How are foster carers involved in planning a child’s care?

Foster carers are active contributors to a child’s care plan, although they do not usually make the legal decisions about the child’s future. Their role is to provide accurate information about daily life, help put agreed plans into practice, and make sure the child’s needs, wishes and experiences are understood by the professionals responsible for their care.

Contributing to the care plan: The local authority is responsible for preparing and reviewing the child’s care plan. This sets out important arrangements, such as where the child will live, their health and education needs, contact with family members, cultural or religious requirements, and plans for permanence. Foster carers can explain how these arrangements are working in practice and identify where a plan may need to change.

Information from foster carers is particularly valuable because they see the child’s routines, behaviour and development over time. Useful contributions may include observations about sleep, eating, school attendance, friendships, emotional wellbeing, medical needs and responses to contact. These observations should be factual and specific rather than based on assumptions or labels.

Taking part in reviews and meetings: Foster carers are expected to attend relevant meetings where their input is needed, including looked-after child reviews, placement planning meetings and discussions about education or health. The child’s social worker and independent reviewing officer use these meetings to consider whether the care arrangements remain suitable and whether the child’s needs are being met.

Before a meeting, a foster carer may be asked to provide a written report or update. This is an opportunity to record progress, concerns, significant events and examples of the child’s wishes. A carer can also ask questions about decisions, raise practical difficulties and suggest additional support or services. If attending a meeting is not possible, they should provide their information through the agreed route so that their contribution is still considered.

Helping the child’s voice to be heard: Planning should reflect the child’s wishes and feelings in a way that is appropriate to their age and understanding. Foster carers can help a child prepare for a meeting, explain unfamiliar processes and support them to communicate what matters to them. They should not coach a child to give a particular answer. Instead, they can pass on the child’s own views and explain any changes they have noticed in the child’s presentation or behaviour.

Some children find it difficult to express their views directly, particularly if they have experienced trauma, disruption or communication difficulties. In these situations, careful day-to-day observations from the foster carer can help professionals understand what the child may be communicating through behaviour, routines or relationships. The child should still be given suitable opportunities to express their own views.

Putting the placement plan into practice: The placement plan provides practical information about how the placement will work. It may cover routines, boundaries, appointments, school arrangements, family contact, transport, healthcare, safe caring and permissions for everyday activities. Foster carers follow the agreed plan while using their normal parenting skills to provide structure and reassurance.

Some decisions can be delegated to foster carers, allowing them to give day-to-day consent for activities such as haircuts, school trips, hobbies or social events. The extent of this authority should be clear at the start of the placement. Other decisions, particularly those involving significant medical treatment, changes to education, travel or contact arrangements, may need approval from the local authority, the child’s parents or the court. Foster carers should check who has authority before making a decision that falls outside ordinary daily care.

Supporting education and health planning: Foster carers provide practical information for the child’s personal education planning and health reviews. They can share details about attendance, attainment, concentration, relationships, appointments, medication and any barriers to progress. They may also help the child attend appointments, follow professional advice and maintain healthy routines.

Where a child has additional learning needs, disabilities or emotional and behavioural support needs, the foster carer’s observations can help inform assessments and referrals. Records should distinguish between what the carer has directly observed, what the child has said and what another person has reported.

Contributing to contact arrangements: Contact with parents, siblings and other important people is planned around the child’s welfare and legal circumstances. Foster carers may help prepare the child, support transport or arrangements where agreed, and report objectively on how the child appears before and after contact. They should avoid criticising family members or discussing adult disputes with the child. Any concerns about safety or the impact of contact should be reported to the child’s social worker promptly through the agreed safeguarding process.

Reviewing progress and raising concerns: Planning is not a one-off exercise. A child’s needs can change as they settle into a placement, begin school, develop relationships or experience changes in family circumstances. Foster carers should keep appropriate records and share significant information rather than waiting for the next formal review.

If a foster carer disagrees with part of a plan, they should explain the reason clearly, provide evidence from their observations and suggest an alternative where possible. They can ask for clarification, request that a concern is recorded, or use the agency’s complaints or escalation procedure if the issue is not addressed. Disagreement should be handled professionally and should not be discussed with the child in a way that places them in the middle of adult decisions.

Good care planning depends on regular communication between the child, foster carer, social worker, family members where appropriate, education staff, health professionals and other relevant people. The foster carer’s contribution is strongest when it is timely, accurate, child-focused and linked to practical examples of what will help the child feel safe, make progress and maintain important relationships.