What support is available between voluntary foster placements?
Between voluntary foster placements, support can include ongoing guidance, relevant training, financial advice and help preparing for your next placement. This may also involve reviewing your circumstances and identifying any further support or development needs before a new placement begins.
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Support between voluntary foster placements is the structured care and oversight that continues after one placement ends and before another begins. It helps maintain safe fostering practice, gives carers an opportunity to reflect on the previous placement, and ensures that any change in circumstances is considered before approval or matching arrangements are relied upon.
After a placement ends , the supervising social worker may discuss how the placement concluded, what went well and whether any difficulties need further attention. This is separate from the child’s statutory review and does not replace the records that must be provided to the placing authority. A closing discussion can help identify safeguarding concerns, gaps in information, disagreements about decisions or effects on other members of the household.
Where an incident, complaint, allegation or safeguarding concern has arisen, the relevant procedures continue even if the child has moved on. The carer should follow the agreed reporting process, preserve relevant records and avoid discussing confidential information outside the appropriate professional channels. The fostering service can explain which matters need to be referred to the child’s social worker, the supervising social worker or another safeguarding professional.
Regular supervision remains important during a gap between placements. These discussions may cover:
- the carer’s current circumstances, health and wellbeing;
- changes in household members, employment, accommodation or pets;
- the impact of the previous placement on birth children or other people in the home;
- any concerns about confidence, boundaries, behaviour management or safeguarding;
- the type of placement that may be suitable in light of the household’s current situation; and
- whether approval details or the safer-care plan need to be updated.
A break between placements can also be used to review the practical arrangements that support fostering. This may include checking emergency contacts, transport arrangements, sleeping arrangements, household rules, safer-care expectations and the process for recording significant events. Keeping these arrangements current reduces the risk of relying on information that applied to a previous placement but no longer reflects the household.
Peer and emotional support may be available through foster carer groups, informal contact with other approved carers or discussions with the fostering team. This can be particularly useful after a difficult ending or where the carer needs to consider how fostering has affected the wider family. Peer discussion should still respect the child’s privacy: identifying details and confidential case information must not be shared casually.
Carers should also know what happens to their approval while they are not caring for a child. A gap does not automatically mean that approval ends, but the fostering service may need to confirm that the carer remains suitable and that the household continues to meet the relevant standards. Formal reviews, updated checks or a change to the approval terms may be required in some circumstances, particularly after a significant change or a long period without a placement.
Before considering a new referral, the carer can ask for clear information about the proposed child or young person, including known needs, risks, contact arrangements, education, health and the expected level of involvement. The carer should have enough opportunity to raise questions and explain any limits within the household. Saying that a proposed match is unsuitable is part of responsible decision-making; accepting a placement should not depend on feeling pressured to agree.
It is sensible to keep a personal list of questions and to record agreed actions after supervision meetings. If support arrangements are unclear, ask who the main point of contact is, how concerns should be reported and which documents need updating. The exact arrangements vary according to the fostering service, the carer’s approval and the circumstances of the previous placement, so these points should be confirmed directly with the supervising team.
Training between voluntary foster placements helps carers keep their knowledge current and address learning needs identified during the previous placement. The supervising social worker may discuss whether refresher training or additional development would be useful before a new child or young person is considered.
This learning might relate to safeguarding, safer-care practice, recording information, supporting behaviour, health needs or responding to a particular type of placement. The relevant focus should reflect the carer’s approval, experience and circumstances rather than being treated as a standard list for every household.
Carers should keep track of agreed training and discuss any difficulty completing it with their supervising social worker. Where learning has been recommended after an incident, concern or challenging placement, it may need to be addressed before the carer accepts another referral. Training is therefore not simply a formality: it can provide a structured way to turn experience into safer, more confident practice.
Find out more about support between voluntary foster placements
If you are considering voluntary fostering, contact our team to discuss the support available between placements and how it would apply to your circumstances. You can then ask questions before deciding whether to take the next step.