Foster a Future - Newcastle City Council

Foster a FutureStatement of PurposeSupervision and Review of Foster PlacementsChildren and young people in permanent foster placements, as well as in short-termfoster placements, are visited usually at least once a month by their own socialworker and their Care Plan is regularly reviewed to make sure they are happy intheir foster placement.Each foster carer, regardless of the types of placement they provide or the schemethey are working with, also has a social worker, called a supervising social worker,who makes sure the foster carer is providing the best possible standard of care andsafety to the child. Foster Carers are supervised on a monthly basis using the EveryChild Matters Agenda, recording outcomes under the following headings - StayingSafe, Be Healthy, Enjoy and Achieve, Economic Wellbeing and Make a PositiveContribution. In addition to regular supervision, foster carers are reviewed after sixmonths of becoming foster carers and then every year to ensure they are meetingthe standards required of foster carers by the Fostering Services Regulations 2002.The Manager for Quality Standards manages the Review Officers to ensure that theyare reviewed independently of the Fostering Service.Carer Support ServicesThe supervising social workerFoster carers and shared care carers have a social worker allocated to them from theFostering or Short Break Service. This person is known as the supervising socialworker. The supervising social worker will meet with them usually on a monthly basisand will undertake a detailed supervision meeting with the foster carer to ensure thefoster carer is providing the best standard of care and creating the best outcomes forthe child placed with them. The supervising social worker is a well-qualified and veryexperienced child care practitioner and can provide detailed advice and guidance tothe foster carer on all matters relating to the care of the child.The supervising social worker is usually consulted by the Placements Team when theyare selecting a foster carer for a child, and they are also consulted by the ReviewOfficer during the foster carer’s annual review. The supervising social worker canmake recommendations to the Fostering Panel about changes to the type ofplacements provided by the foster carer. The supervising social worker identifies theon-going training needs of the foster carer and either arranges for the foster carerto attend the relevant training sessions along with other foster carers, or deliverstraining one to one in the foster carer’s home.There are times when the supervising social worker will be away from their base andunavailable to their foster carer, at such times the foster carer can contact the DutySocial Worker at the Fostering Service, and this social worker will help and advisethem, or pass on their enquiry or concern to a manager.Partnership support for Foster CarersThe Fostering Service works in corporate partnership with colleagues from the CityCouncil's Directorates, the Health Services, and with schools and independentagencies to ensure the child benefits fully from their foster care placement and tosupport the Foster Carer.Our main partners are:• ASPIRE: Dedicated Support Services for Looked After Children in Newcastle:ASPIRE is a partnership between services contributing dedicated staff to a multiagency,multi-disciplinary support team for Looked after Children.VisionIts vision is to provide an effective, efficient and well-co-ordinated wrap-aroundservice that supports and empowers children and young people and leads to positiveoutcomes in all 5 areas of the Every Child Matters agenda. In addition to direct workwith young people, ASPIRE seeks to support other services and bring additionally totheir work with this group of vulnerable young people through close collaboration.• Designated teachers - every school has a designated teacher for looked afterchildren• Social workers from the Children and Family Teams - every child or young personin a foster placement has their own social worker• Looked After Children Reviewing Officer's from the Children's Standards Unit -they regularly review the Care Plan to ensure it still remains appropriate and theymake sure that the views of the child or young person are taken fully intoconsideration when decisions are being made.• Independent Visitors - trained volunteers who will visit children and young peopleat their request and advocate on their behalf. National Children Homes (NCH) iscontracted to provide this service.• The Leaving Care Team - preparing young people who are 16 years old and caredfor in foster placements to take the steps towards independence by planning,training for employment or further education. Every young person is allocated heror his own social worker from the team• The Children with Disabilities Team - all children with disabilities who are caredfor in foster placements have their own social worker from the team. Their fostercarers or shared care carers are skilled enough to provide respite, short break,short term or long-term placements. They are recruited and trained by theDirectorate's Shared Care Scheme.8 9