What is expected from other household members in therapeutic fostering?

Other household members in therapeutic fostering are expected to understand how fostering may affect family life, contribute to a safe household, and communicate concerns to the approved foster carer and fostering professionals. They are not expected to act as foster carers or provide therapeutic care independently, but their cooperation is important because the child will be living within the wider family environment.

Everyone in the household is included in the assessment. The fostering service will consider the views, needs and circumstances of people who live in the home regularly. This may include a partner, birth children, adopted children, adult relatives or other members of the household. Their age, relationship with the applicant, understanding of fostering and likely response to the placement will all be relevant. Adult household members will normally need to complete the checks required by the fostering service.

Household members should be able to give informed agreement to the practical changes that fostering can bring. These may include changes to shared spaces, family routines, visitors, transport arrangements and the amount of attention available to other family members. Agreement should be genuine rather than based on pressure, particularly where children or young people already live in the home.

They must not be made responsible for managing the child’s behaviour. In therapeutic fostering, a child’s distress may be expressed through withdrawal, anger, testing limits or behaviour that is difficult to understand. The foster carer remains responsible for responding in line with the child’s care plan and the agreed safer-care approach. Other household members should avoid arguing, threatening consequences, restraining the child or attempting to investigate incidents themselves. Instead, they should seek help from the foster carer and report anything that causes concern.

Household members also need to understand confidentiality. They may know information about the child’s history, health, education or family relationships, but this must not be discussed casually with friends, relatives, neighbours or on social media. They should avoid sharing photographs or identifying details and should ask the foster carer or supervising social worker if they are unsure what can be disclosed. This protects the child and reduces the risk of information being misunderstood or reaching people who should not have it.

Birth children and other young people in the household need particular consideration. They should have an opportunity to express their views in an age-appropriate way and to ask questions about how fostering may affect them. They may need reassurance that they can still have private time, use family areas and speak openly to a trusted adult. Their belongings, friendships and personal space should be respected. If a child in the household is worried, resentful or uncomfortable, this should be discussed with the foster carer and fostering team rather than dismissed.

Practical expectations may include:

• following the household’s agreed safer-care arrangements;
• treating the foster child respectfully without demanding personal information;
• knowing which behaviours or incidents must be reported and to whom;
• not taking the child out, supervising them alone or transporting them unless this has been agreed and authorised;
• using appropriate language when discussing the child or their birth family;
• raising concerns early if the placement is affecting family relationships or household safety; and
• accepting that plans may change after reviews, professional advice or changes in the child’s needs.

Some household members may be invited to relevant preparation sessions or discussions so they can understand trauma, attachment, therapeutic approaches and the reasons behind agreed responses. The level of involvement should be suitable for the person’s age and relationship to the foster carer. Taking part does not make them responsible for delivering therapy, keeping professional records or making decisions that belong to the foster carer or social-work team.

The fostering assessment should identify what support each household member may need. This could include opportunities to speak privately with the supervising social worker, advice about relationships within the home, or help to manage the effect of fostering on family life. If a household member cannot support the proposed arrangement, or if the arrangement would create an identified safeguarding concern, the fostering service may decide that a different placement plan is needed.

Before applying, prospective foster carers should discuss fostering honestly with everyone who lives in or regularly uses the home. A realistic agreement about roles, privacy, space, safety and how concerns will be raised gives the fostering service a clearer picture of whether therapeutic fostering is suitable for the whole household.