National Minimum Standards

Standard 1: Statement of purpose

There is a clear statement of the aims and objectives of the fostering service and of what facilities and services it provides.

Standard 2: Skills to carry on or manage

The people involved in carrying on and managing the fostering service possess the necessary business and management skills and financial expertise to manage the work efficiently and effectively and have the necessary knowledge and experience of child care and fostering to do so in a professional manner.

Standard 3: Suitability to carry on or manage

Any persons carrying on or managing the fostering service are suitable people to run a business concerned with safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Standard 4: Monitoring and controlling

There are clear procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the fostering service and ensuring quality performance.

Standard 5: Managing effective and efficiently

The fostering service is managed effectively and efficiently.

Standard 6: Providing suitable foster carers

The fostering service makes available foster carers who provide a sage, healthy and nurturing environment.

Standard 7: Valuing diversity

The fostering service ensures children and young people, and their families, are provided with foster care services which value diversity and promote equality.

Standard 8: Matching

Local authority fostering services, and voluntary agencies placing children in their own right, ensure that each child or young person placed in foster care is carefully matched with a carer capable of meeting her/his assessed needs. For agencies providing foster carers to local authorities, those agencies ensure that they offer carers only if they represent appropriate matches for a child for whom a local authority is seeking a carer.

Standard 9: Protecting from abuse and neglect

The fostering service protects each child or young person from all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and deprivation.

Standard 10: Promoting contact

The fostering service makes sure that each child or young person in foster care is encouraged to maintain and develop family contacts and friendships as set out in her/his care plan and/or foster placement agreement.

Standard 11: Consultation

The fostering service ensures that children’s opinions, and those of their families and others significant to the child, are sought over all issues likely to affect their daily life and future.

Standard 12: Promoting development and health

The fostering service ensures that it provides foster care services which help each child or young person in foster care to receive health care which meets his/her needs for physical, emotional and social development together with information and training appropriate to her/his age and understanding to enable informed participation in decisions about his/her health needs.

Standard 13: Promoting educations achievement

The fostering service gives a high priority to meeting the educational needs of each child or young person in foster care and ensures that she/he is encouraged to attain his/her full potential.

Standard 14: Preparing for adulthood

The fostering service ensures that their foster care services help to develop skills, competence and knowledge necessary for adult living.

Standard 15: Suitability to work with children

Any people working in or for the fostering service are suitable to work with children and young people and to safeguard and promote their welfare.

Standard 16: Organisation and management of staff

Staff are organised and managed in a way which delivers an efficient and effective foster care service

Standard 17: Sufficient staff/carers with right skills/experience

The fostering service has an adequate number of sufficiently experienced and qualified staff and recruits a range of carers to meet needs of children and young people for whom it aims to provide the service.

Standard 18: Fair and competent employer

The fostering service is a fair and competent employer, with sound employment practices and good support for its staff and carers.

Standard 19: Training

There is a good quality training programme to enhance individual skills and to keep staff up to date with professional and legal developments.

Standard 20: Accountability and support

All staff are properly accountable and supported.

Standard 21: Management and support of carers

The fostering service has a clear strategy for working with and supporting carers.

Standard 22: Supervision of carers

The fostering service is a managed one which provides supervision for foster carers and helps them to develop their skills.

Standard 23: Training of carers

The fostering service ensures that foster carers are trained in the skills required to provide high quality care and meet the needs of each child/young person placed in their care.

Standard 24: Case records for children

The fostering service ensures that an up-to-date, comprehensive case record is maintained for each child or young person which details the nature and quality of care provided and contributes to an understanding of her/his life events. Relevant information from the case records is made available to the child and to anyone involved in his/her care.

Standard 25: Administration records

The fostering service’s administrative records contain all significant information relevant to the running of the service and as required by regulations.

Standard 26: Premises

Premises used as offices by the fostering service are appropriate for the purpose.

Standard 27: Financial viability

The agency ensures it is financially viable at all times and has sufficient financial resources to fulfil its obligations.

Standard 28: Financial processes

The financial processes/systems of the agency are properly operated and maintained in accordance with sound and appropriate accounting standards and practice.

Standard 29: Payment to carers

Each carer receives an allowance and agreed expenses covering full cost of caring for each child placed. Payments are made promptly at the agreed time and allowances and fees are reviewed annually.

Standard 30: Fostering panels

Fostering panels have clear written policies and procedures which are implemented in practice about the handling of their functions.

Standard 31: Short-term breaks

Where a fostering service provides short-term breaks for children in foster care, they have policies and procedures, implemented in practice, to meet the particular needs of children receiving short-term breaks.

Standard 32: Family and friends as carers

These standards are all relevant to carers who are family and friends of the child, but there is a recognition of the particular relationship and position of family and friends carers.