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Emergency Placements in Foster Care

Emergency Placements in Foster Care

1. Introduction

  1. In an emergency, a child can be placed with a person who is an approved foster carer for a period not exceeding 6 working days, even though the requirements relating to placement agreements have not been satisfied (Regulation 38 (1)). (N.B. This period has been extended from 24 hours under the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations, 2010 which came into effect on 1st April 2011).
  2. Such a placement can only be made if the provisions of Regulation 33 (a) are satisfied, i.e. that the placement with the particular foster parent is the most suitable way of performing the duties of the local authority under Section 22 (3) or 61 (1) (a) and (b) of the Children Act 1989. Under section 22 or 61 the Local Authority is required to:
    1. Safeguard and promote his welfare; and
    2. Make such use of services available for children cared for by their own parents as appears to the authority reasonable in his case.
  3. Prior to placement:
    1. The Area Manager must have agreed that the placement is necessary for the child's welfare. If the placement is out of hours, approval will be given by the on-call senior manager until the Area Manager is available.
    2. The social worker must ensure that the foster carer has signed the foster care agreement and is aware of their obligations in respect of the child. This should have been completed by the fostering social worker with the foster carer at the point of approval. (See the Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers Procedure).

2. Procedure for Emergency Foster Care Placement

  1. The Social Worker, with the agreement of the Team Manager, to seek verbal authorisation from the Area Manager that the placement is necessary for the child's welfare. If out of hours, this will be provided by the on-call senior manager. If the placement is "out of approval", i.e. will require an extension of the foster carer's category of approval, this will be referred to the on-call senior manager for approval. If the placement requires an exemption from the usual limit of children in the placement, this will also be referred to the on-call senior manager for approval until the Numbers of Children in Foster Placements Procedure can be implemented.
  2. A Placement Plan must be completed so far as is possible.
  3. Upon placement the following information must be given by the designated Social Worker to the child's family or those with Parental Responsibility unless their whereabouts are unknown.
    1. The date of the placement
    2. The name and address of the foster carers unless this is not in the child's best interest
    3. Any arrangement made for contact
    4. Other appropriate information relating to the care and welfare of the child
  4. A change of circumstance/payments notification form should be completed by the designated Social Worker/Administrative Section and forwarded to Finance. Delaying completing this form may result in delayed payment to the carer.
  5. The event form should be completed by the designated Social Worker/Administrative Section and forwarded to information monitoring.
  6. The Fostering Team Manager should be notified of the emergency placement by the designated Social Worker.

Last Updated: December 1, 2023

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