for contact. Depending on the quality of the relationship between the parents the contact arrangements may be facilitated entirely by the Local Authority. It is important that any arrangements are clearly defined at the placement agreement meeting, and any risk assessments related to the visiting parent or other relatives and any risk they may pose are completed..

If the baby is subject of a court order contact arrangements will be a matter for the court. The social worker will need to consider the effects of particular contact options on the parenting assessment programme.

The contingency plan

Finally, it is critical that any contingency plan is outlined so that all parties are clear about what will happen if the placement agreement plan is breached or otherwise comes to an end.

If the contingency plan is to separate parent and child a new placement should be identified for the child whereby the primary care will be available from the foster carer. The placement agreement plan must anticipate the possibility of:
- Breach of the agreement by one or other parent
- A decision by the foster carer to terminate the placement
- A decision that the placement is too risky or is otherwise failing

6. Parent’s Expectations of the Local Authority

It may be necessary to consider the support and assistance that can be provided to promote or continue the parent’s personal development in relation to: attendance at parenting programme's, parent/ baby groups, college, leisure and social activities etc.

It is important to establish whether the parent should have any time away from the baby on their own and if so, when and who will care for the baby in their absence. Most new parents do have an opportunity to have time away and the placement agreement should not be so restrictive in this regard, that the parent is unable to have any respite from the parenting task.

7. Obligations of Parent in Placement

The parent must be clear about the foster carer(s) house rules in order that:

The parent and their baby may fit in with the existing household. It is important to clarify what these house rules are and what the expectations of the parent are. It is not necessary to stipulate the arrangements within these procedures but the parent should replicate the routines and responsibilities expected of them when in their own home.

There should be agreement as to the amount of “reasonable leisure time” a young parent should be permitted, and the arrangements for the child at these times. Any young parent needs some structured, pre-planned time off, but the purpose of the placement is to assess the parent’s ability to care for the child part of which is a willingness to put the child’s needs before their own and so the foster carer should not be left in a position of having to “take over” the full care of the baby for any prolonged period of time. Negotiations could refer to the reasonable expectations of a supportive birth family.

The foster carer may also need some pre-planned time off, and arrangements for this should be thought out in advance.

8. Foster Carer’s Expectations of Parent

The foster carer may reasonably expect the parent to contribute to household tasks such as cleaning their own living areas and undertaking their own cooking and laundry. If so, it is necessary to be clear about this from the outset. The carer will need to be clear about his/her role in terms of supervision. Careful consideration will need to be given to whether the carer needs to supervise parent and baby at all times, whether the parent needs to ‘check in’ with the carer every so many hours etc.

Because the carer will be paid an allowance for the baby, he/she will need to know when to buy items such as milk, nappies etc. It is important to clarify whose responsibility it is to ensure that these items are monitored and whether the parent is responsible for buying the items with money provided by the carer.

The carer(s) possible need for respite will need to be discussed and appropriate arrangements developed as necessary, but such arrangements should be geared to the needs of the baby for stability.

9. Family Centre Expectations and Agreement

Any work to be undertaken by the family centre should be properly planned.

This means that the parent should understand the purpose of the work - what they will learn, how it will be recorded and who the recordings will be shared with and how the outcome of this work will inform the ongoing planning process.

It should be clear how the parent is to get to and from the family centre and whether the parent should bring the baby. If the baby is not to be brought to family centre sessions arrangements will need to be clarified as to who will be caring for the baby during theses times.

10. Recording the Agreements made at the Placement Planning Meeting

The agreements made at this meeting should to be recorded fully.

Parents to sign a placement agreement with Bexley’s Department of Education and Social Care.
The circumstances of the placement (purpose, household rules, routines etc)
Legal status of parent and child.
The objectives of the placement, including how the placement will meet the religious, cultural, ethnic and any special needs of the child.
Health arrangements and consent to disclosure of child’s health information
Work to be undertaken (parenting work, specialist intervention/ assessment etc)
Financial arrangements
Contact with the absent parent and any other family members as reasonable.
Alternative care arrangements - what has been considered and the contingency plan
Changes in circumstances
How the plan will be reviewed
How alerts will be raised if the looked after child is deemed to be at any risk or their welfare is not being safeguarded.

If the child is subject to a care order the agreement must be signed by the Head of Service or the Service Manager with delegated responsibility, prior to the parent and baby being placed. This agreement forms the contract between the parent and the local authority in terms of safeguarding the welfare of the child. As such this document, once completed can be filed with the court as necessary.

End