What happens if a foster child needs care during my working day?

If a foster child needs care during your working day, you must have an agreed and suitable arrangement in place before the placement begins. The plan should reflect the child’s age, needs, school routine, appointments, contact arrangements and any risks, while also considering your working hours and what support is realistically available.

Fostering services do not normally expect a child to be left with an unsuitable or unauthorised adult. You should discuss everyone who may provide care with your fostering team so they can confirm whether the arrangement is appropriate and what checks or approvals are required. This may include:

• registered childcare that can meet the child’s needs;
• an approved foster carer providing planned short-break care;
• a trusted relative or friend, where the fostering service has agreed that they are suitable;
• support from your partner or another household member who is able to take responsibility; or
• agreed flexibility in your working pattern or workplace arrangements.

The right option depends on the individual child. For example, a young person who is settled at school may need a different arrangement from a child who has additional needs, frequent appointments, supervised contact or difficulty managing changes in routine. The placement plan and safer-care arrangements should set out who can care for the child, when they can do so, how information is shared and what to do if circumstances change.

School and childcare arrangements

Many working foster carers use a combination of school, wraparound childcare and support from people known to the child. You will need to consider school drop-offs and collections, school holidays, inset days, illness, transport and unexpected changes. Childcare must be suitable for the child and consistent with any restrictions, routines or safeguarding requirements set by the placing authority and fostering service.

Do not assume that an ordinary babysitting arrangement is automatically acceptable. Foster children may have particular vulnerabilities, and the fostering service needs to know who is caring for them and understand the arrangement. Ask for advice before relying on a relative, friend, childminder or other carer, especially if the arrangement will be regular or involve overnight care.

When a child is ill or cannot attend school

A child may need to stay at home because of illness, an exclusion, an inset day, an appointment or a significant change in circumstances. Your plan should explain what happens in these situations. You may need to use annual leave, an agreed change to your hours, emergency workplace arrangements, help from an approved support person or planned short-break care. The appropriate response will depend on the child’s needs and the expectations of your employer and fostering service.

It is sensible to discuss these possibilities with your employer before you apply or before a placement is made. Consider whether you can adjust your start and finish times, work from home where appropriate, use leave or attend important meetings and appointments linked to the child. Any arrangement must be practical rather than based on an assumption that every child will fit easily around your existing timetable.

Appointments, contact and fostering responsibilities

Fostering involves more than providing a bed and supervision. You may need to attend meetings, health appointments, school discussions, training, reviews or family-contact arrangements during normal working hours. These responsibilities should be considered as part of the matching and planning process. You should be open about your job, travel requirements and flexibility so that the fostering service can assess whether a proposed placement is suitable.

Some activities may be managed by another approved person, but this should be agreed in advance. You should not make informal arrangements that conflict with the child’s plan or leave another adult responsible without checking first. Keep your fostering service informed if your work pattern changes, if your usual childcare becomes unavailable or if the child’s needs increase.

What happens in an emergency?

Your household should have a clear contingency plan. This might identify who can collect the child, where the child can stay temporarily and how you will contact your fostering service, the school, your employer and other relevant professionals. The plan should also cover what happens if you are delayed, become unwell or cannot reach the child as expected.

Emergency arrangements are not a substitute for regular childcare. If a placement regularly requires care that was not anticipated, tell your supervising social worker or fostering team. The plan may need to be reviewed, and additional support or a different arrangement may be considered.

How this affects your fostering assessment

Working full time does not automatically prevent you from fostering, but your assessment will look carefully at how the child will be cared for while you work. You should be ready to explain:

• your usual working hours, travel time and any shift or overtime requirements;
• who can provide care if you are at work;
• how school runs, holidays and appointments would be managed;
• what support you have from your household, family or friends;
• how you would respond if the child became distressed, unwell or unable to attend school; and
• how you would make time for meetings, training and other fostering responsibilities.

The fostering team will consider whether the proposed arrangements provide consistent, safe care and whether they are sustainable for your household. If your current plan is not suitable for a particular child, that does not necessarily mean you cannot foster; it may mean that a different age range, placement type or support plan needs to be considered.

Before applying, map out a normal working week as well as less predictable situations such as school holidays and illness. Then discuss the plan with your employer and fostering service. Clear arrangements made in advance help everyone understand their responsibilities and reduce the risk of a foster child being left without appropriate care during your working day.