An allegations guide for foster carers.

Foster care is an incredible journey full of rewards, however as with all vocations, there can sometimes be challenges. 

As many of the children that enter into foster care have been exposed to trauma, this can be one of many reasons why foster carers may receive an allegation during their fostering career. 

When an allegation is made, your local authority is legally obliged to investigate to ensure that the child is safe and is supported through the process, and the allegation is properly explored.  They also have a duty to ensure foster carers are properly supported whilst the investigation takes place. 

An allegation may leave you feeling distressed, vulnerable or anxious – this is completely normal. 

In this blog, we’ll run through a step-by-step process of how foster carers may deal with the impact  of allegations, the different outcomes of investigations and frequently asked questions about the allegations process. 

What is a foster care allegation?

An allegation is an accusation that someone has harmed/may have harmed a child or acted in a way that could indicate they are unsuitable to work with children and young people.

Anyone may be subject to an allegation, including family members or children. An allegation may be made by the child or someone acting on their behalf, such as a teacher or parent.

Why do some foster children make allegations?

Cared for children and young people can make an allegation about members of their foster family. 

We must always remember that an allegation may be true, which is why the local authority must follow a careful process to protect children and investigate thoroughly.

Another reason may be the child believing they will be returned home to their parents, or moved to another carer.

Some children make allegations because they are angry or confused about something that has been said or done, which may have been taken out of context or misinterpreted, or could be a manifestation of memories of previous trauma before living with foster carers.

In some cases where a child has had a number of foster placements, an allegation might be made in order for them to test whether those responsible for them are truly committed to them. Other children may need to draw focus to their situation to feel heard and make an allegation to get this need met.

It could be that a child is influenced to make an allegation by other children or young people, or adults in their lives.

Immediately after the allegation, what should you do?

The most important thing: ask for support – there are people you can connect with at this time who will help.

It’s natural to feel stressed, confused and frustrated, but bear in mind that this can happen, and there is support for you; you won’t be alone through the allegations process. 

Your fostering service should offer you independent support – which is outlined in guidance and best practice across the UK.  If this isn’t offered, you can ask for it as soon as possible, as research shows that it’s better to get support early in the investigation process. 

So, as soon as you’re made aware of an allegation, get in touch with your allegations support team ASAP!

Our team will offer objective and non-judgemental support, they can be your lifeline throughout any allegation.

We’ll talk about the allegations process next, but before we do, here’s a handy jargon buster for common terms you need to know:

How does the allegations process work?

The foster care allegations process is outlined in legislation and guidance, local authorities have written policies which adhere to this and are clear. You can request a copy of your service’s policy at any time.

When the allegation is received the local authority will hold a strategy discussion to decide if a threshold has been reached for potential or actual harm to be investigated. This should involve your supervising social worker, and hear the details of the allegation to agree how any investigation will proceed. This will involve the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), the child’s social worker and team manager and often the police.

You should be notified that an allegation has been received – you will likely not be given all of the details at this stage, due to the investigation process. You should be told as soon as it is possible and this should be followed up in writing.

Get allegations support involved

As mentioned above, the first step after an allegation is made is to get your allegations support team involved. 

Allegations support have been there for many foster carers before you; they know exactly what you need to do and will be by your side offering impartial advice at all times. 

It is also important that you call and speak to the membership legal helpline to notify them of the allegation, in case you require legal support further into the investigation. You will be given a reference number to quote if you need to call in again.

Investigation, interviews and meetings

This will vary depending on the allegation. 

The initial strategy discussion/meeting described above will ascertain what type of investigation is necessary, and which agency (local authority or police) should lead on this. 

Not all allegations result in a police interview, and the police will decide whether this is warranted early in the process, usually at the strategy discussion stage.  However the police can become involved at any point in the allegations process, as investigations may turn up further details that would necessitate their involvement.

If police involvement is required, you may be interviewed under caution. This is a formal interview between you and the police, which is recorded to help determine whether a criminal offence has been committed. 

We highly recommend exercising your right to legal representation if the police are involved for any reason. You should notify the FosterTalk membership legal department as soon as you are notified about a police interview so that they can arrange for a solicitor to attend with you for support and advice.

You may be visited or called to attend various meetings as part of the investigation with your fostering service or the local authority.  Your independent support advisor from FosterTalk can attend these with you for support. You will also receive minutes and reports which you may be required to respond to and your advisor can help guide you through these and support you to write anything down you feel you would like to be considered.

Concluding the investigation

When concluding the investigation, the LADO will draw the evidence together and hold a professionals meeting, sometimes called a Position of Trust meeting. In this meeting, one of 5 outcomes will be decided by the professionals in attendance:

• Substantiated – There is sufficient evidence to prove the allegation.
• Unsubstantiated – There is insufficient evidence to prove or disprove the allegation. 
• Unfounded – There is no evidence or proper basis which supports the allegation.
• Malicious – There is clear evidence that proves there has been a deliberate act to deceive and the allegation is entirely false. 
• False – There is sufficient evidence to disprove the allegation. 

Post-allegation review

The post-allegation review is compiled by the fostering service social worker and on occasion, an independent social worker. It is then presented to the fostering panel for their recommendation.

The independent advisor will help support you to understand and reflect on the report so that you fully understand the outcome of the allegations process, helping to clarify and support you in your response to the report. 

The Agency Decision Maker will make their decision about your approval – whether to reapprove you, approve you with new terms or deregister. You will receive their decision in writing and have 28 days to accept this or respond to request a review of their decision, either by a fostering panel or the Independent Review Mechanism (in England and Wales).

What should you expect from your advisor during an allegation?

Your foster care allegations support team are there to be both objective and non-judgemental. 

Your advisor will be specifically there to listen to you, your needs and your feelings. You should expect to talk to them about how the allegation is making you feel, as this will help them walk you through the process and ensure you get the support you and your family need at what can be a concerning and worrying time. 

Initial contact usually happens within one working day of receiving the referral. During this stage, your advisor will explain their role, what they will be doing and how regularly they will be in touch (via home visits, text messages, and phone calls). Contact is agreed with you to meet your requirements, and is reviewed throughout the process to ensure it is meeting your requirements. 

They will provide practical and emotional support, signposting to other helpful membership services and guidance.

What can help strengthen your fostering practice in this area?

While your advisors will talk you through your own personal allegation, there is some general advice we highly recommend you follow. 

1. Take part in all training on allegations offered to you.
2. Have a safer caring plan, and child specific plans, and regularly update these with your fostering social worker.
3. Keep detailed daily recordings and ensure these are read by your fostering social worker regularly.
4. Talk to your own children and extended family members about allegations and safer caring.
5. Build a good local support network which includes other foster carers and close family members and friends. Join your local foster carers support group, or start one.
6. Talk to your fostering social worker about what support would be available to you in the event of an allegation, e.g. independent support, financial support.
7. Keep a copy of your fostering services’ procedures for managing allegations against foster carers.
8. Keep your FosterTalk membership details and telephone number to hand.
9. Make a note of who to contact in the event of an allegation and make sure adult members of the household know where this is.
10. Remember that the investigative process is there to ensure that both children and adults are protected, so it’s important to follow this.
11. Report all concerns or issues immediately to the out of hours team if necessary.
12. Ensure you have a risk assessment for each child in placement and make sure it’s regularly reviewed by your social worker.
13. When a new child is due to join your family, make sure any history of allegations is discussed at the placement planning meeting and is included on the risk assessment.
14. Make sure you have a placement plan in place for all children.
15. Ensure any injuries, marks or bruises are recorded and reported.
16. Ensure you have copies of your supervision notes and ask your service how you can access your recordings on electronic systems should you need to.
17. Always ask for support where you feel it is needed to help you maintain a safe and positive home environment for all.

Need support? FosterTalk are here for you. 

Whether you’re currently working through the allegations process, or you want to prepare just in case, we highly recommend getting in touch with the FosterTalk Allegations Support Team. 

The Allegations Support Team (AST) are dedicated to providing professional, independent advice and support for foster carers across the UK.

We’re here for all FosterTalk members, but non-members can use our AST service too – just ask your fostering service to refer you to us. 

Remember: you’ll never need to deal with an allegation alone. 

Find out more about our membership today