What safeguarding checks are required for weekend foster carers?

Safeguarding checks for weekend foster carers form part of a full fostering assessment, so a short break arrangement is not treated as a lower level of responsibility. The assessment considers whether you, your household and your home can provide safe care for a child or young person, even when placements take place for limited periods.

The checks are designed to build a complete picture rather than to judge one piece of information in isolation. The fostering service will usually explore the following areas during assessment:

• Criminal record information: An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check may include relevant police information as well as convictions and cautions. A record does not automatically prevent someone from fostering. Its relevance, age, circumstances and any evidence of changed behaviour are considered carefully.
• People connected with the household: Checks are not limited to the named applicants. Adults who live in the home, and other people who have a regular or significant role in the household, may also need to be assessed. The fostering service will explain who needs to provide information based on your circumstances.
• Personal and professional references: Referees should be able to comment on your reliability, relationships, judgement and ability to care for children. The service may need to clarify information rather than relying only on a written statement.
• Health and wellbeing: Health information helps establish whether you can meet the practical demands of caring for a child and whether any support or adjustments should be considered. The purpose is to assess suitability for fostering, not to require perfect health.
• Previous involvement with children’s services: Relevant records may be requested from local authorities where you or members of your household have previously been known to children’s services. This can include information about past concerns, support or safeguarding work.

The home assessment looks beyond general tidiness. It considers sleeping arrangements, privacy, fire safety, access to medicines and hazardous items, pets, visitors, transport arrangements and how personal information will be kept confidential. The assessor also considers whether the household’s routines and relationships are suitable for a child who may have experienced disruption or trauma.

Weekend foster carers are expected to understand safer caring arrangements before they begin. These arrangements set out appropriate boundaries around privacy, physical contact, personal care, online activity, photographs, transport and communication with family members. They also clarify how concerns should be reported and recorded. Training helps applicants apply these boundaries consistently, including when a child’s behaviour or emotional needs are difficult to predict.

Safeguarding does not end when approval is granted. Checks and information may need to be renewed or reviewed, and carers must tell the fostering service about relevant changes. Examples include a new adult moving into the home, a change in household circumstances, a new relationship, an incident involving the police or a significant change in health. Regular visitors and people providing care may also need to be discussed.

During a weekend placement, carers must follow the child’s safer caring plan and the information provided by the fostering service. Any injury, allegation, missing episode, unauthorised contact or concern about a child’s welfare should be reported through the agreed procedure, even if it appears minor at first. Accurate records help the supervising team understand what happened and decide whether further action is needed.

If a check raises a concern, the usual approach is to discuss the information openly and assess its relevance. You may be asked for further explanation or supporting evidence. The decision will consider the child’s safety, the nature of the concern and the circumstances of the household. Being honest throughout the assessment is important: withholding information can create a greater safeguarding concern than the original issue.

Before applying, prospective weekend foster carers should be ready to discuss everyone who lives in or regularly uses the home, previous experience with children, household routines, pets, health considerations and any information that may appear on safeguarding checks. The fostering team can explain which documents are required, who will be contacted and how information will be handled during the assessment.