Allegations in Foster Care

Allegations in Foster Care

Allegations in Foster Care A UK study of foster carers’ experiences of allegations

Vicki Swain October 2006

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Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 Previous research 2 Methodology 2.1 The sample 3 Findings 3.1 Numbers of foster carers who have experienced allegations 3.2 Length of time fostering 3.3 Identifying the subject of an allegation 3.4 Types of allegation 3.5 Removal of children 3.6 Agencies involved 3.7 Suspended from fostering 3.8 Financial situation 3.9 Length of investigation 3.10 Independent support 3.11 Perceived fairness 4 Conclusion 5 Recommendations 5.1 Fostering payments 5.2 Statutory timescales 5.3 Independent support 5.4 Independent appeals process Appendices 1 Questionnaire sent out to foster carers 2 Results from the surveys 3 The Fostering Network’s Advice and Mediation Service

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1. Introduction Foster carers and their families are required to make an enormous commitment to the children and young people they foster. Foster carers have to accept that having an allegation made against them is always a possibility. The impact of allegations on foster carers, their families and fostered children can be devastating. The Fostering Network is aware that many foster carers have had an allegation made against them or a member of their family, and it is likely that many more will face this situation in the future as the needs of the children coming into care appear to be more complex and demanding. As a consequence, it is essential that allegations are managed and investigated in a way that safeguards children and is fair to foster carers and their families. This research was carried out with the intention of gathering information on the number of foster carers affected by allegations and how foster carers are treated during an investigation. The findings will be used to inform our campaign for:

• improvements to the ways in which allegations are investigated; • payments for foster carers who are effectively suspended and unable to foster

until the investigation is concluded; • the right of appeal for those whose approval is terminated; • statutory timescales for investigations.

1.1 Previous research Currently, the Government requires local authorities to record locally the number of allegations made against foster carers but does not require this vital information to be forwarded to the relevant regulatory body (in England this is the Commission for Social Care Inspection). However, there have been a small number of studies that have touched upon the percentage of foster carers who have had allegations made against them. They estimate the number of foster carers who experience allegations somewhere between 10 per cent and 31 per cent. In 2000, Wilson, Sinclair and Gibbs, found that 16 per cent out of a sample of 950 foster carers experienced an allegation or complaint1. However, they concluded that the number of foster carers who faced allegations in reality was likely to be significantly higher. “In general our analysis would have given a misleadingly low impression of the frequency of the ‘events’. Those experiencing these ‘events’ would probably be more likely to stop fostering. They would thus be less likely to be identified in a study such as ours which looked at foster carers at a particular point in time and would be less likely

1 The Trouble with Foster Care: the Impact of Stressful ‘Events’ on foster carers, Wilson, Sinclair, Gibbs 2000 BJSW

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to pick up foster carers who gave up quickly. It is likely that many people give up after an allegation, even if exonerated.” In 2003, the Fostering Network Wales undertook a survey of 800 foster carers in Fit to Foster2 and found that around 10 per cent had an allegation made against them. The survey also concluded that support received by foster carers during and after allegations of abuse was generally inadequate and not in accordance with the National Minimum Standards (2003) although there were some examples of excellent support. The Fostering Network Scotland in Caring for our Children3, 2005 found that in a survey of 693 fostering households, 31 per cent of households reported that they had a complaint or allegation made against them. In 2004, a piece of qualitative research was carried out by the Fostering Network which focussed on 64 foster families who had faced an allegation within the previous two years. Fostering can never feel the same for us4 looked at the outcome of investigations, including the impact on foster carers’ approval and their commitment to fostering and the quality of support the foster families received. The project found that:

• Allegations had sometimes been made against more than one family member. In two-thirds of cases a female foster carer was a subject of the allegation. A male foster carer was a subject of the allegation in half the cases.

• Sons and daughters of foster carers were the subjects of the allegation in more than

one in 10 cases. Less commonly, another relative of the foster carers, or another fostered child, was a subject of the allegation.

• Some cases involved more than one type of allegation. Half the allegations involved physical abuse, a quarter involved poor standards of care and a quarter involved sexual abuse.

• One in five families were not told what type of allegation had been made. • Most allegations led to a formal child protection investigation but fewer than half led

to a police investigation.

• The majority of police investigations were completed within six weeks but the majority of local authority child protection investigations had taken more than 16 weeks to complete.

2 Fit to Foster, the Fostering Network, 2003 3 Caring for our Children, the Fostering Network Scotland 2005 4 Fostering can never feel the same for us: a study of foster families that have been the subjects of an allegation, the Fostering Network, 2004.

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• Foster families generally felt their ‘rights’ and welfare were given little consideration. Seven out of 10 felt unsupported or totally alone during investigations. Nine out of 10 felt distressed, half felt unwell and more than a third needed medical help.

• In fewer than one in four cases were all fostered children removed. The report also made a list of recommendations for the DfES and fostering services which included the following: • the DfES should issue new national guidance5 including a standardised framework

for managing all aspects of allegations against foster families. This framework must address the provision of independent support, the time-scales for completing investigations and conducting foster carer reviews, and the payment of retainers to foster carers whose approval is suspended;

• national data about allegations against foster families should be gathered and

published annually; • fostering services should strengthen training for staff and foster carers, and their

arrangements for sharing information with foster carers6; • fostering services should improve arrangements for supporting the sons and

daughters of foster carers; • fostering services should have a clear written policy about why and when they de-

register foster carers.

2. Methodology

The research was conducted by the use of a questionnaire which was initially made available on the Fostering Network’s website for any foster carer to complete (see appendix 1). Attention was drawn to the questionnaire via the Fostering Network’s rapid response group newsletter. After receiving nearly 100 responses, the questionnaire was then posted to 5,000 individual foster carer members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The questionnaire was not sent to Scottish foster carers as they had recently been asked to complete a detailed questionnaire for another similar project focusing on Scotland (although they were able to complete the questionnaire online if they wished).

5 In 2006, the Fostering Network produced a guide to managing allegations which is available to download from the website. See http://www.fostering.net/carers/issues/ 6 The DfES published (2006 ) Protect ng Children – Supporting Foster Carers, a training and information pack for foster carers and fostering services that had been developed and produced by the Fostering Network

i

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http://www.fostering.net/carers/issues/


2.1 The sample A total of 1002 foster carers responded to the survey. 83 per cent of foster carers lived in England, 10 per cent in Wales, five per cent in Scotland and the remaining two per cent in Northern Ireland. Although this is not dissimilar from the actual spread of foster carers across the UK, the relatively small numbers of respondents from Northern Ireland and Scotland meant that the results may not be representative on a country by country basis. This report, therefore, looks at the questionnaire from a UK perspective. The sample included both local authority and IFP foster carers. Of those foster carers who had experienced allegations, around 80 per cent were from a local authority, 20 per cent from an IFP.

33 per cent of foster carers had been fostering for over 10 years. 20 per cent had fostered for six to 10 years, 25 per cent for three to five years, and 21 per cent had fostered for less than three years.

3. Findings 3.1 Numbers of foster carers who have faced allegations The survey found that 35 per cent of foster carers (350) had experienced an allegation. This closely matches the findings of the Fostering Network Scotland’s research7 which found 31 per cent of foster carers had a complaint or allegation made against them. The numbers are higher than Sinclair, Wilson and Gibbs’8 research which found that 16 per cent of foster carers experienced an allegation, and may serve to reinforce their conclusions outlined in 1.1 of this paper. This survey excludes those foster carers who have faced an allegation and then given up fostering. Wilson, Sinclair and Gibbs9 indicated that many people give up fostering after an allegation, even if it was unfounded. There is no obligation on local authority fostering services to provide full data about allegations to the national regulatory body, so therefore it is impossible to reliably estimate the actual number. It does mean that the number of foster carers who face allegations could be higher than 35 per cent. However, it is also possible that foster carers who had been affected by allegations were more likely to return their questionnaire than those who had not been the subject of an allegation. Foster carers who had experienced problems - such as lack of support or a lengthy investigation - might be more willing to contribute to the Fostering Network’s

7 Caring for our Children, the Fostering Network Scotland 2005 8 The Trouble with Foster Care: the Impact of Stressful ‘Events’ on foster carers, Wilson, Sinclair, Gibbs 2000 BJSW 9 The Trouble with Foster Care: the Impact of Stressful ‘Events’ on foster carers, Wilson, Sinclair, Gibbs 2000 BJSW

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campaign on allegations. This means that the number of foster carers who had experienced allegations may have been over-represented in the sample. Of the 350 foster carers who had experienced an allegation, 65 per cent of foster carers (229) had faced one allegation, 30 per cent (104) had experienced two or more and nine percent (32) had experienced three or more. When completing the survey, foster carers were asked to respond to the questions based on the most recent allegation that had been made against them. Key statistics

In a survey of 1002 foster carers 35 per cent had experienced an allegation. 65 per cent of foster carers had experienced one allegation 30 per cent had experienced two or more Nine per cent had experienced three or more

3.2 Length of time fostering

72 per cent of foster carers (251) who had an allegation made against them had been fostering for over five years, 19 per cent (68) for three to five years and eight per cent (27) for two years or less10. This very much mirrors the sample of foster carers in the Fostering Network’s survey, Fostering can never feel the same for us11. It is no surprise that the longer someone fosters, the greater chance there is for an allegation to be made against them. It may also be that more experienced foster carers care for children with more complex needs who may be more likely to make allegations against a family.

Key statistics

72 per cent of foster carers who had experienced an allegation had been fostering for over five years 19 per cent for three to five years Eight per cent for two years or less.

3.3 Identifying the subject of an allegation In 45 per cent of cases (203) the female foster carer had been the subject of the allegation compared to 39 per cent cases (178) in which a male carer had been the subject of the allegation. In 12 per cent of cases (52) it was the foster carer’s son or

10 The percentages in each section do not always add up to 100 per cent. This is because a small number of foster carers did not complete the relevant question. The complete analysis of the responses can be found in appendix 3. 11 Fostering can never feel the same for us: a study of foster families that have been the subjects of an allegation, the Fostering Network, 2004.

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daughter and in two per cent of cases (9) the allegation was against another fostered child. These findings were similar to those from Fostering can never feel the same for us12 which found that the female foster carer was the subject of the allegation in two-thirds of cases, the male foster carer in half the cases and foster carer’s son or daughter in over one in 10 cases. This is unsurprising given that most foster families have a woman as the primary or joint carer, whereas a sizeable minority of foster families includes no male carer. Key statistics

45 per cent of cases the subject of the allegation was female 39 per cent of cases the subject was male 12 per cent of cases the subject was the foster carer’s son or daughter

3.4 Types of allegation

Some of the allegations involved more than one type of abuse. 52 per cent of all cases (206) involved physical abuse, 16 per cent (65) involved poor standards of care and 16 per cent (63) sexual abuse and four per cent (15) were not told. 13 per cent of cases (50) involved some other type of abuse which included verbal abuse, preventing contact and withholding of fostering allowances. These findings are very similar to those in Fostering can never feel the same for us13 which found that half the allegations involved physical abuse, a quarter involved poor standards of care and a quarter involved sexual abuse. However, a larger number of foster carers in the study said they were not told the type of allegation; one in five did not know compared to one in 25.

12 Fostering can never feel the same for us: a study of foster families that have been the subjects of an allegation, the Fostering Network, 2004. 13 Fostering can never feel the same for us: a study of foster families that have been the subjects of an allegation, the Fostering Network, 2004.

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The types of allegations made are all shown in the table below.

The types of allegations made (by number of cases)

1550

206

65 63

Physical abuse Standards ofcare

Sexual abuse Unknown Other

Key statistics

52 per cent of allegations involved physical abuse 16 per cent of allegations involved poor standards of care 16 per cent of allegations involved sexual abuse

3.5 Removal of children 32 per cent of foster carers (112) had some or all of their fostered children removed during the time of the allegation. 66 per cent of foster carers (232) did not have any children removed from their household. This compares to 41 per cent of cases in Fostering can never feel the same for us.14 Key statistic

32 per cent of foster carers who had been the subject of an allegation had some or all of their fostered children removed

14 Fostering can never feel the same for us: a study of foster families that have been the subjects of an allegation, the Fostering Network, 2004.

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3.6 Agencies involved Of the 350 allegations, police were involved in 35 per cent (121), a child protection social worker was involved in 40 per cent (157) and the fostering service in 70 per cent15 (245) of allegations. Other agencies including the school and the NSPCC were involved in just under eight per cent of the allegations (27)

Agencies involved (by number of cases)

27

245

157121

Police Child protection socialworker

Fostering service Other

Key statistics

Police were involved in 35 per cent of all allegations The child protection social worker was involved in 40 per cent

3.7 Suspended from fostering 31 per cent of foster carers (108) were suspended or prevented from fostering for any length of time. 64 per cent of foster carers (224) were not. Key statistics

31 per cent of foster carers were suspended 3.8 Financial situation Of those 31 per cent of foster carers (108) who had children removed, 46 per cent (52) had all fostering payments stopped i.e. both the allowance and payment, potentially 15 Only 70 per cent of foster carers ticked the “fostering service” box on their questionnaires despite the fact that the fostering service is always involved in any allegation. This is partly because 8 per cent of foster carers left the question blank. The other 22 per cent may in part be due to foster carers from IFPs thinking the term “fostering service” referred to the local authority.

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leaving these foster carers in financial difficulty. Only seven per cent of foster carers (eight) continued to receive the fee and allowance in full. Another seven per cent of foster carers (eight) had a retainer paid and eight per cent (nine) continued to receive a fee. Most of the foster carers who ticked “other” on the questionnaire went on to explain that they received some payments which then stopped after a certain amount of time. 21 per cent (24) did not respond. These figures are shown in the chart below.

Impact on fees and allowances for foster carers who had children removed ( by number of cases)

11

52

988

Fee andallowancecontinues

Retainer paid Fee paid All paymentsstopped

Other

Key statistic

46 per cent of foster carers had all their fostering payments stopped 3.9 Length of investigation Working Together to Safeguard Children16 published earlier this year, states that it is reasonable to expect that 80% of cases should be resolved within one month, 90% within three months and all but the most exceptional cases should be completed within 12 months. The findings of this study show that nine per cent (33) of investigations lasted over a year, eight per cent of investigations (28) lasted for between six to 12 months, 20 per cent (70) lasted three to six months, and only 50 per cent of all investigations (176) took less than three months to complete, Key statistics

37 per cent of investigations lasted for over 3 months

16 Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, HM Government, 2006

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3.10 Independent support Despite the introduction of standards in England and Wales17 which say that all foster carers must be entitled to receive independent support, 61 per cent of foster carers (213) were not offered any independent support by their fostering service. 30 per cent of foster carers (106) had been invited to use independent support. This compares to 33 per cent of foster families in the report, Fostering can never feel the same for us18. It was evident that support was highly valued by foster carers. Many said that they were considering giving up fostering because of the lack of support or that they would have given up had it not been for the support they received. During an investigation, foster carers reported they felt isolated and desperate.

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“We had no support and the link worker was useless. We never found out the outcome of the case. It put us off fostering for a long time.” “Sadly your own agency is not able to support you so you are very much on your own, without the help of other carers we would have given up fostering.” “You are made to feel like a leper all social work staff pull away from you with the minimum of support. We should have an independent person to look after us while an investigation is going on. Unlike some places I live in a remote area and although Fostering Network were very helpful on the telephone it is not the same as having someone there.”

e also asked what type of support the foster carers received. Of those who received ndependent support, 28 per cent (51) had received support in the form of another foster arer. 23 per cent of foster carers (42) received independent support from a social orker. 31 per cent of foster carers (56) had support from the Fostering Network’s dvice and Mediation Service (see appendix 3). Other types of support included family nd friends, solicitors, Fosterline and counsellors.

7 England – standard 22.9: National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services, Department of ealth, 2002. ales – standard 22.9: National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services, National Assembly

or Wale, 2003. 8 Fostering can never feel the same for us: a study of foster families that have been the subjects f an allegation, the Fostering Network, 2004.

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The types of independent support used are shown in the table below.

Types of independent support (by number of cases)

32

56

4251

Foster carer Social worker A&M service Other

Key statistic

61 per cent of foster carers were not offered independent support

3.11 Perceived fairness We asked foster carers whether they thought the process was fair. Only 22 per cent of foster carers (76) said they did think the process was fair. 52 per cent of foster carers (182) said they did not think the process was fair and 15 per cent (54) said they didn’t know. A number of foster carers wrote that they did not know an allegation was taking place until they made further enquiries. One foster carer said:

“We were not even told that an allegation had been made until we telephoned the agency to ask why we hadn't heard from them since the placement breakdown. We were told that the local authority had forbidden the agency to tell us that there had been an allegation because they were too busy to deal with it at the moment.”

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Other common complaints included foster carers not being told the nature of the allegation, not being allowed to represent themselves or having information withheld from them.

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5 5 Op

“I never got allegation in writing, had to wait for 15 days to find out what I was accused of and did not know if my long term foster kids were going to be removed. The allegation went on for nearly 2 years.” “We were not kept up to date or allowed to see report. We saw the summary after it had been back to local authority to decide on deregistration therefore inaccuracies were not corrected. We were misquoted and were not allowed to see evidence againstus”

ven when foster carers perceived the process to be fair, it was still found to be emoralising and upsetting:

“The result was fair, but the length of the investigation, lack of support and not knowing what was going on was devastating.”

ey statistics

52 per cent of foster carers said the process was unfair

4. Conclusion

he survey confirmed the fundamental problems that exist with the way allegations are ealt with by many Children’s Services and fostering services. Over a third of foster arers experience at least one allegation during their fostering career and research has hown that many people leave the fostering service when this occurs. With a national hortage of 10,000 foster carers, and the implications this has for stability and improved utcomes for children in care, it is vital that this issue is addressed as a matter of rgency.

hilst allegations are an accepted “hazard” of fostering, there are steps which the UK’s overnments and fostering services can take to make the experience less stressful and amaging for the foster carer.

. Recommendations

.1 Fostering payments

f those foster carers who had been suspended, half had all fostering payments stopped otentially leaving them in financial difficulties. Fostering for many people is a full time

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occupation and the payments they receive from fostering can be their only source of income. Fostering services should continue to pay fees to foster carers who are effectively suspended and prevented from working as a foster carer during an allegation. In addition fostering services should pay a proportion of the allowance to cover ongoing costs such as insurance, utility bills and rent or mortgage. Payments should continue until the investigation is completed and the foster carer resumes work, or their approval is terminated. 5.2 Statutory timescales Over half of the investigations reported in this paper lasted longer than three months and one in 10 lasted for over a year. Going through an allegation is immensely distressing - foster families say that they feel like they are in limbo during this time, that they become demoralised and feel isolated and ignored. Allegations must be dealt with swiftly and efficiently, and within an agreed, formal framework that is understood by all those involved, including foster carers. Guidance published by the UK Government earlier this year, Working Together to Safeguard Children19, considers that it is reasonable to expect that 80% of cases should be resolved within one month, 90% within three months and all but the most exceptional cases should be completed within 12 months. However these timescales are indicative and not compulsory and no timescales exist in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The governments of the UK need to set statutory time-scales for investigations and the performance of fostering services needs to be monitored against these timescales.

5.3 Independent support Despite standards in England and Wales20 stating that all foster carers must be entitled to receive independent support, our survey showed that two-thirds of foster carers are still not receiving this. Foster carers told us that the lack of support they received put them off fostering for a long time. Furthermore there is no requirement at all in Northern Ireland and Scotland to provide independent support to foster carers during an allegation. All fostering services need to provide foster carers with independent support throughout an investigation.

19 Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, HM Government, 2006 20 England – standard 22.9: National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services, Department of Health, 2002. Wales – standard 22.9: National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services, National Assembly for Wale, 2003.

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The governments of the UK need to issue guidance which more clearly defines the provision of independent support. Inspection agencies need to ensure that in their inspections, they satisfy themselves that the provision of independent support is adequate. 5.4 Independent appeals process

Over half of foster carers in our survey thought the allegations process was unfair. However, unlike other members of the children’s workforce, foster carers have no recourse to any independent appeal when they are a victim of poor decision making.

The governments of the UK need to set up an independent system to review decisions about prospective foster carers and existing foster carers whose approval has been terminated or whose conditions of approval varied. Appeal procedures need to be transparent, accessible and in place throughout the UK.

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Appendix 1 - The questionnaire The questionnaire was sent out to 5,000 foster carers members. It was also made available on our website. We know that many foster carers have had an allegation made against them or a member of their family. Many more will face this situation in the future. The impact of allegations on foster carers, their families and on fostered children can be devastating. The Fostering Network is campaigning for improvements to the ways in which allegations are investigated, and in how foster carers are treated during an investigation. It is vital that you complete this survey and we get as many responses as possible to help us in our campaign. If you have any questions about the survey please contact Vicki Swain, Campaigns Manager at The Fostering Network on 020 7620 6434 or email [email protected]. All responses will be treated as confidential. Please the appropriate box. 1. Where do you live? England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales 2. How long have you been a foster carer? Less than one year 1 – 2 years 3 – 5 years 6 to 10 years More than 10 years 3. Have you or a member of your family been subject to an allegation? Yes No 4. If yes, how many allegations? _______________ (If you answered no, you have no more questions. Thank you for completing the questionnaire)

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mailto:[email protected]


5. Against whom was the allegation being made? (Enter all that apply) Female foster carer Male foster carer Foster carer’s son/daughter

Fostered child Other, please specify 6. What type of allegation was made? (Enter all that apply) Physical abuse Poor standards of care Sexual abuse Unknown Other, please specify 7. At the time of the allegation did you foster for Local authority or trust? Independent fostering provider? 8. Did you have any foster children removed during the investigation? Yes No Please comment_____________________ 9. Which agencies were involved in the investigation? The police Child protection social worker The fostering service Other, please specify 10. Were you suspended or prevented from fostering for any period of time following the allegation? Yes No 11. How long were you suspended or prevented from fostering? _______________________

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12. While you were suspended or prevented from fostering what happened to your fostering payments? Fostering allowance and fee continued in full A retainer was paid Just the fee continued to be paid All fostering payments stopped Other, please specify 13. How long did it take until the investigation was completed? 0-3months 3 -6 months 6 – 12 months Over 12 months Please add comments ______________________ 14. Were you offered independent support during the investigation? Yes No 15. If you received help from an independent supporter, were they A foster carer? A social worker? A Fostering Network advice and mediation worker? Other, please specify 16. Do you think the investigation was a fair process? Yes No Not sure Please add comments __________________________ 17. Please add any further comments you have:

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18. If you would like to join our campaign to improve allegation procedures for foster carers please provide your name, address and email address:

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Appendix 2 - Results of the questionnaire.

Length of time fostering - UK Number Percentage A Less than 1 year 85 8% B 1-2 131 13% C 3-5 250 25% D 6-10 199 20% E More than 10yrs 330 33% Blank 7 1% Total number of foster carers 1002 Number of foster carers who have faced allegations - By country

Total respondents

Foster carers with allegations Percentage

UK 1002 350 35% England 827 275 33% NI 20 4 20% Scotland 54 33 61% Wales 98 37 38% Unknown 2 1 50% Analysis of foster carers who have faced allegations Length of time fostering Number of foster carers Percentage A Less than 1 year 7 2.0% B 1-2 20 5.7% C 3-5 68 19.4% D 6-10 81 23.1% E More than 10yrs 170 48.6% Blank 4 1.1% Total number of foster carers 350

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Number of allegations faced Number of foster carers Percentage 1 229 65.4% 2 72 20.6% 3 19 5.4% 4 6 1.7% 5 1 0.3% 6 3 0.9% 7 1 0.3% 10 1 0.3% 30+ 1 0.3% 2 or more 104 29.7% 3 or more 32 9.1% blank 17 4.9% Total number of foster carers 350 100.0% Against whom was the allegation being made? Number of foster carers Percentage A Female foster carer 203 44.9% B Male foster carer 178 39.4% C Foster Carer’s son/daughter 52 11.5% D Fostered child 9 2.0% E Other 10 2.2% 452 Type of allegation Number of foster carers Percentage A Physical abuse 206 51.6% B Poor standards of care 65 16.3% C Sexual abuse 63 15.8% D Unknown 15 3.8% E Other 50 12.5% 399 Did you foster for an IFP or local authority? Number of foster carers Percentage Local authority 283 80.9% Independent Fostering Provider 62 17.7% Blank 5 1.4%

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Did you have any children removed? Number of foster carers Percentage A Yes 112 32.0% B No 232 66.3% Blank 6 1.7% 350 What agencies were involved? Number of foster carers Percentage A Police 121 34.6% B Child protection social worker 157 44.9% C The fostering service 245 70.0% D Other, please specify 27 7.7% What happened to your fostering payments? Number of foster carers Percentage A Fee and allowance continued in full 36 10.3% B Retainer paid 11 3.1% C Fee paid 15 4.3% D All payments stopped 76 21.7% E Other 26 7.4% Blank 186 53.1% 350 Of foster carers who had children removed, what happened to fostering payments? Number of foster carers Percentage A Fee and allowance continued in full 8 7.1% B Retainer paid 8 7.1% C Fee paid 9 8.0% D All payments stopped 52 46.4% E Other 11 9.8% Blank 24 21.4% How long did the investigation take to complete? Number of foster carers Percentage A 0-3 months 176 50.3% B 3-6 months 70 20.0% C 6-12 months 28 8.0% D Over 12 months 33 9.4% Blank 43 12.3% 350

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Were you offered independent support? Number of foster carers Percentage Yes 106 30.3% No 213 60.9% Blank 31 8.9% 350 What type of independent support? Number of foster carers Percentage A Foster carer 51 28.2% B Social worker 42 23.2% C A&M 56 30.9% D Other 32 17.7% 181 Was the process fair? Number of foster carers Percentage A Yes 76 21.7% B No 182 52.0% C Don't know 54 15.4% D Blank 38 10.9% 350

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Appendix 3 - The Fostering Network’s Advice and Mediation Service

Regions using an A&M service North Of England Nottinghamshire Central Midlands West Midlands South Midlands Norfolk

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Documents

Allegations in Foster Care