Knowledge & Practice Hub

Fostering knowledge and practice hub

Author:

Publication Date: 28 January 2016

Learning points

  • The roles and responsibilities of foster carers and social workers – and how lack of clarity about who is doing what, and why, can cause problems in placements.
  • The different types of foster care placements – from emergency to remand.
  • Why thorough planning and preparation is so crucial to the success of a placement.
  • Test your knowledge of fostering legislation (only available to organisations with a workforce licence).

Introduction

Row of terraced houses

Roles and responsibilities: quick guide

Supported learning

Supported learning content is only available to organisations with a workforce licence. Find out more about supported learning here.

The roles and responsibilities of foster carers and social workers: in depth guide

The legislative and procedural framework: quick guide

The legislative and procedural framework: in depth guide

Development of the fostering legislative framework since 2011
Fostering regulations in Wales

Preparation for placement

Putting together a puzzle

Types of placement

Making the placement: quick guide

Making the placement (including matching, pre-placement agreements and delegated authority): in-depth guide

Matching: lessons from research
The payment of family and friends carers as foster carers

Contact

Mother and baby

Contact in foster care: quick guide

Contact with birth families in foster care: in-depth guide

A trauma model for planning, assessing and reviewing contact for looked-after children.
Understanding a child’s neurobiology to assess the impact of contact with birth parents.
Webinar: How to use a trauma model to assess contact with birth families

During placement

Children playing - cartoon

Educational needs: quick guide

Meeting the educational needs of children and young people in foster care: in-depth guide

The health and wellbeing of foster children: quick guide

The health and wellbeing of children and young people: in-depth guide

Leisure activities for foster children

Oversight of placement

Laptop and pens

Recruiting and retaining foster carers
Allegations against foster carers
Foster carer reviews
Child-centred reviews for looked-after children and young people
The fostering panel
The Independent Review Mechanism for foster carers

Foster families

community people silhoutte

Myth busting quick guide to therapeutic parenting

Therapeutic parenting: in-depth guide

Parent and child fostering
Supporting daughters and sons of foster carers

Transitions

Mind the Gap

Staying Put arrangements
Transitions, beginnings and endings

Related articles

Signposts

Attachment knowledge and practice hub
Adoption knowledge and practice hub
Coming soon: Permanency planning knowledge and practice hub

Author

Alan Fisher

Alan Fisher, freelance practitioner and consultant, has led the review of Inform’s fostering content.

The aim of these guides is to address the issues that arise in everyday fostering practice and to empower busy practitioners and carers to find child-centred solutions through relationship-based social work.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for, do let us know.