Things to consider when facing a standards of care concern

If you are facing a standards of care concern, we have put together the following list of things for you to consider:

Keep the child/ren in your care as your focus and continue to work with your supervising social worker and others to minimise any impact for their care whilst any standard of care is being considered.
Is independent support available via your fostering service? If not, can you take a supportive person with you to any meetings/panel hearings agreed in advance with the fostering service?
Retain carer confidentiality. Clarify with your supervising social worker and the child’s social worker who/when and how any information will be shared with the child(ren) and who else may be aware/ informed (e.g parent(s), the child’s IRO, etc.). Remember Fosterline and any membership services can provide advice and support in confidence. Legal advice via any membership service may also be helpful in some instances.

Request time to respond to the concern(s) rather than reacting in the heat of the moment.
Resignation is a decision for a foster carer only and would take automatic effect in 28 days. It should be considered with caution as once submitted by the foster carer it cannot be retracted. Remember that the fostering service will make recommendations but cannot predict the outcome of the panel process or the ADM decision. Resignation would prevent any access to the review/ IRM process, and any process may continue to conclusion without the involvement of the foster carer.
Seek support if the situation impacts on your emotional well-being. If you have a membership service in place you may have access to a stress support line or see details of Fosterline counselling service here. You may also find it helpful to discuss any physical or mental health concerns with your GP.

Confirm with your supervising social worker when you will have access to the concern(s) in writing and an opportunity to respond in writing to review reports prior to a review taking place. Make sure that your written response will be distributed to the panel members ahead of the any panel meeting if applicable checking the submission date for this if necessary.
List any evidence you may feel challenges the concerns/issues raised this may include log records, supervision notes, minutes from the child’s care review or education meetings, text messages, emails, receipts of expenditure, witnesses, etc.
Remain professional and avoid criticising individuals. Address the issues raised and any wider relevant context. Examples might include is it an issue that you had recently requested support with, have you received the appropriate training, were there exceptional circumstances that led to the issue? Are there any factual errors in the report received that you wish to request are amended?

Be honest. If things could have been better, reflect on any factors that influenced this and what you would do differently next time.
When you have written your response, don’t send it immediately. Come back to it a few hours later to re-check you are happy with the content and the tone before sending it.
You can request access to the information held by the fostering service by making a subject access request there is more about this here.
If you feel you have been treated unfairly or not in accordance with the fostering service policy you can choose to make a formal complaint using the complaints procedure of the fostering service. There is more about complaints and options available here.

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