Working Together
- Working Together
- The Placement Agreement
- How does the child feel?
- Keeping in touch
- Making the placement work
It is important that parents provide as much information as possible about their child. It is also important that you keep the parents informed.
It is essential that the parents give you an address and phone number where they can be contacted at all times. Children and Young People's Services will also need this information.
As well as providing information the parents should also give you items which may help their child settle in a new home. These may be photographs of home and family, toys or other special items.
Ask about any routines the child may have had at home, as these will help them to settle and to feel more secure in their new home.
An agreement should be drawn up between carers and parents giving details of the arrangements and making it clear who is responsible for what, for instance medical arrangements. Your Social Worker can offer advice on this and a form for this placement agreement is provided by Children and Young People's Services.
When children are separated from their parents or carers, and move to a new home, they will experience a number of different feelings. These may include feelings such as loss, confusion, anger and sadness.
Because of this, you will need to be particularly sensitive and considerate until the child settles into their home. The child may display unusual behaviour because of how he/she feels. Bedwetting, temper tantrums or withdrawn behaviour are all common. If you find the child’s behaviour very difficult to cope with, talk to the child’s parents or consult your Social Worker, GP or Health Visitor, who will give you advice on how best to deal with this.
The parents should try to visit your home with their child several times before the placement is made, as this will help the child to settle when he/she does move. Children should be allowed and encouraged to have regular visits with their parents and contact by phone and letter during the placement, so that they do not feel unwanted and abandoned.
Visiting arrangements should be clear to private foster carers, parents and the child before the placement begins. Everyone must be committed to keeping these arrangements.
It is important that you and the child stay in touch with their parents throughout the placement, so that they are aware of their child’s day to day routine and progress and so that you can discuss any decision which needs to be made.
At the end of the placement, spend some time planning for the child’s return home so that everybody can adjust to the idea of the child moving and prepare for the move itself.
It is important that you work together with the child’s parents and the Social Worker to make sure that the placement is as successful as possible for the child.
It is helpful to have a clear agreement before the placement which is why Nottinghamshire Children and Young People's Services encourage the use of the agreement form we provide.
Using the form will ensure that everybody concerned is clear about how long the child will be fostered, what the financial arrangements will be, when and how often visiting will take place.
