What happens to support when a child leaves your care?

After a placement ends, support focuses on managing the transition, reviewing what has happened and helping you decide what you need before your next step. The level and type of contact should reflect the circumstances of the move, the child’s needs and your own wellbeing.

During the transition , your fostering team may help you understand the arrangements for the child’s move, clarify any information that needs to be shared and identify practical tasks such as returning belongings, completing records or contributing to reviews. Where the ending is planned, this work can form part of a transition plan. If the placement ends unexpectedly, the team can help establish what happened, what action is required and whether any immediate support is needed.

A placement review is an important part of the process. You may be asked to reflect on the child’s progress, relationships, routines, challenges and achievements. This information can help professionals plan the child’s next placement or care arrangements. It also gives you an opportunity to discuss what worked well, what was difficult and whether further training or guidance would be useful.

Support after the move can include:

• a debrief with your supervising social worker or another member of the fostering team;
• help processing difficult events, including disrupted or emotionally demanding endings;
• advice about recording information and completing outstanding documentation;
• discussion of any safeguarding, complaints or professional concerns that arose during the placement;
• guidance about taking a break, accepting another referral or preparing for a different type of placement; and
• signposting to additional services where your needs fall outside the usual fostering support arrangements.

It is also reasonable to ask how contact with the child will be managed. Some foster carers remain involved through an agreed arrangement, while in other situations contact is not appropriate or is decided by the child’s social worker and other relevant professionals. Any ongoing communication should follow the agreed plan, protect the child’s privacy and take account of legal and safeguarding requirements. Foster carers should not assume that informal contact can continue without professional agreement.

The end of a placement does not automatically mean that you are expected to accept another child straight away. Your supervising social worker should discuss your circumstances, availability, household impact and readiness before any future placement is considered. You can use this conversation to identify changes needed at home, request further preparation or explain that you need time before fostering again.

Financial arrangements may also change when a child leaves, because allowances and other payments are connected to the terms of the placement and your fostering agreement. Ask your fostering provider to explain what applies in your circumstances, including any final paperwork or payments, rather than relying on general information.

If you feel that contact has reduced before you have completed the review or dealt with an unresolved concern, raise this with your supervising social worker. You can ask for the next steps to be recorded clearly, including who is responsible for each action and how you can obtain further guidance. Keeping your own notes of significant events, meetings and questions can make those discussions more productive.