Can you check and correct errors in your foster care assessment?

A fostering assessment can be corrected where it contains inaccurate facts, outdated information, omissions or an unclear account of what you have said. However, a correction is different from changing an assessing social worker’s professional analysis. You can challenge the evidence and ask for your view to be included, but the final assessment may still record a professional opinion that you do not share.

Read the assessment carefully before signing or commenting on it. Check whether it accurately reflects your circumstances, discussions and supporting information. Pay particular attention to:

• Names, dates, addresses, household details and employment information.
• Details about health, relationships, family history, accommodation and finances.
• Accounts of conversations with you, your partner, children or other household members.
• Information taken from references, checks, school reports or other documents.
• Descriptions of your motivation to foster, experience of caring for children and understanding of safeguarding.
• Any statement suggesting that you said, did or believed something that you do not recognise.
• Information that has changed since an earlier interview or that has not been updated.

Separate factual inaccuracies from conclusions. For example, the statement that you work in a particular role or that a household member has a particular medical condition may be factually wrong. By contrast, a conclusion that you need more support with a specific aspect of fostering is an assessment judgement. You can still challenge the reasoning behind that conclusion, particularly if it is based on incorrect or incomplete information, but it may not be removed simply because you disagree with it.

Raise concerns first with your assessing social worker. Explain precisely which passage is wrong, incomplete or misleading and provide the correct information. Referring to page numbers or specific wording makes it easier to deal with each point. Where possible, include documents or other evidence that support your account. Keep your comments factual and explain why the error matters to the assessment.

Ask what will happen to your proposed changes. Depending on the stage of the assessment and the nature of the issue, the agency may correct the wording, update the assessment, add an amendment or attach your written response. It may also make a note explaining why it has not accepted a proposed change. A disagreement should not simply disappear: if the professional conclusion remains different, your view and the agency’s reasons should be recorded clearly.

If the assessment is being prepared for fostering panel, raise significant concerns before the panel considers it. Ask whether the panel will receive your written comments alongside the assessment and whether you will have an opportunity to explain an important disagreement. The agency’s procedure should explain how information is finalised and how your representations are handled. Do not assume that signing a document means you agree with every conclusion; ask what your signature confirms and record any unresolved concerns in writing.

You can also ask the organisation to explain how it obtained and used personal information about you. Data protection rights may allow you to request access to personal data held about you, although these rights are subject to legal limits and do not necessarily provide a right to rewrite every professional record. Information about other people may need to be restricted or redacted. The organisation should tell you how to raise a data-related concern and how to use its complaints procedure.

If informal discussions do not resolve the issue, follow the fostering service’s formal complaints process. Set out:

• the wording you believe is inaccurate or incomplete;
• the information you believe should replace or qualify it;
• any evidence supporting your position;
• the steps already taken with the assessing social worker; and
• the outcome you are asking for, such as a correction, an addendum or a written response attached to the assessment.

Get independent advice if the disputed material could affect your approval, relates to a serious allegation, involves sensitive health or safeguarding information, or concerns how the assessment process has been conducted. A suitably experienced fostering adviser or legal professional can help you distinguish an error from a professional judgement and present your response clearly.

Do not wait until after a decision has been made if you believe the assessment contains a significant error. Keep copies of your comments, supporting documents and correspondence, and ask for confirmation of what has been added or changed. The assessment should provide a fair and accurate basis for consideration, while still allowing the fostering service to reach and explain its professional conclusions.