National Minimum Standards for Fostering: Implications for kinship foster care in England

The Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards (2011) (NMS) are part of the regulatory framework for the conduct of fostering services under the Care Standards Act (2000). There have been concerns that negative recommendations regarding approval or re-approval of some kinship foster carers have been determined by a view that the carers have not demonstrated their ability to meet the NMS.

The NMS are intended to ensure that kinship foster carers receive necessary support in order to be able to meet the needs of the children in their care. They should be considered as a guide rather than solely a benchmark by which to “pass” or “fail” kinship foster carers.

This Practice Note considers the NMS within the context of kinship foster care and how this differs from mainstream foster care. It provides practitioners and panel members with reflections about the interpretation of NMS for kinship foster carers, alongside practice points to ensure that they are supported to meet the NMS within the caring relationship they have for a specific child/ren. It considers the areas most commonly perceived as challenges if trying to evidence how a kinship foster carer meets the NMS, and also the support that could be provided. CoramBAAF’s Form K – Support Plan, which is an integral part of Form K assessment, clearly sets out the support needs of a kinship carer and can be used at the point of annual review to update and highlight additional support needs.

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