Q&A about fostering with Chief Executive of Barnardo's, Anne Marie Carrie - ANSWERS BACK

[RachelMumsnet]

To tie in with Foster Care Fortnight, we're inviting you to send in your questions about fostering to Chief Executive of Barnardo's, Anne Marie Carrie.

Anne Marie Carrie has nearly forty years of experience working with some of the most vulnerable children across adoption and fostering, child protection, education, schools, and services for young people. She became Chief Executive of Barnardo's in January 2011. Send your questions to Anne before the end of Tuesday 15 May and we'll be linking to the archived Q&A on 24 May.

There is currently a worrying shortage of foster families across the UK, with at least 8,750 new foster families needing to be found this year. So during this year's Foster Care Fortnight (14-27 May) Barnardo's is urging more people to consider putting themselves forward as potential foster carers - particularly for children who wait longest for a family, such as siblings or disabled children.

Barnardo's is an authority on children in care and child protection based on over 100 years' of experience of finding families for children. The charity wants to hear from anybody who is interested in finding out more about fostering. They will provide training and support to potential foster carers, and do not exclude anyone from consideration on the grounds of sexual orientation, race, marital status, gender, disability or employment status. To find out more contact Barnardo's on 08000 277 280 or barnardos.org.uk/fosteringandadoption.

Just to clarify, my point was that people are being put off fostering altogether because they think they can't afford it. If it's something you really want to do then you should at least make enquiries before assuming you won't be able to manage on the money paid. In no way was I saying foster carers shouldn't be paid! Also look into the tax allowances and benefits you may be entitled to.

On the other hand, be wary of the large adverts in the local press, usually by fostering agencies, offering excellent pay (one near me quoted £600 per week per child). They can offer all the money they like if they don't have any children to place with you.

(Sorry if my posts appear contradictory tonight, I've spent the day arguing with a toddler and haven't come out of battle mode yet!)

Your post made me think of the things I had heard other people say scarlet, so I hope it didnt seem as if I was jumping on your comments re payment.

You should hear what they say about Kinship Carers asking for financial support

I think there should be more uniformity between agencies and LAs across the country regarding payments for FC.

That's the other issue though isn't it - if you do manage to move to a larger home, give up work and budget carefully to live on the allowance, what happens if you don't have a placement for a month? Or have a series of short term placements with gaps of weeks in between? Are foster carers paid a retainer or are they expected to go on and off benefits or in and out of work?

Now you've opened another can of worms Rubirosa! I'm a short term (task centred) FC and most of my placements have been no shorter than 8 months - usually more like 2 years! There has only been 1 occasion (for around 2 weeks) when I didn't have a placement, but my LA don't pay retainers so I had to claim Job Seekers Allowance - here's where the worms come in.

I qualify for Income Support as my allowance is low, yet when I had no child in place I had to switch benefit to JSA. The money I received was exactly the same yet I was expected to go to the job centre to sign on - even though I wouldn't have been able to accept a job offered to me as I knew I'd be taking in another child any day!

I think most agencies DO pay retainers, and holiday pay, but you're much more likely to have gaps with them than you are with LA.

I wonder if the lack of foster carers is linked to the fact that they are expected to have spare rooms and claim benefits? I find it appalling that we (as a society) value children and carers so little that FCs are not even paid a living wage!

I think people generally don't really understand what foster care is, and think it's a kind of diluted adoption. Hence some of the comments that it should be a vocation not a job.

Foster care IS a job, albeit one that demands a high degree of emotional investment, empathy, compassion etc. Of course we don't want people to do it just for the money, but equally we don't want them to lack professional commitment, professionalism in their dealings, and indeed a degree of professional detachment. Seems to me you're more likely to get both if you pay a decent enough wage.

Adoption, by contrast, is NOT a job and shouldn't be waged. Which is not to say that allowances shouldn't be paid where necessary for the children's welfare, including to allow the parent to give up work in some cases.

As for kinship carers, every time I read about people forced into poverty so that they can keep a child in the family a red mist rises. Talk about exploiting people's good will.

NanaNina, it seems you might not believe my post earlier? When exactly did the catholic adoption agency have to adhere to the LA's assessment criteria?

If the assessments were that strict, then my sister would not have gotten through and my mother and stepfather would not still be fostering young teenage boys. My mother has a long history of mental health related illnesses that are on her medical records for all to see. This, coupled with the fact that she is in her 70s should prevent her from fostering vulnerable young children who deserve better care then she is currently able to give them.

Some people do slip through the net, quite possibly aided and abetted by the church.

TheRhubarb - it wasn't that I misbelieved you, I was just confused by your post. It isn't so much that the Catholic Adoption Society have to adhere to the LA's assessment criteria. As far as I'm aware all LAs, and voluntary organisations (like the one you mention) follow the same guidelines for the recruitment, training and assessment of prospective adoptors. This means that they put on training/preparation courses for prospective adoptors so that they may learn far more about the adoption process, and the reasons why children need to be adopted and about some of the behaviours that they wil have as a result of being abused/neglected in the past.

As far as I am aware all LAs, vol orgs (like the one you mention) follow the same procedure for assessing applicants. This is produced by the British Agencies for Fostering & Adoption (BAAF) and is usually known as the Form F. Now I am 8 years out of LA practice (am retired) and I do know that BAAF change their forms and the format, sometimes to make it easier to carry out the assessment. However I can assure you that these assessments are very comprehensive, covering all aspects of the applicant's lives, the way they were parented and their own parenting capacity to name but a few. Alongside the assessment there will be comprehensive checks, CRB checks, medical checks (this takes the form of a questionnaire being provided to the applicants and they then have a medical with their GP. The GP will then send the medical report to The Medical Advisor for the LA (assume that vol orgs have their own medical advisor) and the medical advisor, on the basis of the GP report makes a decision whether the applicants are suitable adoptors on the basis of their medical history. Additionally the applicants will be expected to provide referees (rules on these do change between different LAs and Vol Orgd) but it is usual to ask for 2 family referees, and 2 independent referees.

The applicants are often invited to write something themselves about their lives, though this is not essential.

OK let's take the Catholic Adoption Society who undertake an assessment; they cannot place children for adoption a) because they don't have any children and b) because it is illegal and has been for many years, though I can't tell you exactly when.

So if Mr and Mrs x have been approved by the Catholice Adoption Society and it is legal for them to have their own adoption panel to recommend them as adoptors. Now what I don't know is whether people approved by this society will only want to place children whose birth parents want them to be brought up in the Catholic faith. However the next thing for the CAS to do is to find out from LAs (who are the only authorities who actually have children in their care that are awaiting adoption) whether they would like to "buy" one of the approved families. It may be that the CAS have applicant(s) who are considering a child with disabilities or a large sibling group (as these are very hard to place children) and so the LA may be interested in such applicants. The Vol oRgs send round to LAs details of their families who are approved adoptors to see if there is a "match" - however because of the cuts in budgets LAs are seldom able to "buy" the family because they cannot afford to do so. However if the LA are interested in "buying" adoptors from the CAS (or any other vol org) they will scrutinise the assessment in the same way as they would their own assessments. There would be no question of the CAS assessment being very scant (as used to be the case many years ago).

I'm sorry I can't comment on your sister's case.

As far as your mother and step father are concerned, they must be registered with a LA or an IFA (Independent Fostering Agency) to be able to foster. If they have been approved by an IFA, the same thing will apply, they would have had to have been comprehensively assessed, and the IFA would then have to "sell" them to the LA, or to put it another way the LA would have to "buy" the placement from the IFA. So your mother and stepfather must be registered foster carers, as they are still taking places. By law all fost carers have to be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that everything is going well, and the age range of the childen they foster is still right for them.

I appreciate that you are very concerned but I can only tell you what the process is, and has been for many years. I will look up when it became law that only LAs could be adoption agencies that could place children and let you know.

NanaNina I think it was after my sister's case.

Yes I am concerned. All whilst I was living at home, I never heard of any annual reviews and still don't know that she gets these. If these annual reviews were being carried out then why, is a woman in her 70s with mental health problems and her husband still able to foster young boys? Is there not a maximum age? If there is, what is it?

These guidelines may be there but is it possible that some authorities do not carry out the necessary checks to ensure that they are being adhered to?

Devora I agree with your post above. I have championed the rights of foster carers for most of my working life and have been at the forefront of fighting for a living wage for foster carers; a salary, like any other job so that you are not just paid when you have a placement (or maybe get a small retainer)

I agree that adoption is not a job as such but I think that some of the children that are being adopted these days, have severe and enduring emotional difficulties, and adoptors need post adoption support (by law) but seldom get it, and many adoptive families are reliant on some form of post adoption allowance, although these are of course discretionary and can be decreased or stopped altogether.

I totally agree with you about kinship carers and think they are being massively exploited by LAs. When I last worked for a LA 8 years ago, we were paying kinship carers a fostering allowance for the child in placement, but not a fostering fee (or reward element for the job done) but I know different LAs have different practices. Even worse is that even 8 years ago kinship carers were being encouraged (Hmm) to apply for Residence Orders, so that the child would no longer be in care of the LA. Yes all well and good but that means that any problems in the future (about contact or anything else) will not be sorted out by the LA, because the case will be closed. I'm pretty sure this is still going on, as budgets become more and more slashed by this coalition, and is in my view exploitative.

I and other colleagues also fought for the LA to pay carers the same as IFAs pay them but the response was that we couldn't afford it, but as the LA carers said to us "yes but you place them with an IFA carer when there is nowhere else" - absolutely true. I often wondered how it was we had any LA carers left - but it's privatisation isn't it and this is the way successive goverments have wanted - indeed I don't this this coalition will be satisfied until they have privatised all public services. Sorry I'd better stop there as some your "red mist" might descend on me.!!

TheRhubarb - there isn't a specific age that carers can no longer be registered. People are very different and some people in their 70s still have a lot to offer. I do have to say though that there have been cases where we have to politely suggest that carers may be coming to the end of their fostering career and in my experiece carers usually know themsleves when things are getting a bit too much for them.

If you really are concerned then I think maybe you have to find out with LA or IFA or Vol Org (like Barnardoes) and make your concerns known.

nana the practice is to now encourage carers to apply for Special Guardianship Orders rather than a RO.
This is good in many ways. It gives the carer more control than a RO and is not as drastic as an AO.

However the issue of financial support still remains. It is not as bad as when ROs were the norm but it is nowhere near sorted and the majority of KC I know have to take the LA to appeal before appropriate support is awarded.

Yes Kristina I fully accept that carers may wish to talk to each other rather than a sw and I think I've already made that point (and Scarlet) I take your point that it is very difficult to get hold of social workers.

I am however a little puzzled about how you claim to know so much about social work training, since you have made it clear in the past you are not a social worker. I would take issue with your statement " that much of social work training and practice is about minimsing risk to the agency rather than being child and family focussed." Are you able to evidence this?

I am fully aware that many social workers are young and inexperienced, and the only opportunity they have of first hand experience before they qualify is whilst they are out on placements. When I trained many years ago, we had 2 practice placements and 1 plct in res care. I don't know how many plcts students have on the 3 year degree course.

Yes there will be some foster carers who have 20 years experience and a newly qualified sw, but it is just as likely that you have a sw with 20 years experience and a newly approved foster care. Also, is it not the case that all professionals and other emplyees have to "learn on the job" - you only have to watch Young Doctors (recent TV programme) after 5 years hard study, they were on their first hospital placements and were on a very steep learning curve, and were dependent on the good will of the nurses, same with nurses, teachers, who of course have to get through their NQT year, lawyers, accountants etc. etc.

Re a foster carer calling EDT but told to call the police, is not I agree very helpful, however some counties are very large and a very small number of EDT workers, who have to prioritise their work eg. a person needs to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act as they are a danger to themselves or others, a 6 month old baby with a fractured skull and the account of the parents does not match the injury - needs immediate response etc etc.

I was a social worker for 6 years on a Teenage Placement Project where some very difficult and challenging young people were in placement, and the carers had my home number. In all those 6 years I never had to go out at all (even though I was prepared to do so) most carers just needed advice or reassurance. A violent teenager is in fact probably committing an offence and therefore it is more appropriately dealt with by the police.

I do realise that social care is in need of many improvements, including more resources (but small chance of that with this coalition and its slashing of all public sector budgets) and I have seen very poor practice when working independently, but this was due to inner city LAs trying to run a service on 30 - 40% vacancy rates, many staff off sick with stress related illness, agency staff coming and going and managers promoted beyong their competence.

Thank you, I have raised concerns before but nothing was done.

At least they aren't in childrens homes I suppose.

Mrs DeVere - I am aware that SGOs (which is relatively new legislation) Jan 2006 is by far the best route to permanancy especially in kinship assessments. I have carried out several SGOs whilst I was working independently and agree they are only really one step "short" of adoption.

However I think LAs prefer ROs because it involves less work for them, and there are still sws who don't realise what documentation is needed for an SGO. The assessment is comprehensive and the issues to be addressed are laid down by a legislative process. In addition the LA have to carry out an assessment of the applicant's needs in terms of practical issues, (supply of equipment) on going financial support and contact issues. I am at present attempting to help someone who thought she was applying for an SGO (well actually she didn't think she was applying for anything because the LA don't make it clear that only applicants can apply for ROs, SGOs, AOs, but the recommendation was for an SGO (but with none of the right paper work) and the social workers came out of court with a RO and were very happy about it!

However you are right that whether RO or SGO the case is closed and finance is discretionary althought there is a clause in the SGO legislation that states that finance (same amount as fostering allowances) should be made where a child was previously in the care of the LA, for the first 2 years after the making of the Order. However in another clause it states "that no placement should break down because of financial issues."

I am interested in what you say about KC having to take the LA "to appeal" before appropriate support is awarded. It was my understanding that the only course of action was to apply for a judicial review - is this what you mean, because I was left wondering how many KC would be in a postion to pay a lawyer to institute such proceedings, nor how costly that might be.

Not if you go through the complaints procedure and escalate to stage 2 . Most don't need to go further than that before resolution in favour of the kc

There are many foster carers with vacancies but they foster for independent fostering agencies. Time perhaps for Martin Narey to update the fostering system? Funding for children in care to be ring fenced and a National/Regional register of foster carers, their skills and vacancies to be matched with the children who need to be looked after?

"There are many foster carers with vacancies"

& There are many children needing foster care.

"Time perhaps to update the fostering system ?"

Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

And makes me angry on the children's behalf that we (collectively as adults) can't get it more right more often for more children

i would love to be a foster carer to babies age 0-2 but i have been told by two LAs to wait a couple of years till my children are older :( my children are 12,8,5,2 my youngest starts nursary in sep so home alone it is lol
i know is sounds like i have alot on but i know me and my husband would be able to provide a safe and loving home for a foster child or children.
i was disheartened when we was told we couldnt go futher with our ap i just wish they could of done the home study got to know us better and seen how we are as a family. have you any advice or would you say the same??

laviniasmum :)

LAs like there to be a 2 year gap between your own children and fostered children. Fostered children ideally need to be the youngest in the fanily, so that they are not competing with younger birth children.

Also there are usually a great many carers who want 0 - 2 and so you might have to wait for placements. How about childminding?

Laviniasmum - I hope you don't mind me answering, I know that this is a Q&A thread for Anne Marie Carrie, rather than a general fostering thread.

I think, rather than there needing to be a two year age gap and for fostered yp to be the youngest (which is often the case, but I have known many exceptions to this rule, particularly for task centered/short term foster care) the "wait a couple of years" approach is often because it is difficult for would-be foster carers to appreciate just how time consuming and draining foster care can be.

There is no doubt that the task becomes a little easier when your own children are a little more self-reliant.

I agree though that it is a shame that you were not offered at least an initial meeting as you would have then had an opportunity to talk about your support network. I really hope that you have not been put off making enquiries again.

MFT (love the name cus have hapy memories of how much my kids loved this book when little) I totally agree that when "backs are against walls" and a child out of the age range for which you are approved, needs placement, sws will ask if you can take the child. This makes something of a mockery of approving carers for a specific age range to fit with the ages of their children.

Sorry but I don't understand what youmean about the "wait a couple of years" is because it takes a long time for carers to be able to understand how draining and time consuming caring is. Of course I agree with that but applicants can't even begin to understand what is involve until they start a training course.

Verity I can't even hazard a guess what this was about. It makes no sense whatsoever does it.

Sorry, perhaps I did not explain myself very well - the "wait a couple of years" was in relation to waiting for the youngest child to be a little bit older, rather than because it would take a couple of years to get ones head around the challenges of fostering.

This Q&A is now closed. Thanks for your questions. We'll be sending over 20 questions to Anne Marie Carrie later today and will link to her answers from this thread on 24 May.