Fostering

Learning disability

A child with a general learning disability finds it more difficult to learn, understand and do things compared to other children of the same age. The degree of disability varies. Some children will never learn to speak and will need help with looking after themselves for life; feeding, dressing or going to the toilet. On the other hand, the disability may be mild and the child will grow up to become independent.
General learning disability is different from specific learning difficulty, which means that the person finds one particular thing hard, but manages well in everything else. For example, a child can have a specific learning difficulty in reading, writing or understanding what is said to them, but have no problem with learning in other areas of life.

Life Story Work
Life story work is a method of helping children in care to learn about the events in their lives. Children separated from their birth families may have lived with a number of different families, they may have changed social workers, homes and neighbourhoods. Their past may be lost, confused and much of it forgotten.
All children are entitled to accurate information about their past and their family. When children lose track of their past, they may well find it difficult to develop emotionally and socially. If adults cannot or do not discuss this past with them it is reasonable for children to assume that it may be bad.
Putting together facts about a child’s life and the significant events and people in it helps children to begin to understand and accept their past and move forward into adulthood as a more resilient person.
Life story work gives foster carers the opportunity to show foster children why they should be proud of themselves.

Local Authority / Health Social Services Trusts
The Local Authorities / Health Social Services Trusts are ultimately responsible for the well being of all children in public care. They need to find the best way of looking after these children to make sure that they receive the best possible standard of care.

Managing behaviour
Managing difficult behaviour is a skilled task and all Fostering Agencies provide training on alternative strategies. Rewards and attention for positive behaviour are more effective than punishment for challenging behaviour. Strategies for behaviour management should be discussed with the fostering social worker.
In addition to no corporal punishment, there are certain other punishments that are unacceptable to Fostering Agencies:
• deprivation of regular food and drink
• using the threat of restricting family contact as a punishment, this is against the spirit of the Children Act
• withholding permission for and access to educational trips, it is wrong for a child who misbehaves at home to be punished at school and vice versa
• use of withholding of medical or dental treatment
• locking children up or any form of physical restraint, except when this is to prevent a child damaging themselves or others and then only the minimum force necessary

Minimum Standards for Fostering Services
 The National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services are an integral part of the legal framework in which the fostering provision is regulated and conducted under the Care Standards Act 2000.
The National Minimum Standards are mandatory and as a Fostering Service Provider all Fostering Agencies must comply with them. If Agencies are found to have substantially failed to meet these Standards, then Ofsted has a duty to inform the Secretary of State for Health, who will take the necessary steps to ensure the requirements are met.
The Minimum Standards represent the ‘basic’ requirements rather than ‘best’ possible practice and are designed to be applicable to a wide variety of Fostering Providers rather than a standardisation of service. As well as providing a measure by which services are regulated, the Minimum Standards act as a basis for the induction and training of staff and a guide for families as to what they should expect from a Fostering Service.

Missing From Foster Care 
If a child is missing, the foster carer must operate the Fostering Agency’s policy which is usually to contact their fostering social worker, the child’s social worker or their team manager as soon as possible. If it is outside normal office hours the foster carer would at minimum contact the Emergency Duty Team from the Local Authority who placed the child, then their local police station.

Names
The Children Act prohibits anyone from causing the child to be known by a new surname. This refers to children on Care Orders, but should apply equally to any child placed in care.
Legally, a child’s surname cannot be changed, except by adoption, but the child may call him or herself by any name. The first name is equally important.
Foster carers are strongly advised to call the child by the first name and to respect and encourage the child’s identity, individuality and self-esteem. Foster carers should never initiate a name change.

Nominated Carer
Some agencies operate a Nominated Carer system where people have been assessed and Police checked as suitable to provide support such as short periods of supervision for foster children being cared for by identified foster carers.