Staying together and connected: getting it right for sisters and brothers: national practice guidance

21. Regular and ongoing review

Where there are exceptional circumstances and a placement involving more than three unrelated children living together in foster care is sought to continue, a referral should be made to the fostering panel within four weeks, or as soon as practicable afterwards. Where children have been placed with a foster carer on an emergency basis, a review of the placement is required within the first three days in alignment with Regulation 38(2) of the 2009 Regulations, and a following review must be held within six weeks (Regulation 39(3) of the 2009 Regulations).

Following the referral, there may be a period before the fostering panel is able to convene and make their recommendation, during which time it is important to continually assess and review the suitability of the placement to meet the needs of all the children. This assessment is additional to the formal reviews required by the 2009 Regulations, and is necessary to ensure that the placement continues to safeguard and promote the welfare of each child, and that the foster carer is receiving sufficient support to guard against them becoming over-burdened. Any additional support identified for the children and/or foster carer(s) can then be put in place timeously. In cases where there are felt to be exceptional circumstances, it is good practice to have visits undertaken at least fortnightly by a qualified social worker. Wherever possible, these visits should be made jointly by the children's social worker(s) and the foster carers supervising social worker to ensure the needs of all of the children, and the capacity of the foster carer(s) to meet them, are reviewed in the round. It may be helpful to discuss and agree the frequency and content of these ongoing review visits with the child, family, carer(s), and the Team Around the Child as part of (or immediately after) the initial three-day review required by Regulation 38(2) of the 2009 Regulations and in accordance with Schedule 4 of the 2009 Regulations, forming part of the Placement Agreement.

In many cases, much more frequent visits, conversations, and provision of professional support will be required to ensure that each child continues to have their needs met, and that foster carers have all that they themselves need to continue to provide the care each child requires individually, and as a group. Practitioners must be enabled to have the time and resource to provide such continual assessment, review and professional support. Alongside the child's needs and views, and those of the foster carer(s), ongoing review should also consider the views of the child's family; those of all professionals in the Team Around the Child; and those of other parents and carers (and their supervising social workers, where applicable) whose views are relevant, for example, those looking after any siblings of the children. All of these perspectives enrich and inform robust assessment, and should play an integral part of continued assessment, review and care planning.