What checks are needed for temporary emergency foster care?

For temporary emergency foster care, the central question is whether the proposed carer and household can safely care for a particular child at short notice. The assessment therefore looks beyond paperwork: it considers the child’s known needs, the household’s circumstances, the safety of the home and the carer’s ability to work with professionals.

Checks are considered alongside the information available about the child. This may include age, behaviour, health, education, family relationships, known risks and any support the child may need. The fostering service uses this information to identify whether the home is suitable for this individual placement, rather than treating emergency approval as a general approval for every child.

A temporary approval decision will usually examine:

• The applicant’s identity and history: the service needs a clear account of the applicant’s identity, previous addresses, employment and relevant personal circumstances. Gaps or inconsistencies may need to be explained before a decision can be completed.
• Household relationships: assessors consider how everyone in the home feels about fostering, how decisions are made and whether the household can manage changes to routines, privacy and space.
• Parenting and caring experience: previous experience is considered, but applicants do not necessarily need to have been foster carers before. The assessment focuses on judgement, boundaries, reliability, understanding of safeguarding and willingness to learn.
• Health and resilience: the relevant medical information helps establish whether the applicant can meet the physical and emotional demands of caring for a child. A health condition does not automatically prevent fostering; its effect on the proposed role is what matters.
• Accommodation and practical arrangements: the home must provide a safe, suitable place for the child, with appropriate sleeping arrangements, supervision and arrangements for school, transport, appointments and contact with family members.
• Support network: the service considers who can provide practical or emotional support and whether those people understand confidentiality, safeguarding and the boundaries of their involvement.
• Financial circumstances: applicants should be able to manage their household finances responsibly. The assessment is not intended to exclude someone simply because they receive benefits, but financial pressure must not make the placement unsafe or unsustainable.

Adults who live in the household, and people who will have significant involvement with the child, may need to provide information or undergo relevant safeguarding checks. The service will also consider regular visitors, informal carers and other adults who may spend time with the child. This is important because safeguarding applies to the child’s wider environment, not only to the named foster carer.

References may be used to confirm how the applicant manages responsibility, relationships and difficult situations. Referees should know the applicant well enough to give useful, independent information. If the applicant has previously worked with children, held a position of trust or fostered before, the relevant organisation may be contacted so that the service can understand any concerns, allegations or previous outcomes.

Any information that raises a concern is assessed in context. A criminal record, previous involvement with children’s services, a health issue or a difficult personal history does not always lead to an automatic refusal. The decision will take account of the nature and seriousness of the information, how long ago it occurred, evidence of change, the applicant’s openness and the potential effect on the child. Deliberately withholding important information can create a greater safeguarding concern than the underlying issue.

For an emergency placement, the responsible fostering service records what has been established, what remains to be verified and what safeguards are needed immediately. This may include conditions about sleeping arrangements, supervision, contact with particular people, transport, pets, equipment or information sharing. A placement should not proceed on the assumption that missing information does not matter; any uncertainty must be managed through a clear risk assessment and professional oversight.

Temporary approval is different from completing the full fostering assessment. It allows the service to make a decision about the immediate arrangement under the relevant fostering framework, while further assessment work may continue. The carer should be told who is responsible for supervision, how to report a concern, which records to keep and what changes must be disclosed. The service will then review the placement and the outstanding assessment information in line with its statutory duties.

Applicants can help the process by providing accurate information promptly, discussing concerns openly, identifying every adult who may be involved and preparing the home before the child arrives. They should also explain any recent changes such as a new relationship, move of home, change in health, financial difficulty or change to household membership. Keeping information current is part of safe fostering, including after the emergency placement has begun.

The final decision is not based on whether someone appears willing to help in a crisis. It depends on whether the available evidence shows that the proposed arrangement is safe, suitable and capable of meeting the child’s needs, with appropriate safeguards and professional support in place.