What support do foster carers receive during a voluntary foster care placement?

During a voluntary foster care placement, support is usually coordinated through the fostering organisation and the local authority responsible for the child. Foster carers normally have a supervising social worker for advice about their role, while the child’s social worker remains responsible for the child’s care plan and wider welfare. The placement plan should explain who to contact, what decisions carers can make and how concerns are escalated.

Support from the supervising social worker

The supervising social worker helps the foster carer apply the placement plan in day-to-day situations. This can include discussing the child’s routines, behaviour, relationships, education, health needs and contact with parents or other relatives. Supervision also gives the carer a structured opportunity to review what is working, identify difficulties and consider whether the placement arrangements need to change.

The supervising social worker may also help the carer work with other professionals, such as the child’s social worker, school, health services and contact supervisors. Where different professionals give conflicting advice, the social worker can help clarify responsibilities and ensure that decisions remain consistent with the child’s care plan.

A clear placement plan

A voluntary placement should have written information covering the child’s needs and the practical arrangements for their care. Foster carers should be given enough information to understand:

• the reasons for the placement and the intended outcomes;
• the child’s health, education, emotional and behavioural needs;
• arrangements for contact with parents, siblings and other important people;
• who can consent to medical treatment, school activities, travel and other significant matters;
• the arrangements for reviews and decisions about the placement; and
• what to do if the child’s needs or circumstances change.

In a voluntary arrangement, the child’s parents generally retain parental responsibility. This means foster carers should not assume that they can make every major decision on the parent’s behalf. The placement plan and delegated authority arrangements should set out the decisions carers can make as part of ordinary daily care, and when they must seek permission from the local authority or parents.

Help with safeguarding and difficult situations

Foster carers receive guidance on keeping the child safe, managing boundaries and responding to concerns. This may include advice about safer caring, online activity, visitors, allegations, missing episodes, self-harm, challenging behaviour and concerns raised by the child. Carers should report safeguarding concerns through the procedure provided by their fostering organisation and record what happened accurately.

If an allegation is made about a foster carer or another household member, the carer should be told how the local authority’s safeguarding and allegations process works. The response may involve the local authority’s designated officer, social workers and other agencies. The purpose is to protect the child, deal fairly with the adults involved and ensure that information is handled appropriately. Foster carers should ask for clarification before discussing an allegation with the child or anyone outside the agreed process.

Practical support around contact, school and health

Voluntary placements often involve continuing contact between the child and their parents. Foster carers should receive information about the time, place, supervision arrangements and purpose of contact. They can raise concerns if contact is distressing for the child, becomes impractical or appears inconsistent with the agreed plan. Changes should be discussed with the child’s social worker rather than arranged informally where they affect the placement or the child’s safety.

Support may also involve communicating with the child’s school and health professionals. Foster carers can be helped to pass on relevant information, attend meetings and understand how the child’s education or health plan affects daily care. The level of information shared should respect confidentiality while giving carers what they need to care safely for the child.

Reviews and changes to the placement

The placement should be reviewed to consider the child’s welfare, progress and continuing needs. Foster carers should contribute their observations, including changes in behaviour, relationships, health, school attendance and contact. Reviews can identify whether additional services, changes to routines or a different plan are needed.

A voluntary placement can change if the child’s needs increase, the parents’ circumstances alter or the arrangement is no longer suitable. Foster carers should be told who is responsible for agreeing changes and what happens if a parent asks for the child to return. They should not be expected to negotiate these matters alone.

What foster carers should do if support is unclear

Carers should keep the placement plan and important contact details accessible, ask questions when responsibilities are unclear and raise concerns early. They should also keep factual records of significant events, decisions and conversations in line with their organisation’s requirements. If the support offered does not match the child’s needs, the carer can ask for this to be reviewed with the supervising social worker and the child’s social worker.

The exact arrangements vary between fostering organisations and local authorities, but effective support should give foster carers clear responsibilities, a route for professional advice and a formal way to review the placement when circumstances change.