Your Ref:
Our Ref: FOI/118684 /
Ms. Melizza Moore
Email: / Date: 27 September 2010
Dear Ms. Moore,
Freedom of Information request 118684
Thank you for your recent request received 02 September 2010 and actioned under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in which you requested the following information:
- How often does Social care staff go on statutory visits to looked after children in their foster contract placements?
- Are the social workers who are allocated to the children, routinely check for certain issues, for instance child abuse in the placement?
- Does the birth parent of the Looked after child get notified straight away of any concerns after statutory visits?
- Regarding medical tests, are the birth parents invited, as they still have parental responsibility of their child?
- What are the procedures and guidelines if the child makes any allegations?
- How many professionals meetings, within the first year of foster care placement are there? And or are the foster contract carers present?
- What is the annual turnover for foster contract carers "in house" and private "agency" foster carers.
- Are ALL the relatives and associates of foster contract carers screened by enhanced CRB checks prior or during the foster placement?
- If a child makes an allegation, does the allocated social worker visit the child straight away?
- Are children offered an independent advocate, such as VOICE if not, then can you explain why?
Response:
1) Statutory visits are made within the first week of a placement being made, every six weeks during the first year and then every 12 weeks in the second and subsequent years.
2) Yes. One of the purposes of the social worker’s contact will be to ensure that the placement is continuing to meet the child’s needs. This would include being satisfied that the child is safe and well in the placement. If there were any reason to suspect that a child is being abused or that there are less serious concerns about the suitability of the placement, the child’s social worker has a duty to raise these concerns with their manager and to agree how they can best be addressed.
3) In many cases, parents are kept up to date with all developments and have a continuing role in the child’s life during the time they are looked after.The level of parental involvement will depend on the circumstances of the individual child and parent. As a general rule, unless there are specific reasons such as a likely disruption to the placement or a threat to the child’s safety, parents are informed of any significant developments or concerns.However, in some cases the parents may be actively opposing the authority’s plan or may represent a threat to the child’s safety or to the security and stability of the placement.
4) In the case of very young children, particularly when the medical takes place soon after the child first becomes looked after, parents will generally be invited as they can assist the medical staff to complete as full an assessment as possible of the child’s medical history and needs. However, medical examinations can be very stressful for a child and the number of different people who attend a medical will be kept to a minimum. In general, for younger children, the child’s current carer will be invited unless the child is mature enough to express a view and to specify who they would like in attendance.
5) The allegation will be shared with the child’s social worker who will then discuss the matter with amanager. There are then very clear procedures for how the allegation may be assessed and investigated depending on the allegations nature and seriousness.
6) There will be a statutory looked after children’s review within 4 weeks of the placement, then another after three months and at six monthly intervals from then onwards. This pattern is started again if the child changes placement. If the child’s circumstances or plans are to be changed in any significant way then these changes will also be subject to a formal review. Reviews can take place more frequently if those involved in the child’s case agree this would be helpful or necessary. The foster carers status is also reviewed annually and there may be other specific professionals meetings depending on the child’s needs and circumstances but the main professionals meeting for a looked after child are the statutory reviews and the child’s carers are invited to these reviews.
7) In house: based on de-registrations and approvals we have estimated there to have been a 1.3% drop off rate from a total of 282 foster carers based on this years figures 10/11 so far
Agency: we do not hold this information
8) Foster carers, all members of the household, and any adult with significant contact with the childare screened by enhanced CRB checks prior or during the foster placement
9) Yes, the child’s social worker visits as soon as possible when an allegation has been made. However, all serious allegations are discussed with the police and it may be necessary to agree a process for the investigation with them before the social worker makes contact with the child.
10) Yes. In Liverpool, children and young people are offered the services of NYAS who are an independent organisation contracted to provide advocacy services for the city’s looked after children.
I trust this information satisfies your enquiry.
Yours sincerely
Ms. Fatima Sharif Ali
Information Officer
Information Team, Legal Services,MunicipalBuildings,Dale Street
Liverpool L2 2DH
Telephone 0151 225 3132 Fax 0151 225 2392