What records must I keep during emergency infant foster care?

During emergency infant foster care, records must be accurate, dated, objective and completed as soon as practicable after an event. They provide a reliable account of what happened, help professionals make decisions for the baby and demonstrate that care was provided in line with the placement plan and your agency’s procedures.

Use the approved recording system. Your fostering agency will explain which forms, online system or diary you must use. Follow its instructions rather than creating an alternative system, because different records may need to be shared, reviewed or retained in specific ways. Ask your supervising social worker which information must be recorded separately, particularly where an event involves a safeguarding concern, injury, medication error or allegation.

Make each entry clear and traceable. A useful record should identify:

• the date and time of the event or observation;
• who was present or involved;
• what you directly saw, heard or did;
• any information given to you, including who provided it;
• the action taken and the outcome; and
• who you informed and when.

Separate fact from interpretation. For example, record that the baby was crying, had a particular temperature if taken using the approved method, or that a professional gave specific advice. Do not present an assumption about the reason for a behaviour as fact. Where someone uses important words, record them as accurately as possible and identify them as a direct account.

Complete records promptly. Entries made much later can be less reliable, so avoid relying on memory. If you remember something that should have been included, add a dated supplementary entry according to the agency’s process. Do not delete, overwrite or conceal the original entry. For paper records, correct an error with a single line, add the correction, and initial and date it if that is the required procedure. For electronic records, use the system’s amendment function.

Record changes and concerns objectively. An emergency placement can involve new information arriving from health, social care or family members. Note when information changes, what advice you received and whether the child’s social worker or another designated professional was notified. A concern about the baby’s health, safety or welfare should be passed on through the agreed reporting route without waiting to complete a lengthy account. Write the record as soon as possible afterwards, including any instructions received.

Keep documents together and secure. Store paper records in the place specified by your agency, away from visitors and anyone who is not authorised to see them. Protect electronic records with the required passwords and security measures. Do not photograph pages, save them to a personal cloud account, discuss the child on social media or send information through an unapproved messaging service. Avoid leaving records visible in a vehicle or shared area.

Only share information with people who have a legitimate role in the child’s care, and use the secure method advised by your agency. Data protection does not mean withholding information from authorised professionals who need it to safeguard or care for the baby; it means handling that information carefully and sharing no more than is necessary.

Check what must be handed over. When the placement changes or ends, your agency may require particular records and documents to be returned or transferred. Make a clear handover of outstanding appointments, instructions, current concerns and significant changes, using the approved process. Do not keep unofficial copies as a personal record unless your agency explicitly permits this.

Retention periods and disposal arrangements are set by the fostering agency or relevant local authority, so do not destroy records when you think they are no longer needed. Return or dispose of them only as instructed. If a record is lost, sent to the wrong person or accessed by someone unauthorised, report it immediately through your agency’s data-protection procedure.

Your supervising social worker should explain the required standard before or at the start of the placement and review your records with you. If you are unsure whether something needs recording, or how to describe a sensitive event, ask for guidance and make a factual note of the advice you receive. Become A Foster Family provides local support across the West Midlands, including Birmingham, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Dudley, Sandwell, Herefordshire, Telford, Wolverhampton, Shropshire, Walsall, Warwickshire, Stoke, Solihull, Coventry and Gloucestershire, through teams based across the region and offices in Droitwich and Stoke.