Fostering

De-Registration

As foster carers, details and information relating to their approval status are kept in the form of a register. When a person or a couple are approved as foster carers, they might give notice to terminate their approval and to leave the fostering agency which requires that their names be de-registered by their Agency.
The Fostering Agency might also decide to terminate a Foster Carer’s approval which will also require de-registration.

Difficult behaviour
Children can sometimes exhibit behaviour that can be difficult to manage all Fostering Agencies state that physical punishment is never in the carer’s or the child’s best interest. All Agencies have a ‘no smacking’ policy for foster carers and it is made clear that there is an expectation that foster carers should never physically chastise a foster child.

Disability
Foster carers should be committed to the principle that children are children first and that discrimination and disablism needs to be properly challenged wherever they present a barrier to the development and potential of children and young people.
Local Authorities assess the needs of children with disabilities as defined by the Children Act 1989 and ensure that they are living in families or other appropriate settings in the community where their assessed needs are adequately met and reviewed.
Social Workers assess disabled children’s needs working in partnership with children and their families. Ways of meeting needs by should be assessed using local resources that promote choice, independence and inclusion. Local Authorities provide Short Break carers for regular planned short breaks for children with disabilities.
Disabled children are those children with physical impairments, sensory impairments (including deaf children and blind children) children with learning difficulties and some children with emotional difficulties.

Drug Abuse
Drug abuse is an increasing problem amongst young people and all children can be tempted to take or experiment with drugs, no matter where they live, which school they attend, how intelligent they are or regardless of their home circumstances.
If foster carers are concerned that a child placed with them could be using drugs they should contact the child’s Social Worker to discuss these concerns.
Some possible indications of drug abuse:
• sudden changes of mood
• unusually irritable
• loss of appetite
• periods of drowsiness or sleepiness
• increased evidence of telling lies or secretive behaviour
• unexplained loss of money or belongings from the home
• unusual smells, stains or marks on the body, clothes or around the house
However, many of these signs are easily confused with those of normal growing up and it is important not to jump to conclusions, foster carers should speak to their fostering social worker and child’s social worker if there are concern

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