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Safe care policy

Children's Services will ensure that:

Children and young people are safe from abuse within a foster home
All members of and visitors to the foster home are protected from abuse and the risk of allegations, as far as is reasonably practicable

Key points

All approved foster carers must:

Have a Safe Caring Family Agreement
Take responsibility for implementing the action points in their Safe Caring Family Agreement

Standards

Applicants should complete the Skills to Foster training before they are approved as foster carers. This training should cover the need for safe care procedures and guidance on how to make the home safe. Foster carers should attend ongoing training.
Assessments on prospective carers should include creating a Safe Caring Family Agreement. The writing of this agreement should involve all members of the foster home.
Foster carers must tell the fostering service when there are any changes that could impact their ability to provide foster care. Possible changes include, but are not limited to:
- New regular visitors to the foster home
- People who are not known to the fostering service regularly staying overnight in the foster home
- Family members moving out of the foster home
- Death of a member of the foster family or someone who has become friendly with the foster child
There must be a Child-Specific Safe Caring Family Agreement for each individual foster child in placement
Foster carers must keep their recordings up to date on the Children's Services Online Account. Their supervising social worker must read the carer's recordings on a regular basis.
Foster carers must tell their supervising social worker or the child's social worker immediately if:
- They have concerns about their own ability to provide safe care, or
- An incident or situation means the carer feels they are at risk of an allegation being made
A risk assessment must be completed if a child is known, likely to, or has potential to behave in a way that puts themselves or others at risk. This risk assessment should be completed before a placement starts, or as soon as possible after the placement starts in the case of emergency placements.
The foster carer and their supervising social worker should discuss safe care in every supervision session. This discussion must be recorded in the record of supervision.
The foster carer must tell their supervising social worker if the foster child or the carer's own children are involved in any activities that may cause risk
Foster carers should not leave a foster child with anyone for any length of time, and certainly not for longer than 24 hours, without the consent and knowledge of the fostering service

Use of cameras and microphones in the foster home

Foster carers must discuss the use of cameras or microphones in the home with their assessing and supervising social workers. This includes the use of:

Baby monitors
CCTV
Video recording devices - such as video doorbells or motion-activated internal security cameras
Smart speakers - such as Amazon Echo or Google Nest

Foster carers cannot use CCTV in the foster home for any purpose other than protecting the property from crime. They cannot place cameras or microphones in children's bedrooms or in any bathrooms. This means that they cannot use CCTV to supervise or monitor children who live in the foster home.

Norfolk Fostering Service will follow 2 principles:

Anyone who uses CCTV must have a clear purpose for needing CCTV, and
The use of cameras and/or microphones must be in proportion to the situation

Everyone living in the foster home, including children and young people, should be told if cameras and microphones are in place. They should be told where the cameras or microphones are and the reasons why.

It should also be clear:

Who has responsibility for the equipment
What happens to the video and/or audio that is recorded, including:
How long this footage will be kept for,
Where it is stored, and
Who can access it.

Foster carers must take security measures to prevent cameras or microphones being hacked if the camera or microphone is:

Connected to the internet, or
Uploads data to the Cloud or any other third-party website

Security measures include using a strong password and two-factor authentication.

Foster carers should tell Norfolk Fostering Service if they plan to install, or change, a home-based CCTV system. This is to ensure that the service is aware of:

The nature and purpose of any recordings,
How long they will be kept for, and
Who is responsible for them

Foster carers should also expect their supervising social worker to ask them about any cameras and microphones in the foster home at regular intervals.

CCTV, or other forms of video or audio surveillance, is not necessary or appropriate for monitoring or managing children's behaviour. This means that this type of technology is not suitable for use inside most foster homes.

The exception to this is the use of baby monitors, with or without cameras, when these are specifically used to help to keep a sleeping baby safe. There may also be circumstances where a baby monitor is used to look after an older child who may have difficulties with sleep or has a health condition that needs monitoring. In these cases, foster carers should seek consent from the child being monitored, if they are able to give it.

In all cases, foster carers should make sure that their supervising social worker knows about all cameras and microphones in their home, where they are and what they are used for, so that everyone can be kept safe.

If foster carers believe there are other exceptional circumstances that mean using CCTV is appropriate inside the foster home, they must speak to their supervising social worker about this before taking any action to install cameras or microphones. Foster carers in this situation should make a written request to their fostering service explaining the situation and the reasons for the request.

Supervising social workers should discuss the request thoroughly with the foster carers, making sure to explore alternatives.

The use of recording devices must be agreed by Head of Service and with a clear reason why this is being used.

In all circumstances the use of a device must be recorded within the Child-Specific Safe Care Agreement.

Procedure

A Safe Caring Family Agreement should be completed as part of a prospective foster carer's assessment
- Responsible officer: Assessing social worker
- Where this is recorded: Safe Caring Family Agreement in Children's Services Online Account
- When this should happen: By the end of the assessment
All registered foster carers should be given a copy of Fostering Network's Safer Caring: A New Approach guidance
- Responsible officer: Assessing social worker or supervising social worker
- When this should happen: During the assessment or within 2 weeks after the foster carer is approved
All registered foster carers should have a Safe Caring Family Agreement. This is regularly reviewed, and is updated at the start of each new foster placement to reflect any changes in circumstances.
- Responsible officer: Supervising social worker
- Where this is recorded: Safe Caring Family Agreement in the Children's Services Online Account
- When this should happen: Before a child is placed. (Or within five working days of the placement starting in the case of emergency placements.)
Foster carer's recordings should be kept up to date
- Responsible officer: Foster carer
- Where this is recorded: Our Life Together child-specific recording in the Children's Services Online Account
- When this should happen: Throughout the placement
Foster carer's recordings should be read regularly
- Responsible officer: Supervising social worker
- Where this is recorded: Our Life Together child-specific recording in the Children's Services Online Account
- When this should happen: At each supervision

Related acts and regulations

Changes to this policy

We may amend this policy at any time so please review it frequently. The date below will be amended each time this notice is updated.

This policy was updated on 20 January 2023.