Download the Foster Care Agreement as Word document.

Brighton and Hove City Council

FOSTER CARE AGREEMENT

THIS FOSTER CARE AGREEMENT is dated……………………. and is made between:

BRIGHTON & HOVE CITY COUNCIL

 and

 NAME OF CARER (S): …………………………………………………………

ADDRESS: …………………………………………………………………………

 THE CARER(S) IS/ARE APPROVED TO LOOK AFTER:

 Number of children: ….

 Gender: ………………...

Age range: ……………..

Any other approval conditions:

Date of initial approval of carer(s): ………………………..

As (a) carer(s) I am /we are aware that it is my/our responsibility to:

• promote the welfare of the child/young person and to treat them as a valued member of our family;
• keep the child safe;
• not use any form of corporal punishment or inappropriate sanctions as detailed in the Care and Control Policy ;
• ensure that the child/young person is encouraged and enabled to:
  • practice their religion
  • follow cultural traditions and speak their first language
  • understand their family history and value their heritage & ethnicity related issues
  • attend school/college/work and fulfil their potential
  • maintain contact with family members and any others significant to them (unless stipulated otherwise in the placement agreement)
  • acquire skills and knowledge to prepare them for adult and independent living from an appropriate age;
• arrange for the child/young person to receive medical/dental/optical attention when needed and allow him/her to be examined when required by the responsible authority; and with the consent of Brighton and Hove where appropriate.
• ensure that the child/young person has access to a balanced diet and opportunities for exercise commensurate with their abilities;
• not provide the child/young person access within the home to dangerous, illegal or inappropriate items, such as weapons, adult films, drugs.

I am /we are also aware of my/our responsibility to work with Children and Families as follows:-

• to inform my/our supervising social worker in writing of:
  • any intended change of address
  • any change in the composition of the household
  • any other significant change or event which may affect my/our capacity
  • to care for a child, or the suitability of the household
  • any application to foster/adopt/provide lodgings for another agency or to seek registration as a childminder.
• to work within the terms of the placement agreement for any child placed and to undertake the tasks agreed;
• to maintain a written record of any injury or accident suffered by a child placed and physical control and sanctions used;
• to inform the responsible authority of illness/hospitalisation/outpatient treatment of the child/young person, any other serious occurrence e.g. the child runs away or is involved with the police and any proposal for the child to stay overnight elsewhere without the carer(s);
• to inform the responsible authority of any plans to take the child/young person on holiday for more than two nights;
• to inform the responsible authority of the need for a respite break, giving sufficient notice to allow arrangements to be made;
• to comply with the Service's policies on child protection and care and control;
• to inform a young person’s social worker and the supervising social worker immediately if it is thought a child/young person is involved in prostitution so that an urgent Looked After Child Review can be convened;
• to ensure that any information given to me/us regarding a child/young person is kept confidential and is not disclosed without the consent of the responsible authority or by direction of the court;
• to allow staff from the responsible authority access to the child/young person at all reasonable times;
• to allow any other authorised person, including an inspector from Ofsted, to visit my/our home to see us or the child/young person by arrangement;
• to allow my/our supervising social worker to visit unannounced; it is understood there will be at least one unannounced visit each year;
• to allow the responsible authority to remove the child/young person from my/our home if the authority decides it is necessary to do so;
• to keep a diary of events related to the child/young person and to make them available to the responsible authority if requested;
• to attend relevant child protection conferences, planning meetings and LAC Reviews concerning the child/young person and provide written reports if requested, and help prepare the child/young person attending Reviews and other important meetings;
• to accompany a young person to court and be in court as an appropriate adult;
• to work alongside a young person and their Leaving Care Personal Advisor to ensure that their Pathway Plan is completed;
• to inform the responsible authority if there are difficulties with the placement and to try to avoid a situation reaching crisis point without the problems having been raised;
• to attend the mandatory training courses as outlined in the training programme for foster carers;
• to co-operate fully with my/our annual review and any additional reviews required;
• to care for any child placed trans-racially in accordance with Service policy, and supported by the Resource Pack for Foster Carers on caring for Black and Minority Ethnic Children;
• to give a minimum of 28 days notice of any intention to terminate the placement (unless in an emergency);
• to have a landline telephone as well as a mobile telephone;
• to ensure that I and any foster child with me have access at home to a computer with internet connection with appropriate safeguards;
• to accept it is not possible for Brighton and Hove to guarantee placements for 52 weeks a year;
• to transport a child if necessary.

I am/we are aware of the following financial responsibilities:

• to inform Brighton and Hove Fostering Service of any under/over payment in carers' allowances;
• to provide documentary evidence of insurance cover for any vehicle used for transport purposes for a child;
• to allow the supervising social worker sight of my/our driving licence(s) and information in respect of any penalty points incurred, current or spent, and any disqualification and reasons;
• to inform the insurance companies which provide household and motor cover of my/our fostering activity and to provide Brighton and Hove Fostering Service with a copy of the acknowledgement of that notification;
• to pay any taxes associated with out income from Brighton and Hove City Council.

Brighton & Hove City Council's responsibilities to the carer(s):-

• to provide advice, information and individual support from a supervising social worker and access to an alternative source of support if that worker is unavailable;
• to provide information on the additional support available from the Fostering Service, including 'out of hours' support and links with other carers;
• to ensure that the carer(s) has/have the Service's leaflet on child protection investigations and access to support, if necessary from an independent source, in the event of a child protection allegation being made against them;
• to ensure that the carer(s) receive(s) copies of any Council policies which pertain to their responsibilities as a carer, including complaints, and Standards of Care enquiries and is informed of any changes;
• to provide the carer(s) with opportunities to contribute their views on any proposed changes to agency policy or practice;
• to keep personal information about the carer(s) confidential and secure and not to disclose it to anyone outside the agency without their consent, except in relation to a child protection investigation;
• to provide the carer(s) with access to the information held on records about them (subject to the Access to Information and Data Protection Acts and Fostering and Children's policy) when requested;
• to provide on-going training for the carer(s) to equip them for the fostering task and to enable them to develop their knowledge and skills;
• to organise and facilitate a foster carer review on at least an annual basis to which the carer(s) and other members of the family are encouraged to contribute fully;
• to provide written confirmation of the outcome of any review of approval;
• to consult the carer(s) about the timing of reviews, and to recognise their work and family commitments in planning home visits;
• to provide materials such as a diary for the carer(s);
• to inform you about, and record on your file, commendations received from children, birth parents and other agencies.

The Council's responsibilities in relation to a placement:-

• to provide essential information on the child/young person and their family history for the carer(s) in all placements;
• to include the carer(s) (as well as the social worker for any other child in placement) in the decision-making process as to whether a placement should take place and in any planning of introductions;
• to ensure that a placement agreement is completed as required by regulations and that it specifies placement aims, tasks and time-scales, education arrangements, family contact and placement review details;
• to ensure that the child/young person has been medically examined in accordance with regulations and that the carer(s) receives information on medical history, current treatment, the implications of any illness or development issues and arrangements for consent to medical treatment;
• to seek the views of the carer(s) in relation to the progress of the child/young person and provide any help needed to prepare written reports for meetings;
• to help arrange assessment of a child's needs and appropriate therapy/treatment if necessary;
• where there is no other insurance in place, to provide cover, up to the policy limits, for:
  • damage to and theft of the carer(s) or any other permanent resident’s property caused by the foster child, excluding damage to or theft from or of motor vehicles
  • public liability and personal accident insurance in relation to activities undertaken as a foster carer;
• to provide financial information on and support about:
  • the scale of allowances, including additional payments available, and the method and frequency of payment
  • state benefits the carer(s) may be entitled to and the effect of
  • receiving those on your fostering allowance
  • statements for tax purposes;
• to ensure that payments are made regularly and promptly.

I/we confirm I/we have received copies of policies on:

• Child Protection
• Care and Control
• Safe Caring

Signed………………………………………………Carer Date……………

Signed………………………………………………Carer Date……………

Signed………………………Supervising Social Worker Date……………

Copy on carer(s) file & to carer.

This form to be discussed and signed at every Carer Review

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Download the Foster Care Agreement as Word document.