My child has been placed with an undisclosed adult in foster care

[ByOpalFinch]

My newborn daughter was recently taken into foster care pending an investigation into child abuse (that has been NFAd by the local police). But today I was told that I wouldn't be able to see her on Christmas as was originally planned because her foster carer had other plans regarding three other children, whether they're all foster or not I'm unsure.

It was only today that I found out that one of these children is an 18 year old male. I was not made aware that there was another adult living in the house when my daughter was taken and I don't feel comfortable knowing that my daughter is in a house with a strange adult who likely hasn't been DBS checked.

Is there anything I can do about this? Surely it would be considered some sort of safety concern?

I was under the assumption that this woman had one other foster child, as that was what I was told when SS came to take my daughter.

He will have been enhanced DBS checked.

All adults will have been dbs checked so please please don’t worry

Hi OP,

Sorry you’re going through such a difficult time. You must miss your baby so much, especially as Christmas approaches.

The 18 yo male could be a biological son or relative of the foster carer, in which case an enhanced dbs would have been completed. Alternatively, he may be a foster child of the foster carer who has remained with her into adulthood. In that case, the LA will know his full history, including police record.

If I were you, and I was happy with the care my baby was receiving, I wouldn’t be seeking a different placement and disrupt my baby over this.

In terms of christmas, you must be really disappointed not to get to see your baby. However, this is really common as the priority is the baby’s experience with the foster carer and the foster carer’s entitlement to enjoy their christmas as well. In addition, contact centres are generally not open for christmas. However, many LA’s will arrange a ‘christmas’ contact in the run up to christmas so you can celebrate together.

Wishing you and your baby the best for the future.

He absolutely definitely will have been fully DBS checked

This is a good reply.
Hopefully a contact between Christmas and New Year will be planned in. After this the contact plan will probably return to the pattern you have now. This is typically how things work over this period.
Best wishes for yours and your baby’s future.

Given that my son's childminder's biological children had to be DBS checked when they turned 18 (to be in their own house, which doubled as mum's workplace) it's highly likely that the foster carer's son will have been DBS checked too. Of course you can raise your concerns if you like, but I would imagine that the council would tell you that they only use places they feel are safe, so you wouldn't really get a say. In terms of changing the arrangements for Christmas, the foster parent has your child full time, it isn't a job where they have chosen to work! Of course they don't have to stay home, away from their own family and friends just to enable you to visit the child.

@jacquettalux

Even if he's a foster child who has turned 18, he will have been DBS checked if there are other foster children in placement.

A friend is a foster carer to a sibling group and the oldest had to be DBS checked when he approached 18 so that he could continue living in the same house as his siblings!!!

My 18 year old has been DBS checked as is sometimes at his girlfriends mum’s when she is childminding.
I’m certain an 18 year old living in a foster home will have been.

Children in foster homes are thoroughly ’known’. Social workers played a game with my DSs to see how well they recognised risk, respected other people etc. she commented on their team work- that if one didn’t see the risk the other would point it out, and they’d explore solutions together. They do activity days with the children as well, and would act if they saw any issues.

My children are still at home in their 20s. Have been fostering family since early teens. As soon as they reached 18 they were required to get a DBS, it’s a legal requirement.
my foster son is 17, when he reaches 18 if we continue to foster he will require a dbs.
I used to do supervised contact for him and tried to get a contact between Christmas and new year.
I know some carers do a FaceTime with the chid for a bit on Xmas day. Wasn’t possible for us as parents often had no access to phone