Chapter 11a - Safer Care Practice Guidance

When you become a foster parent with ISP, we will ask you to create a Welcome Book for us to share with children and young people who are coming to live with you. You will include photos and short descriptions of your home and family members, including the child’s bedroom. You might include wider family members who are regular visitors to the home. It is a good idea to add photos of local facilities that the child can enjoy, such as parks or the beach.

The Welcome Book introduces the child to their new home and foster family, helping them to feel welcome, accepted and safe.

Update your Welcome Book regularly so that photographs remain relevant. A good time to do this is before your annual fostering review, or whenever there are significant changes in your household.

Your Household Safer Caring Plan will set out how you keep all members of the family safe. It is helpful for children to hear that your home is a safe home and that you will do all you can to help them to feel safe.

Names Used

Children and young people need to know what to call you. Introduce yourselves at the start of placement by this intended name. Most foster parents are known by their first names, while some choose another familiar name such as ‘Auntie’ or ‘Uncle.’. We don’t encourage the use of ‘Mum’ or ‘Dad’ to avoid confusion for children.

If you have children of your own, a child or young person may seek to copy the use of ‘Mum’ or ‘Dad’. Whilst children may choose to do so, please remain sensitive to the identity of the child, and the feelings of birth families, who remain the child’s ‘Mum’ or ‘Dad’.

Ask the child or young person what name they would like you to use for them. Only shorten their name or use a nickname with their permission.

When you have this discussion with the child, you could also talk about how you can help them to explain to others who you are, for example to friends at school. They may not wish for classmates to know that they are in foster care. While some children are very open about their situation, others prefer to have a ‘cover story’ in order to reduce the curiosity of others.

Showing Affection

Your care of children should show warmth, friendliness, positive regard and respect. Appropriate physical contact through touch is an important part of any parenting relationship and can show affection and provide comfort. Children and young people need to know how you show affection in your household, e.g. hugging/kissing. It helps the child to know what you tend to do, and also how their views will be respected. Encourage children to let you know if they are feeling uncomfortable or anxious about any forms of physical contact.

Find out as much information as you can about the child’s background and what they have experienced.

Some children will not be comfortable with hugs and kisses, especially when they are new to your household. You will need to check out how they feel, talk with their social worker to discuss what is appropriate for them and form a plan.

How comfortable children feel with physical contact may change as their relationship with you develops and they become more familiar with you and feel part of the family. Don’t avoid physical contact with children at the start of a placement, as this is part of nurturing, but be aware of how to do this in a safe way. It can be good to check with a child if they would like a hug, to sit next to you, or hold your hand.

Avoid play-fighting as this can lead to children who are less able to regulate their own behaviour becoming angry or upset. Equally, tickling games can easily lead to unintended touch of personal areas of the body and the intention can be misunderstood. This can be particularly the case for children who may have been previously subject to physical or sexual abuse.

Guidance on ‘touch’

Consider the meaning of touch for the child. Children may have had particular experiences which make it difficult to accept touch from an adult. Alternatively, their experiences may lead to a need for more touch than others find comfortable or acceptable. Some children are indiscriminate in seeking physical affection through kisses and cuddles from any adult. Support children by appropriate role modelling and provide strategies for alternative ways of relating to others. Be vigilant to safer caring practices.

Ask for information about the child’s background during the placement planning process, including how they respond to touch. Depending on the child’s age and level of understanding, involve them in decision-making. Encourage them to let you know if touch is OK, and when it is not. Children and young people should learn that they can say no to the offer of a hug or any other form of physical contact, including from their foster parents.

Within the home, use touch as a positive and safe way of communicating affection, warmth, acceptance and reassurance. It is important, however, to know the boundaries for individual children within the foster home. The child’s Individual Risk Assessment and Plan will actively support and inform strategies in providing a safe approach to touch.

Key considerations:

The child’s relationship with the adult. What does the adult represent to the child? Does the child like the adult and feel safe with them?
Factors that influence the power relationship between adult and child, including gender, race, disability, age, sexual identity and role status.
Religious and cultural factors.
The impact of abuse experiences – Children may be suspicious or fearful of touch, and need. This is not to say that children who have experienced abuse should not be touched; it may be beneficial for the child to know different, safer and more reliable adults who will not use touch as a form of abuse.
Where is it appropriate to touch the child? This will vary, but generally speaking it is acceptable to touch children’s hands, arms and shoulders. It may be appropriate to hug or cuddle children, or carry or give them ‘piggy backs’. No part of the body should be touched if it were likely to generate sexual feelings on the part of the adult or child.
The context of touch – what message is being given to the child?
The intention should be to positively and safely communicate affection, warmth, acceptance and reassurance.
Touch should not feel patronising or intrusive. Also, a fleeting or clumsy touch may confuse a child and cause them to feel uncomfortable or distressed. Touch with confidence, and verbalise your affection, reassurance and acceptance, by touching and making positive comments. For example, by touching a child’s arm and saying “Well done”.
Where children indicate that touch is unwelcome, you should back off and apologise.

The key is for carers to help children experience and benefit from touch, positively and safely; as a way of communicating affection, warmth, acceptance and reassurance.

Language

Be positive role models in your use of language. It is not acceptable to use swearing, defamatory or abusive remarks towards or in the presence of a child or young person placed in foster care. Children and young people may not have had the benefit of positive role models and may be accustomed to using inappropriate language or swearing. Think about how you will approach such language with sensitivity in order to help the child manage their feelings and behaviour more effectively.

Bathing, Intimate or Invasive Care

Some children will require assistance with bathing because they are very young, have developmental delay or a disability. Children and young people who need this help may feel vulnerable or unsafe at bath time; they may have experienced abuse in the bathroom, or they may simply feel uncomfortable being unclothed in front of an adult who is not their parent. Remain sensitive to their feelings, and afford them as much control and privacy as possible in the circumstances.

Supervision and Privacy

Supervision of children who are unable to bathe safely on their own is essential. However, this should be treated with respect for personal privacy. Children should be encouraged to carry out the task of washing themselves where they are able to do so. Explain to the child what they need to do, while remaining nearby, with a door left ajar to maintain communication. In this way, children can enjoy some privacy while they become more able and confident to complete bathing tasks independently. Do not bathe foster children together with other children in the household.

If the child is unable to bathe independently, bathing should be carried out by an adult with whom the child is comfortable, and the agreed arrangements set out in the child’s Placement Plan. Be alert to any signs of discomfort or distress from the child during bathing, and ensure that this is recorded appropriately.

Support and encourage young women to keep their own supply of sanitary protection without having to request it from you. In addition, make sure there’s somewhere they can privately and hygienically dispose of used sanitary products.

Intimate/Invasive Care

Some children, such as those with disabilities, may require intimate or invasive care and this should be reflected in the child’s Placement Plan. Disabled children are more vulnerable to abuse: this may be due to their dependency on others to meet their individual personal care or medical needs; social isolation; their level of understanding and / or difficulties in conveying their feelings due to limited forms of communication.

Invasive procedures require specialist training. The child or young person’s right to respect and dignity must be observed at all times.

Continence Problems and Soiling

If you know or suspect that a child is likely to experience enuresis (‘wetting’), encopresis (‘soiling’) or may be prone to smearing, this should be discussed openly, with the child if possible, and strategies agreed for managing it. Discuss the possible reasons for the problem with your supervising social worker and the child’s social worker. Anxiety, worry and previous experiences of abuse and neglect may lead to these problems. It may be appropriate to consult a continence nurse or other specialist, who may advise on the most appropriate strategy to adopt.

General advice:

Talk to the child in private, openly but sympathetically;
Do not treat it as the fault of the child, or apply any form of sanction;
Bathe the child and remove and wash any soiled bedding and clothes. In line with the age and development of the child, it may be part of their care plan that they help clean up; e,g, by changing bedding and putting it in to wash;
Keep a daily record (either on a dedicated form or in the child’s daily log) with detail as necessary;
Consider using a mattresses and bedding that can withstand being soiled or wetted, and which can be easily laundered.

Keeping Healthy, Hygiene and Daily Routines

Foster parents are active role models for children in their care. Promote a healthy lifestyle with a good diet, exercise, physical and emotional health. Some children will have specific dietary requirements to meet their cultural or religious needs, or personal preferences.

Hygiene within the home is important, e.g. food preparation, cleanliness in the home and medical attention. Wear gloves when cleaning up any bodily fluids.

Daily routines provide stability, consistency and predictability for children and young people. This helps them to know and understand what to expect from adults within the foster home. In turn, children will often feel safer and develop trust in their foster family. It is important that foster parents work together to agree an approach to daily routines based on individual children’s needs, such as meal times, bedtimes and bath times. Involving children in decisions promotes their sense of family membership and co-operation, raising their own sense of feeling valued.

Hazardous Substances and Medication

During the assessment process, you will discuss how hazardous substances (e.g. cleaning chemicals) and medication are to be stored at home. This will be revisited when your Household Health & Safety Risk Assessment, is reviewed. Always remain vigilant about the risk of these to a child or young person, whether through accident or deliberate action.

Store all medication securely away from children. This usually means a locked cupboard in the home, and all family medication should be stored in the same way. Whenever you give children medication, ensure that you keep a record of this on Charms. See Chapter 13 for more information about managing medicines in the foster home.

It is helpful for children to know what will happen if they are ill, particularly children who show health anxieties. Talk with them about your First Aid training, medicines that you keep at home, and how you can call a doctor if they are not well. Encourage them to tell you if they are feeling unwell.

Smoking, Alcohol and Drugs

Smoking (including electronic cigarettes)

Foster parents are role models for children and young people in their care. If a foster parent or a member of the fostering family smokes (including electronic cigarettes), children under the age of 5 or who have medical conditions that impact their respiratory system will not be placed.

In the event that foster parents smoke, this should not be in front of a fostered child. Foster parents and other family members must not smoke within any part of the foster home.

Young people may experiment with smoking or may already smoke when placed. In these circumstances, discuss with them where they should keep their cigarettes and lighters to protect any younger children in the home. Make sure they know that they must not smoke anywhere in the home.

You can advise young people in reducing and hopefully ceasing to smoke, however this needs a sensitive and supportive approach. Discourage them from smoking and vaping and ensure they are aware of the potential health risks. This includes providing information about the health benefits of stopping smoking and vaping.

It is against the law to purchase cigarettes for any young person under the age of 18, and you must not buy tobacco or smoking products for young people.

See our Smoking Policy for more information.

Smoking Policy Download

Alcohol

Children may have had negative experiences of alcohol. Let them know what the rules are at home, and be a positive role model for safe and appropriate use of alcohol.

Store alcohol in the home safely and securely. How this is achieved will depend on the age and individual vulnerability of the child or young person. Your supervising social worker will discuss this with you and record the arrangements in the young person’s risk assessment.

Do not give young people in your care alcohol without the express written permission of the local authority, who will decide whether this is permitted and under which circumstances.

Drugs

Children may also have had negative experiences of the use of illegal drugs, either personally or due to parental use. They will need to know what the rules are in your home, and that they must never bring drugs into the foster home. Ensure that they know that you must notify the police, ISP and their social worker of any such incidents.

It is also important to remember that many prescribed drugs are addictive and have negative side effects. Store all prescribed medication safely and securely.

See our Alcohol, Drugs and Solvents policy for more information.

Alcohol, Drugs and Solvents Download

Family Pets

During assessment and annually thereafter, the Household Health & Safety Risk Assessment includes an assessment of family pets.

Pets bring many benefits to all members of a fostering household, and can be a great “icebreaker” for new children. However, some children and young people may be fearful of animals, and need you to ensure they are safe and comfortable. Some children will be unfamiliar with animals, and unaware of how to care for a pet safely, while others may be cruel to animals. Always remain vigilant about the safety of children and young people, and the welfare of the pet.

Provide children with clear guidance on who is responsible for pets, e.g. for feeding, exercising and disposing of any animal faeces or bedding. Children should never be responsible for the care and wellbeing of pets without adult direction and supervision. Always avoid leaving young children alone with animals.

For more information, see our policy: Assessment of Dogs and Pets

Assessment of Pets/Dogs Download

Fire Safety

Make sure all household members know what action to take in the event of a fire. We will help you to develop a Fire Evacuation Plan as part of the Household Health & Safety Risk Assessment. Share this with children and young people.

Refer to Chapter 14 of the Foster Parent Handbook for further information and advice about Fire Safety.

Clothing and Dress

You, and all members of the fostering household, should be mindful of being appropriately dressed and clothed around the home. Encourage children in your care to dress appropriately too. Provide dressing gowns and night clothes for children and adults within the home and use them as needed. This is particularly important after bathing or on night time trips to the bathroom.

It is also very important to respect the child’s culture and choices in style of dress. The children in your care may come from different cultural backgrounds and have different expectations around dress. Consider the child’s maturity and development, experiences, cultural norms, parental wishes and the child’s wishes, and seek guidance from the child and/or their social worker as to what is acceptable and appropriate.

Supervision and Play

Through play and with playfulness, foster parents can help children to develop meaningful attachments and build key skills such as communication and sharing. Play also promotes cognitive and social development and can support the child in feeling effective and part of the family.

Some children will wish to play with toys and enjoy activities which may be considered young for their chronological age. Doing so can enable them to have developmental experiences that they may have missed as a younger child, and therefore should not be discouraged.

Closely supervise young children, and those whose developmental delays make them similarly vulnerable to harm and accidents. Older children may ask to have more personal space and this should be respected accordingly, although you should make regular checks to ensure their well-being. Emotional availability of the foster parent is equally as important as physical proximity in supporting a child or young person to feel safe and cared for.

Children may need supervision and support when playing with other children because they:

Feel out of control or threatened in physical play activities;
Lack a sense of danger and be unable to protect themselves from risk;
Become over-stimulated by boisterous play and ‘play fighting’. This can lead to play getting ‘out of hand’ and a child being hurt.;
Have difficulty sharing and taking turns with other children.
Need guidance to respect other people’s toys

Be alert to disagreements between children and young people, and aware of the potential for bullying behaviour or peer abuse. This is most likely to happen with unsupervised activities. Behaviour will be of concern if it is compulsive, coercive, age-inappropriate or between children of significantly different ages, maturity or cognitive ability. Bullying and other forms of abuse and mistreatment must be addressed and discussed with the supervising social worker. If at any time you suspect that children are involved in abusive sexual relationships (as either perpetrators or victims) you must immediately inform ISP. We will consult with the child’s social worker and initiate agency safeguarding procedures.

See our agency safeguarding policies for more information:

Safeguarding Children Procedure Download

Anti-Bullying Download

Peer on Peer Abuse Download

Personal Space and Bedrooms

Each child over 3 will have their own bedroom., unless the placing authority has agreed that they will share a bedroom. In these circumstances, we will complete a Bedroom Sharing Risk Assessment. and include the arrangements in the child’s Placement Plan.

Encourage children and young people to personalise their bedrooms, with posters, pictures and personal items of their choice. If you are redecorating their room, allow them to help choose colours, any new furniture, bedding and decorations. This accords with a Secure Base model approach: the carer offering choice, negotiation within boundaries and promoting competence, with the child in consequence benefiting from the opportunity of choices, feeling effective and developing confidence and self-identity.

Foster parents should encourage children and young people to view their bedrooms as their personal space, where their privacy should be respected. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, or where it is age appropriate, foster parents and other household members (children and adults) should knock on the door before entering children’s bedrooms, and then only with their permission.

Where foster parents may have to enter a child’s bedroom without asking permission may include:

A baby or young child;
To wake a heavy sleeper, undertake cleaning, return clean or remove soiled clothing. In these circumstances you should let them know that this may be necessary.
To take necessary action (including forcing entry) to protect the child or others from injury or to prevent likely damage to property. The taking of such action is a form of physical intervention.

Generally, children should be discouraged from going into each other’s bedrooms, as they are private and unsupervised areas. If children are playing together in one of their bedrooms, make sure they keep the door open and that you supervise and check on them regularly. Encourage children to respect and look after each others’ possessions.

Do not allow children to spend time in your bedroom while you are in bed. This should be applied to your own children as well as looked after children to ensure that there is equal treatment applied. The exception to this is where babies / toddlers up to the age of 2 sleep in the foster parent’s bedroom. Sleeping arrangements within a fostering household should be openly discussed with your Supervising Social Worker.

Foster parents should never share a bed with a foster child, even if the child is unwell.

When developing bedtime routines, be mindful of the risk of misunderstandings, or triggering experiences of possible abuse in the past.

Health and Safety

The Household Health & Safety Risk Assessment considers general bedroom safety. Keep children’s rooms in good structural repair, clean and tidy. Where children are at specific risk, e.g. that they may climb out of their bedroom window and go missing, this will be discussed as part of their risk assessment. Strategies will be agreed to minimise the risk and respond to any incidents.

Please refer to our Safer Sleeping Procedure for bedroom and sleeping arrangements for babies, including those in parent-and-child placements.

Safer Sleeping Procedure Download

Safety Away From Home, including Overnight Stays

Foster parents should be given delegated authority to make day to day decisions, e.g. regarding school trips, activities or sleepovers. These are fundamental to supporting the child in building self-esteem, trust and developing strategies to manage feelings and behaviour. Good communication and planning are important in helping the child to develop independence skills and resilience.

The Placement Plan will cover the boundaries of delegated authority for each child and their foster parent.

Safety away from home

Foster parents have a responsibility to know where children and young people are when they go out. This includes knowing where the child is going, with whom, and when they expect to be home. If the child does not return at the pre-arranged time or is not at a pre-arranged meeting place, you should refer to the ISP Children Missing from Care Policy in order to take appropriate action.

When young people go out (alone or with friends), always establish some ground rules. They should always tell you where they are going and come home at an agreed time.

You will need to support children and young people to stay safe when they are out. Talk with them about problems that they may have when they are out on their own, and how to get help if they are in trouble. Make sure they have your phone number to contact you if they need your help. They may need you to walk with them a few times if going to an unfamiliar place. You may need to help an older child learn to travel independently, e.g. bus routes, fares, trains, understanding timetables.

Overnight stays

The child’s social worker will need to agree any arrangements for a child to stay somewhere else overnight, and they will clarify this in the delegated authority agreement. You should never allow a child to stay with people you have not met before or have any concerns about. Always visit the home to meet the responsible adult who will be present and ensure that you are available in case of concern or emergency. Notify ISP in advance of any arrangement for a child or young person to stay at a friend’s house overnight.

Things to consider when making a decision about overnight stays:

Get an address and telephone number for the friend’s parent;
Make sure there will be a responsible adult at the home overnight;
Speak with the responsible adult yourself to satisfy yourself that they are suitable as a temporary carer;
Check that the sleeping arrangements for the child are appropriate;
Find out when the child will return home, or if you need to pick them up.

Please also see our policy on delegated authority:

Delegated Authority Download

Holidays

Holidays for children and young people bring significant benefits, helping them to develop a sense of belonging and acceptance within the fostering family, as well as providing a range of new opportunities. Helping to plan family holidays helps children to feel involved and learn new skills.

Holidays do, however, also bring changes to routine and environment, which some children may find challenging to adapt to. It is therefore important to plan ahead carefully to help both the child and everyone in the family to have a relaxed and enjoyable holiday and to keep everyone safe and well cared for. Your supervising social worker will help you to complete a Holiday Risk Assessment for each family holiday.

Discuss sleeping arrangements in advance with your supervising social worker and the child’s social worker, as well as potential activities you may be planning which could incur additional risk. There may be other family members or friends who accompany you on holiday with whom the child is less familiar. In the event of any accidents or mishaps on holiday it is important to report these directly to the agency.

If young people are to be sharing a bedroom on holiday, a Bedroom Sharing Risk Assessment will need to be completed. Decisions about sharing a bedroom will take into account the views of the children and advice from their social workers.

If you have a caravan, camping tents or a mobile home for regular holidays, your supervising social worker will help you to complete a specific risk assessment form to ensure that the accommodation is safe and suitable. If you own a holiday home, we will ask you to complete a risk assessment for that property. Your supervising social worker will help you with this.

Please ensure that you have travel insurance and an EHIC/GHIC card when travelling abroad. Information about these cards can be found here.

Alternative Caregivers

There will inevitably be occasions when you will need to leave a young person in the care of someone else. It is necessary for foster parents to enjoy outside interests (away from the foster child they look after), and to attend training courses and other events from time to time. Once a child has settled, you can, of course, leave them with a suitable babysitter.

You must give consideration to the reliability and maturity of any individual with whom you leave a young person. Will they be able to meet the young person’s individual needs? It is always best if the child knows the person who is babysitting and feels comfortable with them.

When considering a babysitter, take the following factors into account:

The age of the babysitter;
How much experience they have;
How well you and the child know them;
The vulnerability of the child or young person.

Children under 18 years of age must never be asked to look after, or “babysit”, looked after children.

You will need to tell the child that you will make sure they are safe in your absence and if they have any worries, they should tell you. For some children it may be appropriate to call them once or twice if you are out. Always leave your mobile number and the Out of Hours phone number with anyone caring for a child in your absence.

You may be permitted to leave some older young people on their own for a short period of time. The young person’s social worker will need to give prior agreement to this happening, and we will record their agreement in the young person’s risk assessment.

Please discuss any babysitting arrangements you are planning with your supervising social worker. We expect regular babysitters to have a DBS check.

Please also see our policy on alternative care arrangements.

Alternative Care Arrangements Policy Download

Travelling in the Car

Young children should always travel with the age-appropriate car safety seat, and specialist seating may be required for disabled children. Children and young people must always wear a seatbelt, and child door locks may be necessary.

It is good practice for children to sit in the back seat, although this may not always be appropriate for older children. If your own older children sit in the front, you should allow an older fostered child to sit in the front, unless there are specific reasons for not doing so. Not doing so may cause them to feel that they are treated differently and this can affect their sense of self-esteem/belonging. A household rule that the driver decides where people sit in a car can be helpful in order to ensure the safest and most appropriate place to sit for an individual child or household group. The arrangements must always be fair.

Consider what you know about the child’s experience of car journeys to help you keep him/her safe. Children’s behaviour can be unpredictable at times: they may try to jump out of a car, distract the driver, or may feel unsafe in a car in the presence of a single adult if they have experienced abuse from adults. Children may need support from another adult whilst travelling, particularly in the early stages of their placement with you. Any specific risks for an individual child should be written into their risk assessment.

Never smoke in the car with children present. Since 1 October 2015 in England and Wales it has been illegal to smoke in a car or other vehicle with anyone under 18.

For more information, see our policy: Transporting Children :

Transporting Children Policy Download

Photographs and Videos

Taking photos

Taking photographs can provide children and young people with positive records and memories of their time with their foster family. Give children photographs that they can keep themselves, although it is wise to keep a second copy in the event that this may be lost or destroyed. Foster parents often create a photo memory book for young people at the end of placement as a keepsake.

There are no routine restrictions on foster parents taking family pictures of fostered children. You do not need consent for this, although you should make sure that the child or young person is happy for their photograph to be taken. The child may have had bad experiences of photos being taken or be worried about what may happen to them. Take advice from the child’s social worker about whether photos or videos have been part of any past abuse. They may need some reassurance but it is important to always respect the child’s wishes in relation to this. It is important to allow children to say ‘no’. You may encourage the child also to take their own photographs.

N.B. photographs must never be taken of a child or young person who is not fully clothed.

Placement plans should also confirm that you can give consent for formal school photographs. These photographs are important to children as part of their life history. You might not, however, be able to consent to other types of photographs if there are confidentiality or safeguarding issues. This can include photographs in school newsletters and local newspapers. The local authority will usually want to make this decision, but should consider the young person’s view. Any restrictions on a child’s photograph or name appearing in the media should be based on good explanations and clearly specified in the placement plan.

Sharing photos

Never post a photograph of a fostered child on social media without the permission of the young person and their local authority, even if their faces have been digitally blurred or otherwise obscured. This includes posting photos in ‘private’ social media groups or forums. Young people with social media accounts can choose to share their own photos, but might need guidance to ensure that they share safely and appropriately.

Take care when sending photographs electronically, e.g. by text message or email. You may be asked to do this by the child’s social worker so that they can share photographs with birth family members. Choose secure online services such as WeTransfer or DropBox. If you are sending large numbers of photographs, and always send photos with secure email options. Google has a secure email option with password protection. WhatsApp is also a secure option. Agree which method you will use with the child’s social worker.

Online and Mobile Safety

The internet and other digital technologies can bring many benefits to learning, and social networking can help to develop confidence and communication skills. However, there are risks to the safety of children and young people, both from their own behaviour and that of others. Discuss how you will manage these risks with your supervising social worker and the child’s social worker. This safety plan will be discussed, reviewed regularly and recorded in the young person’s risk assessment.

Issues to consider include:

How will the young person use the internet?
What internet-enabled devices do they own, or will you provide for them to use at home?
What can they do online, e.g. school work, social networking, or gaming?
Which apps and websites can they use, and which will you block with parental controls?
To what extent does the carer need to monitor and supervise their internet activity? How will this be achieved?

Foster parents are responsible for helping children and young people develop their own understanding and awareness of risks associated with the internet. Children and young people are vulnerable to sexual exploitation or being bullied online. Have regular conversations with children and young people about their use of apps and websites. Support them to develop strategies to manage peer pressure online, and encourage them to let you know if anything is troubling them.

Be proactive in developing your own knowledge of the internet in order to safeguard children and young people in your care. Refer to our E-Safety Practice Guidance and attend our training courses. All agency social workers and fostering advisors receive training about online safety and can offer support and guidance to foster parents and young people as needed. Alternatively, they can signpost you to other sources of support.

You should also be mindful of your own use of social media and networking sites, ensuring appropriate content and privacy settings. During the assessment process, the assessing social worker conducts a social media check for all prospective foster parents. This is repeated at the annual fostering review. Advice and guidance is available in Chapter 12 of the Foster Parent Handbook.

Mobile phones and other mobile devices

Mobile phones can be very helpful in maintaining contact with children when they are out and about. Discuss with the child’s social worker whether they should have access to a mobile phone, and if their use of it needs to be monitored or restricted. Consider how you will help young people to use their mobile phone safely, and ensure this is written into their risk assessment, and regularly reviewed.

Whilst mobile phones are important to most young people, be mindful of the risks of contact with people from whom they need to be protected, e.g. people who have abused them and human traffickers.

See our E-Safety Practice Guidance for more information:

E-Safety Practice Guidance Download

Sexuality and Sexual Health

Young people need to feel comfortable to ask you anything they are unsure of. You can help them to feel comfortable by being non-judgmental and showing by what you do and say, that you value diversity in all its forms. Create an atmosphere of respect and opportunity for children to share any questions or worries about their sexual development, or sexual orientation. Equip children with the skills to be in control of their bodies and their relationships.

Regarding specific children, take advice from the child’s social worker about the best way of approaching these issues with them. Be aware of any cultural, gender or sexual orientation factors for the child which may be different to your own. Where there is a history or concern about potential sexually problematic behaviour your supervising social worker will include strategies to minimise any risks in the child’s risk assessment.

Ensure that any sex education material available to children promotes and encourages healthy lifestyles and images of men and women that are positive and encouraging. We recommend resources published by the FPA (Family Planning Association).

Sexual health services

Use a parental approach in encouraging and supporting children to learn about STIs. This should include ensuring that they have access to factual information, and and to sexual health services.

Young people can access confidential sexual health advice from local sexual health clinics. If the young person is under 16 they are still afforded this right to a confidential service, subject to the health professional judging them to be competent in accordance with Fraser Guidelines, and in the absence of any concerns about sexual exploitation. A young person who is sexually active should be encouraged to access professional advice in order to minimise the risk of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection.

See our Sexual Health – Consent and Confidentiality Policy for more information.

Sexual Health – Consent & Confidentiality Download

If you suspect, or know a child to be pregnant you should notify your supervising social worker. They will consult the child’s social worker and decide on the actions that should be taken, and support the young person in their decision-making.

If you know, or suspect a child to have a sexually transmitted infection, you should notify your supervising social worker immediately. They will discuss the issue with the child’s the supervising social worker and decide what action to take.

Pornography and indecent images

Some young people will attempt to access sexually explicit (pornographic) material as they explore their sexuality. From a sex education viewpoint, pornography is not a positive influence as it does not promote healthy sexual relationships. It is therefore advisable to apply parental controls to the home Wi-Fi and young people’s mobile phones to limit their exposure to these images. Be prepared to discuss issues around pornography with young people. If you find that a young person has pornographic or indecent images that you suspect might be illegal, notify ISP immediately. Confiscate the material/images pending investigation, which might include safeguarding procedures. If the images are on a mobile phone/tablet/computer then you should confiscate the device and switch it off. Under no circumstances should you send the images electronically to any other device as this may constitute a criminal offence.

Relationships between young people in the foster home

Consider the possibility that young people placed together might develop a sexual relationship, or be attracted to each other.

When considering the placement of children alongside other children, managers must assess the risk of sexual relationships developing and ensure strategies are in place to reduce or prevent these risks if they are likely to be exploitative or abusive
Where children are placed together with no identified risk of exploitative or abusive behaviour, you should monitor any developing relationships, sensitively. Discourage children from engaging in under-age sexual relationships

Overall, be mindful of your duty to consider the welfare of children. This may mean recognising that illegal activity is taking place and working to minimise risks and consequences. If you suspect that a child is engaging in illegal behaviour , or may be experiencing sexual exploitation, discuss this immediately with your supervising social worker, who will consult the child’s social worker. They will consider consulting the Child Protection Agencies.

Complaints and Worries

Encourage children in your care to tell you if they are unhappy, worried or would like you to do something differently.

Listen and try to resolve any issues with them, if necessary along with their social worker.

Let them know that they are also able to tell their own social worker or ISP staff if they have any complaints or worries, and they will have a copy of the complaints procedure, provided in their “Welcome to ISP” leaflet. Any allegations or complaints made by the child or other persons will need to be dealt with according to our policy and procedures.

See our Complaints Procedure for Children & Young People.

Complaints Procedure for Children and Young People Download

Chapter contents

Introduction