Help and support for foster parents in England
Getting support
You should get support from your fostering service, your local council and social workers. You can also get support and advice from Fosterline.
Your local council must provide your foster child with a personal adviser from age 16 or 17 to age 25. They will help your foster child move to independent living or support them to stay with you (this is called a ‘staying put’ arrangement).
Extra support is available when your foster child reaches age 16, 18 and 21.
Support from your fostering service
Your foster child gets a placement plan. This tells you about the child and their needs. The fostering service should invite you to meetings on your foster child’s progress and placement plan.
Your family should get:
- access to an out of hours advice and support service
- access to support groups
- practical, financial and emotional support
- training and a personal development plan, which is reviewed every year
- an opportunity to take a break from fostering if you need it
Dealing with allegations
If an allegation is made against you or anyone in your home, your local authority must:
- investigate it
- support you through it
- update you on progress
- help resolve any disagreements
They may remove your foster child from your home or ask the person the allegation is about to leave. They will also look at the safety of any other children in your home.
Support from social workers
You’ll have contact with 2 social workers:
- your foster child’s social worker - they make sure you meet the child’s needs
- a supervising social worker to help and support you as a foster parent
Your supervising social worker is there to support you as a foster parent. Contact them if you need:
- emotional support
- to talk about any concerns or worries you have about your foster child
- help to develop your skills as a foster parent
Your social workers must make sure you understand their policies on fostering, including:
- how to manage your foster child’s behaviour
- financial support for foster parents
- complaints
They must review your approval to foster at least once a year to make sure you’re still suitable.
Social workers may decide to have some meetings without you if they think it’s best for the foster child.
Social worker visits
Your child’s social worker must visit you and your foster child:
- in the first week the child comes to live with you
- once every 6 weeks in the first year
- every 3 to 6 months after the child has lived with you for a year
They must also visit you once a year without telling you they’re coming.
You or your foster child can ask for more visits from the social worker.
Ending a placement
You must give 28 days’ notice to your social worker if you no longer wish to be the child’s foster parent.
Support from Fosterline
Call Fosterline for free to get advice on fostering.
Fosterline
0800 040 7675
They can provide information about fostering including: