Specialist Foster Placement Procedure - Eligibility Criteria and Approval Process

Specialist fostering is a placement option for a small number of children and young people who persistently display the most challenging and complex care needs. These care needs are to such an extent that they cannot be successfully met in a mainstream foster placement and would otherwise require a specialist out of jurisdiction placement or residential care.

To meet the criteria the child or young person’s care needs would significantly impact on their daily functioning and be characterised by disabilities or medical conditions and/or extreme and persistent challenging behaviours. Due to this they may have experienced a number of placement disruptions, be out of education or on a reduced timetable. These children require a higher level of care and supervision to that required for children and young people who are placed in mainstream foster placement.

Most specialist placements are permanent sole placements (except where siblings may be placed together). There may be occasions where a child with significant care needs requires a short-term specialist placement or where a child can be placed in a mainstream placement alongside another child in specialist placement with careful matching.  

The criteria for assessing whether a child or young person’s care needs are such that they meet the criteria for specialist foster placement are set out below:

• Children with physical disabilities which require a high level of care;
• Children with complex developmental/medical conditions which require a high level of care;
• Children with learning disabilities which require a high level of care;
• Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Children who are at risk of being placed in an out of jurisdiction placement or residential setting due to the extreme and persistent challenge they present or the significant risks they pose to themselves, other children or adults. Their care needs are such that they cannot be met by being placed in a mainstream foster placement 

The child’s social worker must ensure they are familiar with the eligibility criteria for specialist foster placement and must, in the first instance, discuss their view that a child or young person may meet the criteria for specialist foster placement with the supervising social worker, and the managers of their respective teams. If it is agreed that an assessment should proceed the team managers will discuss this with their respective service managers. Service managers will notify the Head of Service of the proposed assessment.

In order to obtain a decision regarding whether a child or young person’s care needs are such that they meet the eligibility criteria for specialist foster placement the child’s social worker is required to evidence the level of need and challenge the child presents through an assessment. This assessment should be holistic and informed by the multi-disciplinary Team around the Child and the child’s social worker should collate evidence from key persons and agencies involved with the child.

The Assessment Template – Eligibility Criteria for Specialist Foster Placement is used to set out evidence as to whether the eligibility criteria for specialist foster placement is met and the child’s social worker makes a recommendation to Care Services Panel following the Care Services Panel process.

The Care Services Panel will consider the assessment together with supplementary evidence and the recommendation, agree/ not agree the recommendation and, where they agree the recommendation for specialist foster placement, Care Services Panel will decide the Band Level Payment.

The Care Services Panel will send the assessment together with the minutes and recommendation of the Panel to the Agency Decision Maker for their decision. The Care Services Panel will also seek the Agency Decision Maker’s approval to ratify the in-year cost pressure of the placement.

The Agency Decision Maker will make the decision within 10 days of the Care Services Panel. The Agency Decision Maker will provide the child’s social worker with their decision and the minutes of Panel setting out the reason for the decision.

The child’s social worker will notify the supervising social worker and the respective team managers of the decision.

The Finance Officer will be notified via a movement form of the status of the placement and the agreed Band Level together with the start date by the supervising social worker.

The level of support to be provided to the child and the carers will be agreed on an individual basis and will be kept under review. The Reparative Care Team will provide ongoing support through agreed therapeutic models of intervention.

This assessment is used to evidence the eligibility criteria for specialist foster placement in order to assist the Care Services Panel in determining whether a child or young person in care meets the threshold for specialist fostering provision.

See Assessment Template.