Threshold for Schedule 6 / 7 Events

Schedule 6 – Events

Event / Threshold (Annex I)
All accidents, injuries and illnesses of children placed with foster parents. / As reported through Daily logs, monthly reports from sprains and cuts to sickness and infections.
*Excludes any infectious disease referred to in Schedule 7.
Complaints in relation to children placed with foster parents and their outcomes. / Any formal complaints received in relation to young people.This will need to be received in writing and the decision to monitor will be left with the RM. Please review our complaints policy.
Any allegations or suspicions of abuse or neglect in respect of children placed with foster parents and the outcome of any investigation. / Decision led by SSW / Manager.
Any child missing (unauthorised absence) from a foster parent’s home without permission. / A young person has not returned home, or is not where they should be eg. School, but you have a good idea of where they are and may also be in contact with them. This needs to be balanced with a child’s vulnerability.
Use of any measures of control, restraint or discipline in respect of children accommodated in a foster home. / Any measure of control and / or restraint including holding a child to prevent harm to themselves or others or damage to property, or to stop a child running away?
Medication, medical treatment and first aid administered to any child placed with foster parents. / All medication that a child receives from prescribed, over the counter and alternative such as herbal medicine.

Schedule 7 – Events and Notifications

Notifications completed by Registered Manager

To be notified to:
Event / Threshold (Annex I) / Chief Inspector / Responsible authority / Secretary of State / Area authority / Police / Primary Care Trust
Death of a child placed with foster parents. / Death of a child. / yes / yes / yes / yes / yes
Information is provided to the Independent Safeguarding Authority under any of sections 35, 36, 39, 41 or 45 of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006(1) in respect of an individual working for a fostering service. / Management decision required for referral. / yes / yes
Serious illness or serious accident of a child placed with foster parents. / A serious illness or injury requiring unplanned hospitalisationand / or where it is suspected that the illness or accident will have a lifelong or significnat impact or there are concerns for life. / yes / yes
Outbreak at the home of a foster parent of any infectious disease which in the opinion of a general practitioner attending the home is sufficiently serious to be so notified. / This will be led by GP diagnosis.
Agency Medical Advisor can be consulted where required.
Diseases notifiable to local authority proper officers under the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010:
  • Acute encephalitis
  • Acute infectious hepatitis
  • Acute meningitis
  • Acute poliomyelitis
  • Anthrax
  • Botulism
  • Brucellosis
  • Cholera
  • Diphtheria
  • Enteric fever (typhoid or paratyphoid fever)
  • Food poisoning
  • Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS)
  • Infectious bloody diarrhoea
  • Invasive group A streptococcal disease
  • Legionnaires’ disease
  • Leprosy
  • Malaria
  • Measles
  • Meningococcal septicaemia
  • Mumps
  • Plague
  • Rabies
  • Rubella
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
  • Scarlet fever
  • Smallpox
  • Tetanus
  • Tuberculosis
  • Typhus
  • Viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF)
  • Whooping cough
  • Yellow fever
/ yes / yes / yes
Allegation that a child placed with foster parents has committed a serious offence. / Decision led by SSW / Manager. The term “Serious” is value based so the decision to regard this as a S7 should be in consultation with the Registered Manager or in their absence, a senior manager in the Group. / yes / yes
Involvement or suspected involvement of a child placed with foster parents in CSE / Decision led by SSW / Manager. / yes / yes / yes / yes
Serious incident relating to a child placed with foster parents necessitating calling the police to the foster parent’s home. / An event that necessitates the Police being called, at that time, to attend the home.
*Excludes planned visits to discuss crime prevention, unacceptable behaviour, return from missing visits and any routine Police enquiries. / yes / yes
A child placed with foster parents is missing from the placement. / A young person has not returned home, or is not where they should be i.e. School. You do not know where they are and you are concerned, you must report them as ‘missing ’ to the Police .
Important: Ofsted should be notified within 24 hours if a young person who has gone missing is thought to be the victim of CSE or at risk of CSE. / yes
Any serious complaint about any foster parent approved by the fostering agency. / Decision led by SSW / Manager. The RM will need to decide what constitutes a serious complaint and this decision may be in line with our complaints procedure (see on line Tri-ex) or sit outside of this policy. / yes / yes
Instigation and outcome of any child protection enquiry involving a child placed with foster parents. / Decision led by SSW / Manager.
Inspection Handbook: Independent Fostering Agencies;
167.This means that any referrals that do not reach the threshold for a strategy discussion or any referrals where this is a strategy discussion but the outcome of the discussion is not to instigate a section 47 investigation, do not need to be notified to Ofsted under this category of notification. However, as a notification is also required for any incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious (see paragraph 2) a provider may notify us of referral that do not reach this threshold if they deem it serious. / yes / yes / yes