What local authority checks are required for foster carers?

Local authority checks examine information held by children’s services and other relevant council departments to help assess whether fostering would be safe and suitable. They are one part of the assessment process and are considered alongside references, criminal record checks, medical information, training, interviews and the circumstances of everyone in the household.

Which councils may be contacted?

Checks are normally requested from each relevant local authority connected with your recent address history. This can include councils where you have lived, and may also include the authority currently responsible for your children’s services records. The fostering service will usually ask for details such as previous addresses, dates of residence and the names of any other adults or children in the household.

The exact enquiries depend on your circumstances. For example, a check may be needed with a council where:

• you previously lived for a significant period;
• you received support from children’s services;
• you were involved in a child protection assessment or care proceedings;
• your children were known to social care; or
• another household member has a relevant connection with that authority.

The fostering service will identify which checks are required under the relevant fostering regulations and its safeguarding procedures. If you have lived in several areas, this can mean enquiries are sent to more than one council.

What information can be disclosed?

A local authority may search its social care records for information relevant to the assessment. This could include records of referrals, assessments, child protection concerns, allegations, parenting support, children who have been looked after, or other involvement with children’s services. Information about adults in the household may also be considered where it has a bearing on children’s safety.

A record of contact with a council does not automatically mean that you cannot foster. Families may have approached social care for help, received support during a difficult period, or been involved in an assessment that did not identify ongoing risk. The important issues are usually what happened, whether concerns were substantiated, how they were managed, what has changed and whether any risk remains.

Local authority information must be relevant to the fostering assessment. It should not be treated as a simple pass-or-fail search. The assessing social worker will consider the context, the reliability of the information, how recent it is and how it relates to your ability to provide safe, consistent care.

Do household members have checks?

Checks are not limited to the person making the application. Information about other household members may be requested where their conduct, history or relationship with children could affect fostering. This commonly includes adults living in the home and, depending on the circumstances, children or young people who have had social care involvement.

The fostering service should explain whose information is needed and why. A person’s privacy must be respected, and information should be handled in line with data protection requirements. The relevance of information about a household member will be assessed separately from the applicant’s own history.

How does the process work?

• You provide a complete address history and relevant details about your household.
• The fostering service submits enquiries to the appropriate local authorities.
• The council searches its records and provides relevant information through the safeguarding process.
• Your assessing social worker discusses any material information with you and considers it alongside the rest of the assessment.
• The fostering service decides whether the assessment can continue, whether further information is needed, or whether the concerns mean fostering is not suitable.

You should give accurate information about previous addresses and social care involvement. Omitting a relevant detail may create greater concern than the original event because openness is an important part of assessing suitability. If you are unsure whether something needs to be disclosed, raise it with your assessing social worker rather than guessing.

What if a check raises a concern?

The fostering service should normally give you an opportunity to understand and comment on information that may affect the assessment. You may be asked to explain the circumstances, provide documents, identify changes in your situation or discuss how you would manage similar risks when caring for a fostered child.

The assessment may look at factors including:

• the nature and seriousness of the concern;
• how long ago it occurred;
• whether children were harmed or placed at risk;
• the outcome of any social care involvement;
• your insight, honesty and responsibility for what happened;
• changes in relationships, lifestyle, housing or parenting circumstances; and
• the potential effect on a child placed in your household.

Some concerns may require additional assessment, professional advice or a discussion with the fostering panel. In more serious cases, the agency may decide that it cannot recommend approval. That decision should be based on the full evidence and the applicable fostering standards, rather than on the existence of a council record alone.

How should you prepare?

Before checks begin, gather a clear address history and think about any previous involvement with children’s services. Be ready to explain relevant events factually, including what support was offered and what has changed since then. You can also ask the fostering service how it will obtain consent, who will see the information and how your views will be recorded.

Local authority checks can be detailed because they are intended to identify safeguarding information that may not appear in other checks. They should, however, be considered fairly, proportionately and in context. Your fostering service can explain which councils are being contacted, help you understand any questions raised and discuss what the information means for the rest of your assessment.