Kasper FosteringProcedures Manual

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Risk Assessment and Planning

REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS

The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011:
Regulation 12 - arrangement for protection of child
Regulation 15 - Health of children placed with foster parents

Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards
STANDARD 6 - Promoting good health and wellbeing
STANDARD 10 - Providing a suitable physical environment for a child
STANDARD 11 - Preparing for a placement
STANDARD 26 - Records

RELEVANT GUIDANCE

Promoting the Health and Well-being of Looked-After Children (Department for Education)

THIS POLICY NEEDS TO BE READ AND IMPLEMNENTED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FOLLOWING POLICES AND GUIDANCE

• Risk Reduction Meetings terms of reference;
• Risk Assessment Guidance & Process flow chart;
• Kasper Safer Caring Guidance;
• Kasper Supervision and Support of Foster Carers;
• Kasper Safeguarding Children and Young People and Referring Safeguarding Concerns;
• Kasper Positive Relationships and Behaviour Management Policy.

This chapter was added to the manual in November 2022.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Purpose of Risk Assessment
3. Levels of Risk and Control Measures
4. Risk Assessing Planning
5. Monitoring and Reviewing the Risk Assessment
6. Foster Carers Personal Development Plan (PDP)

1. Introduction

Risk can be broadly defined as 'the probability that an event will occur with beneficial or harmful consequences'.

Risk-sensible not risk-averse practices should be followed when completing any risk assessment so a realistic and proportionate approach to risk is in place which enables children and young people to grow and learn.

Risk assessments are an important part of Children's Social Care; they should be in place to support the foster carer and the child or young person in relation to any identified risks.

There are still times when others need to intervene and risks are unacceptable and should be avoided.

Risk assessments are carried out by all agencies involved in Children's Social Care. The children's social worker and Kasper  should provide foster carers with all up-to-date risk assessments that are about them and the child or young person they support. Foster carers should be consulted in the formulation of risk assessments and should use and follow the risk assessment written for them or the child placed.

Kasper require each of the following risk management measures, to be in place for fostered children and households;

1. Relevant and up-to-date Risk Assessment for each child;
2. Relevant and up-to-date Family Safer Care Plan for each family;
3. Relevant and up-to-date Personal Development Plan for all carers.

2. Purpose of Risk Assessment

The purpose of any risk assessment should be to reduce harm or the risk of harm and evidence that these risks are now minimised. It should consider all the risks as well as control measures that need to be in place; it should be fit for purpose and consider every issue relevant.

Risk assessments are completed in foster care in relation to premises, equipment used for the child such as oxygen use in the household, animal ownership, risks from other people and activities such as holidays.

Kasper require each child to have a relevant and up-to-date risk assessment in place; initially completed alongside the child’s placement planning meeting and then regularly updated at intervals, after any significant event, change in behaviours or as a minimum at the time of the carers annual review.

The child’s initial Risk Assessment will be populated with information contained in the child’s referral, or other documentation/reports provided, and information arising at the placement planning meeting.

The Risk Assessment form has space for the social worker to provide a ‘pen picture’ of the child, their needs, behaviours and relationships. The purpose of this section is to offer insight into the context around the child and their behaviours. This ‘contextualised’ information could include both areas of vulnerability and protective factors. For example, where a child is exhibiting risk taking behaviours, if they are very settled and have relationships with their carers that are perceived to be very strong, this is a protective factor, however, this could also lead to carers being reluctant/unable to believe or accept the child is capable of specific negative behaviour. This section aims to encourage critical thinking in relation to risk.

It is requested that this ‘pen picture’ is reviewed each time the Risk Assessment is updated, and that the pen picture is pasted onto the child’s main details section of their charms file, to offer an up-to-date snapshot of the child’s behaviours and home life when needed.

3. Levels of Risk and Control Measures

The Risk Assessment requests each specific risk or area of risk (such as activity or time of day) to be graded Low, Medium or High. Guidance on how to grade the risks are offered on the form, to support the social worker.

Risks can be seen as the following:

• Low – where something may be likely but the consequences are likely not to have a huge impact.
• Moderate – where the consequences may be high but specialist support or skills can mitigate the risk.
• High – where the risk cannot be mitigated.

All risk assessment should state what the risk is and how it will be safely managed. All risk assessments should be signed and dated and reviewed when situations change.

The grading of the child’s specific risks links to the agency’s Risk Reduction meetings and indicates where a social worker should refer the child for discussion and further consideration at these monthly meetings. (Please refer to Risk Reduction Meetings Terms of Reference).

4. Risk Assessing Planning

Children and young people who are placed in foster care may have experienced a number of events in their lives which may impact on the level and type of care they require to keep themselves and others safe.

Possession of a risk assessment does not guarantee safety and cannot prevent unpredictable situations. However, a risk assessment can be a useful tool to help prevent a situation occurring. Foster carers should always seek advice around dangerous behaviours and should not just hope for the best.

Where specific risks are identified, the form asks the social worker to consider if a further, more in-depth and specialist risk assessment would be beneficial. For older children who are taking significant risks, the social worker should consider the use of a ‘My Plan’ – a behaviour contract undertaken directly with the young person, whereby the young person signs the document, (entering into a ‘contract’) with the aim of them understanding the consequences of the risks they may be taking and taking some responsibility of the management of their own behaviour, to support their own safety. Other specialist risk assessments are signposted on the Risk Assessment form and each offers guidance for use.

The form also asks social workers to consider if the risk-taking behaviours/areas of concern are reflected in the Family Safe Care Plan and the carers Personal Development Plan (PDP). 

Kasper considers the Risk Assessment, Family Safer Care Plan and the carers PDP to be intrinsically linked documents and requires all three documents to be updated at the same time, to ensure all three documents inform each other, support the child’s placement with the carers to be as safe as possible and are relevant to the needs of children in the household at all times.

There is an expectation that the child’s Risk Assessment will contain practical strategies and plans to support the carer to keep the child as safe as possible. The completed Risk Assessment should always be shared with the carers and child’s placing authority, so the safety strategies are clear and agreed between all parties.

Whilst it is often not appropriate to share the Risk Assessment document directly with the child, there is a requirement for discussions to be had with the child about areas of concern, why adults are worried about them, possible consequences of their behaviour and how the adults around the child intend to manage and promote their safety. The Risk Assessment form requests comment on how these direct discussions with the child have been taken forward and what their understanding was. Kasper is not prescriptive about how these discussions with children are planned; it is hoped that social workers and carers can work together to plan these discussions in an individualised way which is appropriate for each child.

The end of the form provides an area for social workers to paste details about previous areas of risk for the child. This section aims to reflect where risks have been reduced or eliminated, whilst also retaining historical information, which can otherwise be lost over time.

The child’s Risk Assessment form is uploaded to the child’s file and can be shared with carers via the charms system or in hard copy, if stored securely in the home.

Please refer to the Risk Assessment Guidance & Process flow chart for a quick overview of agency process in relation to Risk Assessments.

See also Positive Relationships and Behaviour Management Procedure.

All risks should be known before placing a child or young person.

When social workers complete a Placement Referral form this will include a risk assessment for Kasper. The risk assessment will inform the matching process and ensure that any risks posed are known and can be managed by the foster carer. The risk assessment should distinguish between fact and opinion. The risk and frequency of risk should be recorded and how this should be managed in different environments. All known vulnerabilities should be recorded for the child and set out any actions to address these risks. The foster carer and Kasper should feel they can provide the child with appropriate and safe care.

4.1 Family Safer Caring Plan

Kasper requires each foster home to have an agreed Family Safer Care Plan (FSCP) that specifies the ways in which all members of the household should act and behave so that their homes are a safe place for all to live in. This means safe for any foster child/young person, for any birth children in the house, for the foster carers, other members of the family network and for other people who may be frequent visitors to the home.

The Family Safer Care Plan( FSCP) will be drawn up between the Supervising Social Worker and the Foster Carers at the time a child is placed in the family and there is a requirement that the FSCP is updated each time the child’s risk assessment is reviewed and updated; i.e. after any significant events, presentation of new behaviours, when family circumstances change or as a minimum annually at the time of the carers review.

There is one FSCP per household, but the plan should be tailored to incorporate the needs of all children in the household. So, all children in the household (fostered and birth children) should be reflected in the document. The document should reflect how any specific identified risks for children will be managed in the home and set out how the carer aims to manage everyone’s safety. 

The FSCP will be explained to the fostered child/young person as well as all other members of the household, as there is a need for everyone to be on-board with safer caring guidelines, and children should be given an opportunity to discuss the expectations and agree to them with their foster carer.

The FSCP is uploaded to the foster carers file and can be shared with the carers via the charms system or by hard copy, if stored securely in the home.

More detailed guidance on safer caring guidelines and what to include in a FSCP can be found in Kasper Safer Caring Guidance.

See also Safer Care Practice and Personal Care Procedure.

4.2 Health and Safety Risk Assessment

See Health and Safety in the Foster Home Procedure.

4.3 Other Risks

Risks may come from a variety of sources and there may be external factors to the immediate placement (family/environment, peer relationships, sexual exploitation, county lines). The risk assessment should be child focussed and identify how the child/young person can be supported in their development.

5. Monitoring and Reviewing the Risk Assessment

The level of risk may change over time and the regular review of risk should take place noting how risk has been successfully managed. Foster carers will make an active contribution to the risk assessment based on their experience of caring for the child/young person.

Whilst it is important to consider risks that may have been previously identified, caution should be taken in labelling children/young people and the level of current risk should be continuously assessed.

Changes in risk should be considered as part of on-going work with the child/young person such as in foster carer supervision; as part of risk management meetings; and as part of looked after child reviews.

Kasper has a responsibility to make sure risk assessments are being followed by the foster carer and that they are up to date.

The placement plan should consider the risks and how this will be managed for both planned and unplanned placements. Intervention may be necessary by others to keep the child or young person safe.

Training around how to complete a risk assessment should be in place for Kasper staff to aid them in considering how risks and control measures should be addressed.

If a child/young person moves to another foster placement the risk assessment should follow them and be updated as appropriate.

6. Foster Carers Personal Development Plan (PDP)

All Kasper carers have a PDP, which should set out goals for their training and development through the year and which provide carers with space to offer reflection on their learning and illustrate how they have applied their learning to their foster practice.

Kasper aim to link the carers PDP to the child’s Risk Assessment and the Family Safe Care Plan, to ensure these key documents are kept up-to-date and relevant to the needs of the foster child/ren in placement. Kasper require supervising social workers to review their carers PDP each time they update a child’s Risk Assessment and Family Safer Care Plan, to ensure the carer is supported to access relevant training to any new emerging needs of the children they care for.

Any new training or learning need identified, needs to be added to the carers PDP, with the date and the initials of the child the training is needed for. It is then expected that the supervising social worker will work with the agency’s Training Co-Ordinator, to achieve successful completion of this training.

Following on from the training being completed, it is always useful for the supervising social worker to encourage the carers to reflect on training (or learning form other sources) in their supervision meetings, and to record this, to fully evidence their joint partnership working and how the carers learning benefits the child in placement.

Whilst it is not expected that the carers PDP will need to be updated with new training requirements each time the child’s Risk Assessment is updated, reviewing the document each time is good practice and will support any gaps in training to be identified. For this reason, it is requested the supervising social worker indicates on the document or in the comments box of the PDP progress item on charms, the dates on which the PDP has been reviewed. Dates for the child’s Risk Assessment, Safer Care Plan and carers PDP should correspond.

Following the carers annual review, their PDP is uploaded onto the carer’s charms file. This document can be added to throughout the review cycle and used as a dynamic live working document.

Please see Kasper Supervision and Support of Foster Carers for more information on how Kasper support and encourage the development of foster carers.