Family and friends care for looked after children
Regulation 24 of the Care Planning, Placement and Review regulations allows a looked after child to be placed with a family and friends carer in an emergency and before the carer has been assessed and approved as a Camden foster carer.
If a child is being placed with a family and friends carer in an emergency under Regulation 24 the following must have taken place before placement:
The carer should be given a copy of the Guide to viability assessments; this contains a brief summary of the viability assessment process that needs to be carried out before placement. The guide explains that CSFH must carry this out to ensure the suitability of the carers and the accommodation to look after the child safely on behalf of the council.
A viability assessment of the care arrangements should be carried out by the Family, Friends and Fostering service.
The carers should be asked to sign the Regulation 24 agreement as the child is placed.
Social workers may wish to carry out police checks on the family and friends carer and adult members of the household under the Police checks policy prior to DBS checks being taken up.