In these unprecedented times, there are lots of messages being circulated but the main one we want to express is that You Are Not Alone. You are vital now more than ever and you will face situations that were unexpected when you became a foster parent but you are resilient, strong and resourceful (that’s why you are a foster parent).

We are here to provide support and guidance, check out our links to education and latest information on our website, which will be regularly updated as and when news comes in, and if you wish to share your thoughts and good practice then we have the platform for you.

We want to remind you that we are here to support you.

Government Advice

The Department for Education has also set up a Coronavirus helpline for anyone with education-related questions on 0800 046 8687 (Mon to Fri 8 am to 6 pm)

What you need to do https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

For information on caring for vulnerable children click here

FosterTalk

  • During these uncertain times, we want to remind you that all of our helplines will be remaining open. We have ensured systems are in place in order for our services to continue running to best support you. These helplines will be open for our standard fostering-related concerns and queries, as well as those which have come about due to the coronavirus outbreak.
  • Our counseling, medical, legal and educational lines are also still running. During these times of high stress, we especially want to look out for and support our members!
  • We all need a little extra support at times. That’s why we offer around-the-clock confidential counseling helpline that is delivered by a team of clinically trained and qualified experts.
  • We are currently looking to provide our members with a page of useful resources during
  • We have created a brand new newsletter too, as we know how challenging it can be having children at home instead of at school, so to show you that you are not facing these challenges alone, we’ve created a brand new newsletter, specifically to help you occupy your children’s time during the school closures.  We’ll be sending it out every few weeks with new ideas to help keep them active and interested in learning activities.  If there is anything you would like us to feature in this newsletter, please let us know!  Just contact marketing@fostertalk.org or call 0121 758 5013.
  • We will be constantly supplying up-to-date government updates on social media and our website to keep you in the loop.

Support for The Self-employed

FosterTalk has also provided members with detailed advice for foster carers as self-employed people. Remember our specialist tax, benefits and national insurance team are still here to help you.

Find out more here

FAQs

We have compiled some Frequently Asked Questions to help answer some of your questions through these unprecedented times. If you have a question that you can’t see on here or one you think should be included, call 0121 758 5013 or email marketing@fostertalk.org.

Questions Answers
What are the symptoms of Coronavirus?

According to the NHS, the symptoms of the coronavirus are:

· A dry persistent cough
· A high temperature
· Shortness of breath

But these symptoms do not necessarily mean that you have the illness. The symptoms are similar to many other illnesses including cold and flu.

The NHS has a specialist website to find out what to do next if you have any of the symptoms: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19
What do I do if I have any symptoms of Coronavirus?

If you or any member of your household develop any of the above symptoms, the government advice is that the person demonstrating symptoms should now self-isolate for 7 days. This means they should:

– Stay at home
– Not go to work, school or public places
– Not use public transport or taxis
– Ask friends, family members or delivery services to do errands for you
– Try to avoid visitors to your home – it’s OK for friends, family or delivery drivers to drop off food
– Practice safe distancing of 2 meters / 6ft

If anyone in your household needs to self-isolate, you should notify your supervising social worker and child’s social worker, advise them of your symptoms. You should not attend any offices. Other members of the household must then stay in the home and isolate for 14 days from the first day the person began to show symptoms as they may not initially show any signs of illness themselves but could be infectious.
What actions do I need to take? Current government instructions are to stay at home and only go outside for food shopping, health reasons (exercise or to support a vulnerable person) or to work (where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done at home). It also advises to stay 2 metres / 6ft away from other people and to wash your hands as soon as you get home.
What happens if I need to self-isolate? You should contact your supervising social worker and your child’s social worker if you develop any of the above symptoms. All members of the household will also need to self-isolate.
Is my child or the young person I care for classed as a vulnerable child? All looked after children placed with foster carers are considered vulnerable along with any child that has a social worker and any child that has an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP)
Government guidance is available here
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people
The Department For Education has set up a Coronavirus Helpline and can be contacted on 0800 046 8687 8am-6pm Mon-Friday
What is the difference between self-isolation and social distancing?

Self-isolation is currently recommended for anyone who has symptoms of the virus as described above and will also include anyone who is part of your household who may not be showing any symptoms. Self-isolation involves staying at home.

Staying at home means you should:
– Not go to work, school or public areas
– Not use public transport or taxis
– Not have visitors, such as friends and family, in your home
– Not go out to buy food or collect medicine – order them by phone or online, or ask someone else to drop them off at your home.

You can use your garden, if you have one. You can also leave the house to exercise once a day – but stay at least 2 metres / 6ft away from other people.
Social distancing means avoiding unnecessary contact with other people.
It means spending less time in public places, where a lot of people are around.
Everyone is now advised to follow self-distancing measures, especially the over-70s, pregnant women and adults normally eligible for a flu jab.
How to self-distance – Work from home whenever possible
– Avoid all unnecessary travel
– Stay away from pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues (now closed as per government restrictions)
– Avoid gatherings with friends and families wherever possible (Police have powers to disperse gatherings of more than 2 people under government restrictions)
Do I need to send the child or young person in my foster care to school? The carer should liaise with the school and the child’s social worker to decide what is in the best interests of the child. There may be flexibility to offer work for the child to complete at home for example if the carer household contains a vulnerable group and there is concern about possible transmission. The carer is advised to keep open communication with professionals to ensure all are updated and record decisions and actions taken.
It is recommended that where possible children should remain within the home unless this presents a particular risk or the foster parent is within the key worker group. Any decision must be risk assessed in conjunction with the child’s social worker on an individual basis.
The expectation is that looked after children should be treated in the same manner as their peers except in extreme circumstances. We advise discussing with your fostering service any decisions taken.
What should a foster carer or fostering service do if they are concerned the carer (household member) or the child needs to self -isolate? If a member of the household, be it the foster parent/s, foster child or any other member needs to self-isolate then this should be treated as a significant event and the fostering service be notified as with all significant events.
Primarily this should be your supervising social worker and child’s social worker or failing this it should be escalated to a team manager.

 

Further information on the virus and expectations should be obtained from the government website https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

The carer can access information about the virus on the NHS Direct website or use the 111 online advice. If the carer cannot access online information they can call 111. https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19

If you have fostering membership contact your provider via their specialist helplines for additional advice and support.

In the event of a medical emergency do not attend the GP surgery or the hospital contact 999 and inform them you think the patient has the coronavirus and explain the concerns.

 

Update your fostering service regarding any admission to hospital or treatment that is required, we urge you to record as usual.
Are there any restrictions on travel? The government has advised any UK travel should be avoided unless for essential purposes.
If a carer has a holiday home or caravan the advice is to remain at the primary residence to reduce the risk of transmission and protect rural communities and healthcare services. Travel outside the UK is not recommended at the current time.
Decisions regarding introductions/placement breakdowns/allegations etc.

At this time communications with your fostering service should be conducted virtually where this is practically possible. The use of smartphones and computers are an advantage for face to face communication but telephone communication is available to all.

Introductions:
Your fostering service may contact you to discuss your capacity to support additional children within your home. Any additional requests should be fully assessed for risk to both current and additional children.
At this time you may see fewer children being introduced to their permanent homes, with planning being suspended.

Placement breakdowns:
This is an extremely difficult time with additional pressures placed upon both fostering parents and foster children alike.
We would ask for fostering parents to be proactive wherever possible and to discuss concerns at the earliest possible moment to agree on any actions beforehand such as what to do if the young person fails to adhere to government restrictions.

Any decisions require consultation with the local authority that holds shared parental responsibility for the child or young person.
All decisions should be made in the best interests of the child and recorded appropriately. Safeguarding policies need to be adhered to at all times.

Allegations:
If an allegation is made during this time then the process will still be followed. You will still be able to access independent support however some of this may be provided through virtual means rather than in person.
Meetings may be rearranged and conducted via platforms such as facetime or skype (others are available) during the investigation.
Supervision, training and support groups/meetings

Current government advice is to avoid all gatherings involving more than 2 people excluding household members. Carers may wish to contact their fostering service to explore support available which may be offered over the telephone via email or using other platforms such as Skype or Microsoft teams.

Your fostering service may be able to offer training online and will be looking at alternative ways to communicate to their foster carers on mass.

You may find supervision conducted via skype etc or telephone with home visits being suspended.
School has said provision can’t be provided as the foster placement is stable? All looked after children placed with foster carers are considered vulnerable under the guidelines for continued provision. However, there may be flexibility in how the provision is offered dependent on local factors such as the availability of staff and other resources. Educational resources may be provided for the child to use at home or other provision offered. It is not for the school to decide if the foster placement is stable. The decision for the child to attend school (which may not be the child’s current school) needs to be made in conjunction with the child’s social worker, the school and you as a foster parent. If you are concerned that the provision offered is not meeting the child’s needs you can contact the school and the child’s social worker to determine whether any alternative or additional provision can be made.
Do I need to send my looked after child to school if my own child is off school? If a foster parent’s own child is off school as they do not meet the criteria of being vulnerable, having a social worker or an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) and parents do not fall into the key worker category they should not attend school.
Looked after children should be treated as their peers however any decision for a looked after child to remain at home should be taken in conjunction with the child’s social worker and the school. Keeping birth children away from school while sending a looked after child to school could be detrimental to the placement. The looked after child should be provided with the opportunity to attend school as per government instructions where necessary.
If a foster parent has concerns about the a child attending school perhaps due to a household member being in a vulnerable group for example they should discuss concerns with the child’s school and the social worker and agree what is in the best interests of the child in the circumstances.
Do foster parents fall into the category of key workers? Foster parents are not defined as a key worker.
Some foster parents may be defined as a key worker if they have employment outside of fostering and fall into a defined category such as NHS worker.
I am concerned the child in my care is ignoring the government instructions  and continues to go out to spend time with their friends? Discuss the concerns with the child’s social worker and your supervising social worker. Consider if a risk assessment is needed to set out what actions you need to take when these situations occur in relation to who you need to inform and any precautions for the household to follow with the young person when they return to the home. Continue to have open communication with the young person about the risks in an age appropriate manner and record all actions/discussions.
What is shielded isolation?

Shielded isolation is guidance for people, including children who are at very high risk of severe illness from the coronavirus due to an underlying health condition.

Individuals that fall into this category need to follow the shielding measures in order to keep themselves safe.

You will receive notification from the NHS and you are strongly advised to stay at home at all times and avoid any face to face contact for a period of at least 12 weeks.

This period could alter.
If you think you have developed symptoms of COVID-19 such as a new, continuous cough or fever, seek clinical advice using the NHS 111 online coronavirus service or call NHS 111. Do this as soon as you get symptoms.

If you have someone else living with you, they are not required to adopt these protective shielding measures for themselves. They should do what they can to support you in shielding and they should stringently follow guidance on social distancing, reducing their contact outside the home.

People falling into this extremely vulnerable group include:
– Solid organ transplant recipients.
– People with specific cancer:
– people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radical radiotherapy for lung cancer people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
– people having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
– people having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
– people who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs
– People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, and severe COPD.
– People with rare diseases and inborn errors of metabolism that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as SCID, homozygous sickle cell).
– People on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase the risk of infection.
– Women who are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired.
 
For further information please click below
 
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

School Closures

The current outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) presents new challenges for everyone working with children. The government has acknowledged that measures need to be taken to keep vulnerable children safe and at the same time support key workers. As always, FosterTalk is looking at how we can best support you in your work, and will continue to highlight helpful information and resources through e-newsletters, social media, and our websites in the coming weeks. You are not alone!

Here are the relevant links for school provision for vulnerable children across the UK.

Maintaining
educational provision

Source:
Department for Education in England, Department of Education in Northern
Ireland, Scottish Government, Welsh Government

Date:
23 March 2020

Schools and Childcare settings across the UK are closed, with the exception of providing care to children who are vulnerable and children whose parents are critical to the coronavirus response and cannot be safely cared for at home. Guidance has been published on how this will work in practice, including additional guidance on provision for vulnerable children from the DfE in England.

Read the Department for Education in England guidance:

Guidance for schools, childcare providers, colleges and local authorities in England on maintaining the educational provision
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on vulnerable children and young people

Read the Department of Education in Northern Ireland guidance:

General Guidance on COVID-19 for schools

Read the Scottish Government guidance:

Coronavirus – school and ELC closures: guidance on critical childcare and learning provision for key workers

Read the Welsh Government guidance:

How schools will work during the coronavirus pandemic