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This guide is designed to help social workers to manage and complete a comprehensive and evidence-based assessment of prospective applicants who want to foster a child or children. It is to be used by assessing social workers to complete a Prospective Foster Carer’s Report using the CoramBAAF Form F (for Scotland).

The role of the panel administrator is a multidimensional one. Effective adoption and fostering panels are crucial to the delivery of a good adoption and fostering service, and the provision of services for looked after children. The efficient administration of panels, including the provision of clear and accurate minutes, is a skilled and complex task that is essential to the smooth and effective operation of panels. This open course will enable adoption and fostering panel administrators to examine related legislation and share best practice though group discussion and practice application.

Essential reading for newly qualified social workers

The role of the panel administrator is a multidimensional one. Effective adoption and fostering panels are crucial to the delivery of a good adoption and fostering service, and the provision of services for looked after children. The efficient administration of panels, including the provision of clear and accurate minutes, is a skilled and complex task that is essential to the smooth and effective operation of panels. This open course will enable adoption and fostering panel administrators to examine related legislation and share best practice though group discussion and practice application.

The assessment of foster carers and adopters is amongst the most important aspects of family placement work. Undertaking checks and references is key to these assessments, and a core task for social workers. This Good Practice Guide details the range of checks routinely undertaken across the UK.

This one day course is an opportunity to consolidate knowledge of fostering assessment practice in the context of the recently published updated version of Prospective Foster Carer(s) Report (CoramBAAF Form F). It will provide a focus on what constitutes a good assessment, including how to write a strengths-based assessment that evidences and analyses a prospective carer’s experiences, capacity, skills, and motivation. There will be the opportunity to discuss and learn about the new section on children’s needs and carer’s capacity to meet them.

The two day course Undertaking a fostering assessment provides more detail for social workers and managers with less experience of fostering assessment. 

Our Advice Line team has received an increase in queries about statutory checks and references for prospective adopters and carers. Jo Francis, CoramBAAF’s Publishing Manager, shares the types of queries our colleagues receive and the advice provided in our Good Practice Guide, ‘Undertaking checks and references in fostering and adoption assessments’.

This Practice Note provides information and guidance on the development and increased use of Fostering for Adoption placements. Raising questions and challenges about the information that should, and can legally, be provided to Fostering for Adoption carers, i.e. any dually-approved carers, including Regulation 25A carers, considering a placement under s.22C(9B)(c) of the Children Act (CA) 1989 in England.