6.1.1 Aims and Principles of the Fostering Service

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This chapter should be read in conjunction with:

Wakefield Safeguarding and Family Support (Children's Services) Policies, Values and Principles Procedure.

Wakefield MDC's Fostering Service recognises that all children have a right to be provided with foster care services which value diversity and promote equality and aims to provide such services. It also recognises that those children who may be doubly disadvantaged because of their disability or their race have additional needs which will be a focus in the recruitment and assessment of carers.

Wakefield's fostering service comprises two teams. These are a Fostering Recruitment Team which focuses on the recruitment and assessment of new foster carers and a Fostering Supervision Team which focuses on the supervision of approved foster carers. Both teams have a separate Team Manager. The Teams share functions such as the Fostering Duty Service, which places children with foster carers. Although each team manager has distinct functions they also deputise for each other's roles. Where a policy refers to 'Fostering Team Manager' and it is not obvious to which manager is implied, it can be assumed it relates to either manager.

Aims of the Fostering Service
Principles of the Fostering Service

1. Aims of the Fostering Service

To provide a high quality service for children and young people who are unable to live with their birth family and whose needs require a placement with foster carers.
To recruit a range of foster families to ensure that a child's right to or need for a foster placement is not compromised by reason of his or her age, race, ethnicity, disability, gender, religion or birth family relationships.
To welcome applicants who wish to become foster carers with courtesy and without prejudice; respond to them promptly and give clear information to them about recruitment, assessment and approval. They will be treated fairly, openly and with respect throughout the process.
To consider applicants who wish to become foster carers in terms of their capacity to look after children in a safe and responsible way that meets their developmental needs. Each applicant will be subject to and participate in a comprehensive process of preparation, training and assessment of his/her ability to carry out the fostering task.
Each applicant will be formally approved by the appropriate authority before a child or your person is placed in his or her care.
To ensure that all approved foster carers receive appropriate support, supervision and training to enable them to provide consistent high quality care to the children placed with them in accordance with the requirements of the relevant legislation and guidance.

2. Principles of the Fostering Service

The following principles underpin the work of the Fostering Service and should be read in the context of the Council’s main principles of family and child care policy.

2.1 Assessing applicants for fostering

Any member of the public has a right to make an enquiry in relation to applying to be assessed as a foster carer. BUT;
No one has the right to be assessed and approved as a foster carer.
The Fostering Service will exercise its duty to fully assess any person who applies to become a foster carer.
However the Fostering Service will not assess employees of Wakefield WMDC who work for Safeguarding and Family Support. These applicants will be redirected to other fostering agencies, unless there are exceptional circumstances and the assessment is agreed by the Service Director (see Fostering Conflict of Interest Procedure)
The Fostering Service cannot approve a person who has been approved as a foster carer by another fostering agency, unless that approval has been terminated.
The Fostering Service will require of all applicants that they are subject to satisfactory police and health checks and personal and other references appropriate to their circumstances.
The Fostering Service has a responsibility to all children and young people in foster placements to ensure to the best of its ability that the foster carers it approves are able to provide safe, appropriate care for the children and young people it places with them.
For black and minority ethnic children there will be proactive focus on securing placements within families of the same ethnic origin which research has shown are better placed to nurture identity and self esteem; promote continuity of culture, religion and language; and identify and challenge racism.
The Fostering Service has a responsibility to the children of fostering applicants that they will not be harmed in any emotional, physical or psychological way by being part of a foster family.
The Fostering Service has a responsibility to fostering applicants and others in the foster home that they will not be harmed in any significant or lasting emotional, physical or psychological way by being a foster carer or a member of the household.

2.2 Supporting foster carers

Foster carers are a vital resource and will be treated accordingly by all members of staff.
Good quality support is essential to the establishment and maintenance of placements.
Fostering and child care staff will adhere to minimum visiting and contact requirements.
Supervision of a foster carer’s ability and performance in undertaking tasks on behalf of the Fostering Service is crucial.
Foster carers will be encouraged to take up the training opportunities offered to develop their skills and understanding.
Foster carers will be encouraged to seek peer support from experienced carers.
Access to independent support and advice will be facilitated.
Advice about the range of the fostering tasks will be available from the Fostering Service.
Support foster carers to understand, manage and deal with young people's behaviour including encouraging children to take responsibility for their behaviour and helping them to learn how to resolve conflict.
Advice and support about working with other agencies and professionals will be given by the Fostering Service.

2.3 Choice of Placements

The Family Services Directorate is committed to helping children remain within their family of birth wherever possible. Where this is not possible, we will endeavour to promote and support placement with the child's extended family and friends, before other forms of placement are considered.

Family, friends and Connected Persons care:

enables children to live with people they know and trust
reduces the trauma that may be experienced when they have to live with strangers
reinforces children’s sense of identity and self-esteem, which comes from knowing their family history and culture
helps children to keep closer contact with their sisters and brothers and other family members
encourages families to consider and rely on their own family members as resources
gives children more opportunity to stay linked to their own communities and promotes community responsibility for children and families
strengthens the ability of families to give children the support they need

In keeping with the duties of the Children Act 1989, the possibility of a child being placed with his or her extended family or a family friend as a privately agreed arrangement will always be considered first as an alternative to the local authority deciding to place a child as a Looked After child.

If it is necessary for a child to be Looked After, placing a child with a family, friends or Connected Person carer should always be considered before placement is made with other foster carers who are strangers to the child.

"Even when it has become necessary for the responsible authority to arrange provision of accommodation, placement with a relative will often provide the best opportunities for promoting and maintaining family links in a familiar setting." Children Act 1989 Guidance Vol 3 ch 3.

In placements made by the Family Services Directorate where the child will be a Looked After child, the carer must be able to comply with the Fostering National Minimum Standards in order to be registered as a foster carer.

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