Get started with an online account if you're a foster carer

Get access to an account

Get access for yourself or someone else

If you're a foster carer with Norfolk Fostering Service, we'll email you to get the account setup process started. You'll also need access to the accounts of the foster children in your care.

To hold a Children's Services Online account, you'll need:

A My Norfolk account. You may already have one if you've used the Norfolk County Council website before. For example, you've applied for a scaffolding license or made an appointment to register a birth.
A landline or mobile phone number which has good signal. This is because you'll receive a verification text or phone call every time you log in.

Your Children's Services Online account enables you to:

Send or receive messages
Submit your foster carer recordings

It also allows us to send you forms to complete and share documents with you. If it's appropriate for you to hold the account, we'll send you an email to get the process started.

Initial email

You'll receive an email titled 'Set up your Children's Services Online account'. The email will contain a unique code, which you need to quote to your worker.

Second email

Next, you'll get an email titled 'Accept Children's Services Online Account Invitation'. This email contains a link inviting you to either login to your My Norfolk account or, if you don't have one, set one up.

Registering for a My Norfolk account

If you do not already have a My Norfolk account, select 'Sign up now'.

Enter the same email address you received the two emails to and select 'Send verification code'. You'll get an email containing the verification code.

Put this into the Verification code box on the Register screen and then select 'Verify code'. You'll now see a message on the 'Register' screen telling you your email address has been verified. Select 'Continue'.

Now you need to give your name and create a new password. A strong password usually has eight to 16 characters. It also usually contains three out of four of the following:

Lower case characters
Upper case characters
Digits (0 to 9)
One or more of the following symbols: @ # $ % ^ & * - _ + = [ ] { } | \ : ' , ? / ` ~ " ( ) ; .

Once you've done this and confirmed the new password, select 'Create'.

You'll now see the 'Confirm your identity' screen. Type in the phone number you want the codes sent to in future to verify your account each time you want to login.

If the system has not automatically selected United Kingdom (+44) in the Country Code box, you can change it from the drop-down menu.

Then select 'Send Code' (for a mobile phone number) or 'Call Me' (for a landline or mobile number).

This system is to verify who you are and to ensure the data about you and the child or children in your care is secure.

If you choose 'Send Code', we'll send a code to your mobile phone. Type the code into the box on screen.

If you choose 'Call Me' you will receive an automated call and you need to press the # key when requested.

If you do not pick up the code for whatever reason, select 'Send new code'.

As this is the first time you have set up an account, you'll have to repeat the verification code/call process twice. The first time is to set up the account and the second is to verify it.

Account setup

You'll now go to the 'Account Setup' screen. This shows all invitations currently awaiting approval.

You need to tick the checkbox for all the names of people you are expecting to have access to. In the 'Do you wish to continue with setting up your account?' dropdown, select 'Yes'. Now select 'Confirm' and, in the 'Confirm' pop up box, select 'Yes'. You may now log out of your account.

Account activation

Once your account is active you'll receive an email to confirm this. The email will have the title 'New Children's Services Online activation'. It may take a few days to arrive.

This means that your account is now ready to use. The email will contain a link you can you to log in to your account.

Download a version of this guide

We have produced an illustrated PDF version of how to set up access to a new Children's Services Online account.

Download the guide (PDF) [443KB]

Log in to your account

There are links to the login page contained in most email notifications you will receive, such as when you have been sent a new message, form to complete or document to view.

From the login screen, enter your email address and password, then select 'Sign in'.

At the next screen, select 'Send Code' (for text verification) or 'Call Me' (phone call verification).

If using a mobile number, enter the code you have been sent into the verification code field on the Confirm your identity screen.

If you asked to be called to verify the account, press the # key.

You'll then be taken to the 'Select an account' screen or, if you only have one account, straight into the dashboard for that account.

Account dashboard

Account dashboards contain tiles. You can select these to go to more detailed pages:

'New messages' contains any messages you have received or sent. You can reply to messages sent to you and create new messages, selecting from the different message types. For example, you could complete a foster carer recording or message your worker.
'Items to view' contains any completed forms or documents we've sent you. You can view and, if you wish, download these.
'Items to complete' contains any forms we've sent you to complete.

Navigation

If you have access to several accounts, to get back to the 'Select an account' page, select 'My Account' at the top of the screen. Then select 'My account' from the dropdown menu.

When you select any of the tiles in the dashboard, a menu appears on the left-hand side of the screen. This will help you navigate between the different pages of the account.

To log out of your accounts

The information contained within these accounts is sensitive. So it's important to remember to log out of your account whenever:

You have finished using it
You need to leave your device unattended

The system will automatically time-out after 15 minutes of inactivity. If you don't do anything for 10 minutes you'll get a warning with a countdown.

As soon as you start typing or navigating around again the countdown will disappear.

Download a guide to logging in and out of your account

We've provided an illustrated PDF to show you how to log in and out of your account.

Download the guide (PDF) [256KB]

Pick up tasks in your account

You'll receive emails to your registered email account to tell you there's something you need to do within your account. This may be a form to complete, or a message or document to view.

Each email, where relevant, contains a link to take you to the account login screen.

The emails do not contain personal information for data protection purposes. So, if you are a foster carer, you won't know if an email telling you there's a form to complete is for yourself or for a child you're looking after.

If you've checked all the accounts you have access to and can't find the item, please check with your worker.

Items to complete

There are various forms we may send you to complete using your Children's Services Online account. Please refer to the specific downloadable user guides for support in how to complete these specific forms.

User guides

Saving forms

You can save any form you are working on and come back to it later, using the Save for later or Save buttons within the form.

To find your forms again, you need to go to the 'Items to Complete' section of your dashboard. It will still be showing here, with your changes saved, until you submit the form.

Items to view

Your worker will send you documents via your Children's Services Online account. You can view these documents and, if you like, save them to your device.

You cannot send documents from the 'Items to view' section of your account back to your worker. Only items sent to the 'Items to complete' section of your account are interactive.

Messages

You can use the messaging function to:

Reply to messages sent to you
Create new messages, selecting from the different message types. For example, to complete a foster carer recording or message your worker.

If you select 'Message your worker', it's important to put both the worker's first and last name in the subject line. This way we know which worker we need to send the message to.

Linked guidance

If you want to know more about foster carer recordings, you can download our user guide Completing a Foster Carer Recording (PDF) [403KB].