reference from employer

[kinship]

I'm being assessed for kinship caring for a relative. i need to know specifically please, what they ask the employer. I know whey want to know about character, but what do they ask? is it like a yes no kind of reference or space to fill out more about my character? is this something the HR department would ordinarily fill in or likely to be my boss. I really want to keep this as private as possible. can i say no to current employment reference but yes to previous one?

A friend is a foster carer. The local authority asked for details of her current employer as they wanted to ask them for a reference. She specifically asked if they could leave that until the last minute as it would mean her boss would know she planned to leave work. They agreed but didn't stick to the agreement and wrote to her boss about four or five months before she was approved. It caused all sorts of problems for her at work!