What happens during a family placement assessment?

A family placement assessment is a structured process used to decide whether you can safely care for a particular child within your family or existing relationship network. It considers both your general suitability to foster and how well your circumstances, skills and support network match the child’s individual needs.

The assessment usually begins with an introductory discussion. This gives you the opportunity to explain your relationship with the child, why you are considering fostering and what you understand about the responsibilities involved. The assessing social worker will also explain the stages of the process, the information required and the standards you will need to meet.

Because the child is already known to you, the assessment will explore your existing relationship carefully. This may include:

• how often you have seen or cared for the child
• what you know about their personality, history, routines and needs
• how the child responds to you and other members of your household
• how you would manage changes in your relationship if you became their foster carer
• how you would support the child’s links with parents, siblings and other important people
• how you would work with social workers, education professionals, health services and the child’s wider family.

Your household and home are assessed as well. The social worker will talk to everyone who lives in the property, including children, where appropriate. They will consider whether the home provides suitable space, privacy and safety, as well as whether household members understand the possible impact of fostering. The assessment can cover bedroom arrangements, visitors, pets, transport, work commitments and any other practical issue that could affect the child’s care.

You will be expected to provide detailed information about your personal history, relationships, health, employment, finances and previous experience of caring for children. This is not intended to judge ordinary life experiences. Instead, it helps the assessing social worker understand your strengths, identify any support you may need and consider how you would respond to safeguarding concerns, challenging behaviour or changes in the child’s presentation.

Statutory and suitability checks form an important part of the process. These normally include criminal record checks for relevant household members, local authority checks, health information and references from people who know you well. References may be sought from employers, relatives or other suitable individuals, depending on your circumstances. Previous involvement with children’s services, past fostering or adoption applications, and significant changes in your household will also need to be discussed openly.

A medical assessment helps establish whether your health would allow you to meet the demands of fostering. A health condition does not automatically prevent approval, but the possible impact on your ability to provide consistent care will need to be understood. The same principle applies to employment, finances and accommodation: the question is whether the overall circumstances provide a reliable and suitable environment for this child.

Preparation and training usually run alongside the assessment. Training helps you consider safeguarding, trauma and loss, identity, behaviour, safer caring, allegations, recording information and working with birth families. In a family placement, it is particularly important to consider how personal loyalties and existing family disagreements could affect decisions. You will need to show that you can put the child’s welfare first, keep appropriate boundaries and share relevant information with professionals.

The assessing social worker will meet with you more than once to explore your circumstances in detail. They may speak with individual household members, visit your home and request further information where something needs clarification. You should ask questions throughout the process and tell the social worker about any change in your circumstances, such as a move, relationship change, health issue or alteration to your work pattern.

The assessment report brings the information together. It records the evidence gathered, your strengths, any identified risks, the support available to you and the areas that may need further work. It should also explain how your abilities and circumstances relate to the specific child’s needs. You should have the opportunity to read the report, correct factual inaccuracies and provide comments before it is considered for approval.

Approval is considered through the fostering agency’s decision-making process, which may include consideration by a fostering panel and a final decision by the agency decision-maker. The outcome can specify the type of fostering, the number and age range of children, and any conditions or practical arrangements that apply. For a family placement, the decision will relate closely to the child’s needs and the proposed care plan.

Sometimes a child needs to live with a relative or connected person before the full assessment is complete. In those circumstances, the local authority may use a separate temporary approval or emergency arrangement where the legal requirements are met. This does not remove the need for a full assessment, and the timescales and process can differ from an ordinary fostering application.

To prepare, gather details of your addresses and employment history, think honestly about your support network, discuss the possible changes with everyone in your household and consider how you would manage contact with the child’s parents. The strongest assessments are based on open conversations. You do not need to present yourself as perfect; you do need to demonstrate insight, honesty, willingness to learn and the ability to work in partnership around the child.