| Paul Adams, revised by Tracy Bowen
This guide will help social workers to plan and carry out a comprehensive and evidence-based review of foster carers. It is designed to be used alongside CoramBAAF’s Form FR (Wales).
| Ann Horne, Augusta Itua and Clare Seth
This Practice Note explains that private fostering does not require parental consent, either written or verbal. The local authority must assess and monitor any such arrangement under the Children Act 1989 and the Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering) Regulations 2005, focusing on safeguarding and promoting the child’s welfare rather than how the arrangement came about. While parental involvement is encouraged, it is not a legal requirement.
| Jane Poore and Alexandra Conroy-Harris
This Practice Note offers guidance on key aspects of children moving from England to the Isle of Man to be placed with adopters approved in the Isle of Man. The process of placing children across Regions of the UK comes with some complexity, given that regulations, guidance and practice differ between the two jurisdictions.
| Clare Seth
This Practice Note considers the National Minimum Standards (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.
| Helen Wilmot and Mandeep Sahejpal
Foster carer recruitment and retention are huge challenges that have attracted much research and reporting, without leading to widespread positive change. But some key best practice has been learned. What forms of recruitment have proved most useful, and what advertising encourages applications? How have some agencies successfully reached a range of diverse applicants? What do carers value most in a fostering service, making them more likely to stay – and what factors may push them to leave?
| Ann Horne and Clare Seth with Paul Adams
'Undertaking a kinship assessment' is designed to help social workers to manage and complete a comprehensive and evidence-based assessment of kinship carers/connected people/family and friends who wish to foster or be special guardians to a known child or children.
| Henrietta Bond, Hannah Smith, Nikki Shepherd, Sarah Alix with Eileen Fursland and Nicola Hill
We've bundled three of our foster carer handbooks for a discounted price. Get your guide about parenting teenagers, health and education for £38 (plus p&p) instead of £42.85
| Jay Vaughan, Alan Burnell, Kathryn Fenton with Ellie Johnson
For those that are interested in the next step after reading and using the resources in our starter pack for foster carers, or are looking for titles related to parenting, take a look at our bundle of fundamentals for foster carers.
| Jean Camis, Hedi Argent.
We know that starting out as a foster carer can be overwhelming at times. To help you feel confident in your role, and in building relationships with the children and young people in your care, we have designed a bundle to support you in those early stages.
| Jane Poore, Alexandra Conroy Harris, AFKA Scotland, Sarah Coldrick.
Differences in regulations and guidance between Wales and Scotland mean that there are some additional things to think about when planning to move children. This Practice Note offers guidance on key aspects of children moving from Wales to Scotland to be placed with adopters approved in Scotland, specifically addressing common queries received by AFKA Cymru, AFKA Scotland and CoramBAAF’s Advice Line.
