A-Z Of Fostering

Adoption is a legal process whereby children become permanent members of a new family. The adopters become the child’s legal parents, with the same rights and responsibilities as their biological parents.

Biological parents need to consent to the adoption process, unless the child is deemed to be at risk – in which case a court can decide to proceed with adoption without the consent from the biological parents.

In some cases a child can continue contact with their birth family via letters, photographs and meetings through the agency responsible for the adoption.

An Agency Decision Maker (ADM) is a designated person within a service who makes the final decision regarding an application presented to a panel. They will consider the recommendation by the panel, and will use their knowledge and experience to make an informed decision based on all information they have received.

Sometimes called fostering allowances, this is the fee foster carers receive when caring for a child.

The allowance is split into two elements:

1. A maintenance allowance for each child, which covers the costs of food, clothing, transport, personal items and household expenses.
2. A foster carer fee – which is effectively a salary in reflection of the time and skill required when caring for a child.

Read more about TACT’s fostering allowance.

An Area Manager is someone who oversees a geographical area covered by an agency.

Area Managers are senior members of staff who have considerable social work experience. They use this expertise to manage a team of Supervising Social Workers, and ensure that everything runs smoothly in their region.

TACT currently have eight Area Managers, covering the regions of Scotland, Wales, North East & Yorkshire, North West, East & West Midlands, South West, London and the South of England.

Read more about our Area Managers in our TACT In Your Area section.

To become a foster carer, a period of assessment must be completed. To get to this stage, a foster carer will have completed the following steps:

1. Fulfilment of initial criteria
2. A home visit from a TACT Supervising Social Worker
3. Undertaken Skills to Foster training
4. Be willing to continue an application, and for TACT to be satisfied with the above steps

The assessment is called a Form F, and will be completed by a TACT Supervising Social Worker. It will involve checks, references and in-depth discussions about suitability to become a foster carer.

Read more about the Assessment.

A back-up foster carer is usually a family member who is nominated by the main foster carers. They are able to provide short periods of care.

Back-up carers are required to fulfil all necessary checks, and will require assessment and a panel recommendation.

‘Birth Child’, in the context of fostering, usually refers to a foster carers own biological child in order to make a circumstantial distinction between children in a fostering household.

Birth children play a significant fostering role, often being able to establish a rapport and common ground with children in care.

The contribution to fostering that birth children make is celebrated in an annual Children of Foster Carers Month campaign, organised by The Fostering Network.

Read more about support for your own children.

The term ‘birth family’ usually refers to the biological parents and siblings of a child in care.

This is a term that is included in our language that cares guide, as many young people in care prefer the terms Parents, Family, Mum (or Tummy Mummy) and Dad.

A person who has been, or is currently, in care.

A person who is no longer in the care system.

This is a term that is included in our language that cares guide, as many young people in care prefer the term care-experienced.

Under the Children Act, a care order is issued by a court if there are concerns that a young person is at risk from significant harm, and would result in that young person being taken into care. A granted Care Order would then transfer parental responsibility from the biological parents to the local authority.

A care order is initiated by a council, and can last until a young person’s 18^th birthday (a child can only be taken into care if they are under 18). A care order can be rescinded if parental responsibility is allocated to another person through adoption or special guardianship.

A Care Plan is a document that details the arrangements for the current and longer term care of a young person.

It will include any specific and additional care needs along with relevant services that will help meet those needs. The care plan will be updated by the child’s social worker.

This is a term that is included in our language that cares guide, as many young people in care prefer the terms future plans or my plan.

Care proceedings is the process initiated by a local authority in application for a care order or supervision order. Care proceedings are processed within a court.

The Children Act is an Act of Parliament that stipulates and governs the duties of parents, courts, local authorities and other organisations and individuals, in respect of safeguarding and child welfare.

On occasion, amendments and updates are published to introduce new legislation, due to reported unlawful incidents involving children and young people. This legislative framework for child protection includes the Children Act 1989, the Children Act 2004, and the Children and Social Work Act 2017.

All young people in care will have a CSW assigned to them.

The overarching function of a CSW is to protect children and young people by preparing bespoke care plans for young people, and then engaging with other professionals and agencies to ensure that the needs identified in the care plan are met.

The term ‘contact’ refers to arrangements made for young people to spend allocated time with their biological parent(s). Contact arrangements are planned, arranged and managed by the child’s social worker (CSW).

Contact is usually supervised, and foster carers are often required to transport young people to and from their contact arrangement – whilst also providing supervision.

This is a term that is included in our language that cares guide, as many young people in care prefer the terms making plans to see our family, family meet up time/family time, seeing Dad/Mum/Grandma.

CoramBAAF is a membership organisation that supports professionals working in the adoption, fostering and kinship care sectors.

Formed in 1980, CoramBAAF provides training, guidance and advice, whilst lobbying for changes to policy in the interests of children and young people across the UK. The organisation currently represents 94% of agencies and local authorities, and has 650+ individual and associate members.

Child Criminal Exploitation occurs when an individual or group uses an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a young person under 18 into performing a criminal act.

One of the most common forms of this activity is ‘County Lines’, when criminal networks instruct young people to deliver drugs, money or weapons to dealers locally or in other counties.

CCE can also include other criminal acts such as forcing children to work on cannabis farms or to commit theft.

Child Sexual Exploitation is a form of sexual abuse, and occurs when a young person is coerced, manipulated or deceived into sexual activity, in exchange for money, drugs or even affection.

Very often, young people do not realise that they are being abused as trust seems to be established between the child and abuser.

CSE does not always mean physical contact, as it can also occur through technology (e.g. being coerced into providing explicit photographs or videos).

A DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) is a screening process performed on an individual to check for a criminal record.

Previously called a CRB (Criminal Record Check), the check cannot be applied for by an individual. It must always be requested by an organisation. There are four levels of DBS:

1. Basic DBS check
2. Standard DBS check
3. Enhanced DBS check
4. Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS check

DBS checks occur in England and Wales. The version in Scotland is called a Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) check.

All foster carers are required to take a DBS check as they will be caring for vulnerable children and young people. Read more on our fostering assessment page.

Delegated Authority in foster care refers to the process that enables foster carers to make everyday decisions for a young person in their care.

Some examples would be completions of school trip consent forms or consenting to routine medicals.

Delegated Authority is important in order to reduce consent delays, highlight who is responsible for certain decisions, and to further promote inclusiveness of young people in care within the household.

Delegated Authority is not the same as Parental Responsibility, which usually still sits with a child’s biological parent(s).

An Education, Health and Care Plan is a legal document that outlines a young person’s educational, health and social care needs.

An EHCP is introduced when the additional support provided by an educational establishment is not sufficient to fully support the needs of a young person.

Read more about how we support our young people through our Education Service.

Emergency Foster Care is a type of fostering that requires foster carers to provide care at short notice, without the usual introductions that take place. For this reason, young people will require additional reassurance and support.

Foster carers who provide this type of care need to be flexible, and are often asked if they are able to provide care outside of office hours.

Read more on our Emergency Foster Care page.

An Engagement and Activity Practitioner is someone who provides a range of support and activities to children in care, once they are within the fostering home.

EAPs work closely with foster carers, local authorities and other professionals to ensure that any activities match the needs of the young person. Activities can include days out, or it could be a one-to-one session.

Read more about our Engagement and Activity Practitioners.

A fast-track assessment in fostering refers to a quicker foster carer assessment period due to situations such as someone transferring from another agency or a local authority.

At TACT, transferring foster carers will also not need to re-take their Skills to Foster training, and will instead be invited to a fast-track meeting.

Read more about transferring to us.

A Form F is a report that is completed by a social worker during an application to become either a foster carer or adopter.

Applicants are asked a number of detailed questions about their homelife, relationships, experiences and work in order to ascertain a person’s suitability to care for vulnerable children.

The report is supported by background checks and references.

Read more on our fostering assessment page.

Fostering Changes is a training programme for foster carers, that focuses on developing confidence and practical skills.

At TACT it is usually delivered over 12 weeks, and covers areas such as behaviour, attachment and social learning theory, positive attention and how children thrive.

Read more on our Foster Carer Training page.

A home visit occurs at the beginning of an application to become a foster carer.

A supervising social worker will visit a fostering applicants home in order to discuss fostering in more detail, and also to check that the home is suitable for fostering (they will check to see if there is at least one spare bedroom).

It is also an opportunity for the applicant to ask any questions.

Read more on our how to become a foster carer page.

In fostering, this phrase is used when checking a foster carer applicant’s resident status in the UK.

To become a foster carer in the UK, an applicant must be a full-time resident of the UK or have indefinite leave to remain. This is because a child’s welfare will always come first. So if a foster carer was providing care for a young person, and then needs to leave the UK, it would be hugely disruptive for that young person as a new foster carer would need to be found.

Read more on our

In fostering, this phrase is used when checking a foster carer applicant’s resident status in the UK.

To become a foster carer in the UK, an applicant must be a full-time resident of the UK or have indefinite leave to remain. This is because a child’s welfare will always come first. So if a foster carer was providing care for a young person, and then needs to leave the UK, it would be hugely disruptive for that young person as a new foster carer would need to be found.

Read more on our Can I Foster page. page.

An IFA is a fostering provider that operates independently from a local authority.

All referrals and requests for care will come from a local authority, who will look to their own team of foster carers in the first instance. If an internal match is not possible, the local authority will then look to IFAs to potentially find a match.

TACT is an IFA, but is also the largest dedicated fostering charity in the UK.

Read more About TACT.

The IRO role was established in 2004, and is detailed in the Children Act 1989. An IRO is an independent registered social worker who is appointed to look after the best interests of a child.

They perform a number of duties such as chairing a child’s Looked After Reviews, and monitoring the care of the child on an ongoing basis – to ensure that their needs are being met.

If there are significant concerns about the safety and welfare of a young person, a local authority can make an application for a Care Order. However, a local authority may apply for an Interim Care Order (ICO), which transfers parental responsibility from the biological parents to the local authority for up to 8 weeks in the first instance.

This allows the local authority to make living and contact arrangements for the child. However, it is only in place to enable further assessments to take place, and to secure a child’s safety. It does not prejudge the outcome of the Care Order application in any way.

Kinship Care is when young people are cared for by other family members or friends, rather than in a fostering or residential setting.

Kinship carers can include grandparents, aunts, siblings or close friends of the family.

A Looked After Review is a recurring meeting to ensure that a Care Plan for a young person is meeting their needs. They are normally chaired by an Independent Reviewing Officer, and can also include advocates, anyone with parental responsibility, foster carers and social workers.

Young people are not obligated to attend, but are encouraged to do so.

This is a term that is included in our language that cares guide, as many young people in care prefer the terms my meeting/my review meeting, improving your time in care and [Child’s name]’s Review.

A Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is a person who is notified if there is an allegation against a practitioner who works with children.

A LADO will ensure that the allegation is properly recorded, monitored and is progressing. They will also ensure that the young person’s voice is heard during the process, and will provide guidance to agencies (if relevant).

Language That Cares in an initiative lead by TACT Fostering to change the language we use in foster care. Whilst not an exhaustive list, it functions as an alternative glossary, looking at some of the commonly used phrases, and their impact on young people. Through consultations, young people have provided alternative phrases that reduce sigma and are more inclusive.

Read more about our language that cares.

A Local Authority, often called a ‘Council’, is an organisation that is responsible for the public services in a designated area.

In terms of foster care, local authorities are responsible for the safeguarding of all children and young people in the geographic area they represent. Local authorities will initiate processes such as care proceedings for a child, and will be ultimately responsible for placing a young person into a care environment.

Long Term Fostering is a type of foster care that provides long term care for children, and is usually provided when a young person cannot return to their birth/biological family for a variety of reasons.

The period of care can commence when a child is very young, and can continue up to the young person’s 18^th birthday (which is when they cease to be classed as ‘looked after’). An arrangement called ‘Staying Put’ can then be put in place, enabling the young person to continue to live with their former foster carers until the age of 21.

Read more on our Long Term Fostering page.

Life Story Work is a practical exercise that documents a young person’s life when they are in care. The function is to provide a child with their life history, enabling them to understand their journey and provide them with information about their family that would have naturally been shared in conversations with their biological family.

It is often compiled into book form, with dated photographs, stories and anecdotes to provide a visual document.

Matching is a process undertaken by a social worker to determine the suitability of a foster home for a young person.

Various factors are taken into account such as geography, locality in relation to educational establishment, the specific skills of the carers, whether they are already providing care to other children, and if they have their own children. There may also be specific matching needs for a particular young person.

A document called a referral is used to aid the matching process.

Read more on our What is Matching page.

NEET refers to a young person who is not in education, employment or training.

This is a term that is included in our language that cares guide, as many young people in care prefer the terms unemployed or not in training or in education (rather than the overuse of the acronym).

OFSTED is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

They are responsible for the inspection, regulation and the reporting on institutions and individuals that provide education, training and care.

OFSTED use a four-point grading system: outstanding, good, requires improvement, and inadequate. A report is also issued to the organisation or individual, and the report is also available to view online by the general public.

Out of hours, in the context of fostering, refers to the support provided by a local authority or agency during the period of the day in which business is not usually conducted.

An out of hours service provides foster carers with peace of mind that should they require urgent support or advice, that there will always be someone to talk to.

TACT operates an out of hours service as part of its fostering support package.

PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy) was developed by Daniel Hughes Ph.D, and is an approach employed to deliver therapeutic strategies to young people who may have experienced abuse and/or neglect.

The PACE model can also be used as a general parenting approach independent of any specific strategies.

Read more on our What is Therapeutic Parenting page.

A fostering panel is a group of qualified and experienced people who are appointed by an organisation to make recommendations on new foster carer approvals, the terms of that approval, and the ability of foster carers to continue to meet the needs of children.

A panel will then make all recommendations to the Agency Decision Maker.

Read more on our fostering panel page.

Parent & Child Fostering is a type of fostering where care and guidance is provided to a child along with their parent(s), within the fostering home. The duration of this care will usually be for 12 weeks, but it can be extended by a court.

The parent(s) may be under 18, and could be classed as ‘looked after’ themselves, but not in all cases.

This type of fostering requires specialist training, as foster carers are required to provide care for the child, and guidance to the parent(s).

Read more about parent & child fostering.

Parental responsibility is a legal term used to identify who has ultimate responsibility for a child. Whilst it is usually the biological parents, it can be transferred to a local authority via legal processes such as a court order.

Foster carers do not have parental responsibility for a child. However, they are granted Delegated Authority – which enables them to make some everyday decisions for a child.

A Pathway Plan is a document to state how Children’s Services will support a young person to live independently, and is agreed by all parties.

It details areas such as health, education, training, employment, family, identity, money and accommodation.

A Pathway Plan is reviewed every 6 months, but it can be reviewed at any time at the request of a young person.

This is a term that is included in our language that cares guide, as many young people in care prefer the terms future planning for 16+, leaving care plan and path to independence.

A Personal Education Plan is a document that records a child’s educational history, and highlights short and long-term targets and aspirations.

The document is produced after PEP meetings with a young person, a School Named Contact, a social worker and foster cares/parents.

Personal Education Plans are reviewed every term, or if there is a change of circumstances.

This is a term that is included in our language that cares guide, as many young people in care prefer the terms school review, education meeting and education plan.

In foster care, a placement is a term used to refer to the situation of a child or young person being cared for by a foster carer.

This is a term that is included in our language that cares guide, as many young people in care prefer the terms our home or home, my house or the house where I live.

A placement plan is a document that sits within an overarching Care Plan, and is specific to the current placement of a young person.

It details areas such as the objectives of the placement, any educational or training arrangements, a young person’s cultural history, a young person’s likes and dislikes, any health arrangements or needs, contact arrangements, and any specific decisions that the foster carer can make under their delegated authority status.

A Foster carer profile is a document that details information such as a foster carer’s household, skills, experience, interests and locality. It should also contain at least one photo of the foster carers.

The document is used to perform initial matching with a young person in care, and is sent to the placements team if the foster carers are satisfied that they will be able to meet the needs of the child. The information about the child would be contained in a referral.

The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme is a screening process in Scotland, similar to the DBS check that operates in England and Wales. Like a DBS, its function is to perform criminal record checks on an individual.

There are four types of levels of PVG:

1. Scheme Record
2. Existing Scheme Record
3. Scheme Record Update (also known as a Short Scheme Record)
4. Scheme Membership Statement

Qualifying Care Relief is a special tax arrangement for people who provide care. For foster carers, this will mean that they will be unlikely to pay any tax on income from fostering.

QCR is comprised of two elements:

1. A fixed tax exemption amount for each household per year
2. A weekly tax relief allowance for each child who is cared for within the fostering household

For more details about the latest exemption and relief amounts, visit our foster care and tax page.

A referral is a document produced by a local authority that contains the initial information about a young person who is requiring care. It’s function is to enable a fostering provider to quickly establish whether they have a potential match to one of their foster carers.

The document should be concise, accurate and, most importantly, up-to-date.

If a match can be identified, the foster carer’s profile will be sent back to the local authority. The child’s social worker would then assess all potential matches.

Remand fostering is a type of foster care that involves providing care to alleged young offenders, aged between 10 and 17, while they are awaiting trial or sentencing.

As custody can be damaging for vulnerable young people, potentially perpetuating a cycle of re-offending, foster carers are highly trained to provide this level of care.

Read more about remand fostering.

Due to negative connotations around the word ‘respite’, TACT now refer to this type of fostering as Short Break Fostering. Please see that section for details.

A residential home or setting is accommodation specifically provided for children who, for a variety of reasons, cannot live with their biological family.

Residential homes usually house a number of young people, each with their own bedroom.

Often, young people transition from a residential home to a fostering arrangement. This type of fostering is called Step Down Fostering, Residential to Fostering or Step Forward Fostering.

Read more about Step Down Fostering.

A Section 20 refers to section 20 of the Children Act 1989. It is a voluntary agreement whereby a person with parental responsibility for a child agrees to that child being taken into a care setting, such as fostering, for a short period of time.

Some scenarios that would initiate a Section 20 are:

1. There are significant concerns about a child’s welfare
2. A child’s parents are unable to provide care due to illness
3. A child is excluded from their home
4. There is no one with parental responsibility for the child

A Section 46 refers to section 46 of the Children Act 1989. It empowers a police officer, who has cause to believe that a child is likely to suffer significant harm, to:

a) Place the child into suitable accommodation
or
b) Remove a child from a specific place, such as a hospital, where they are already being accommodated

In this scenario, a child is often referred to as being ‘taken into police protection’.

A Section 47 refers to section 47 of the Children Act 1989. It occurs when there are serious concerns that a child is being abused or neglected, and involves the instigation of a child protection investigation.

If the investigation shows that the child has likely been abused and/or neglected, a child protection conference will be arranged in order to plan the future safeguarding of the child.

Short Break Fostering, or ‘stay over breaks’, is a type of fostering that provides care for a young person over a short period of time, usually between a weekend and a fortnight. After this period, the young person would return to their full time foster carer.

This type of fostering can function as a break for both young person and full time foster carer.

Previously referred to as Respite Foster Care, our language that cares consultations with young people resulted in the term ‘respite’ being perceived as negative. Young people preferred the terms a break for children (not carers), day out, home away from home, stay over/stay over family, sleepover, time off/time off for us/time off for our carers.

Read more about Short Break Fostering.

Short Term Fostering is a type of foster care that is provided when the care plan of a young person is uncertain. Short term care is provided whilst other options are considered.

Some situations that could require short term foster care are

1. Removal from the family home due to significant concerns
2. Birth parents unavailability due to illness
3. A breakdown of a previous fostering or adoption arrangement

Read more about Short Term Fostering.

Skills To Foster is a training course delivered to potential foster carers within their application and assessment period. It is delivered early to provide applicants with an idea of what fostering entails, and is an opportunity to assess whether fostering is the right choice for them and their household.

The course ranges in length depending on the agency, but is usually delivered in 2-3 days. It covers areas such as the role and responsibilities of foster carers, working with others to support the needs of children in care and safer caring.

At TACT, we streamlined our Skills To Foster course to run over two days. It is also delivered virtually, and we also offer evening and weekend course dates.

Read more about our Foster Carer Training.

Having a spare bedroom is one of the key initial requirements to becoming a foster carer.

Fostering regulations state that all fostering applications should have at least one spare bedroom in their home available for fostering. This is to provide children in care with the privacy they need to recover from past trauma.

In some situations, siblings can share a bedroom – but this would depend on long term care plans. Fostered children will not be able to share a bedroom with your own children (if applicable).

Read more on our Can I Foster page.

Special Educational Needs (SENs) are learning difficulties or disabilities that require a special education provision. Some examples of SEN are: autism, ADHD, mobility difficulties and medical needs such as Epilepsy and Cerebral Palsy.

All educational establishments are required to have systems in place to identify children who are in need of support and to assess, monitor and secure appropriate support for them.

A Special Guardianship Order is a legal process that appoints a carer, who is usually a relative, as a Special Guardian to a young person until they reach 18. The guardian will then share parental responsibility with parents.

Staying Put is an arrangement in England where a young person who was previously being cared for by a foster carer continues to live with that carer, up until that young person reaches 21. This living arrangement is agreed with both young person and carer, as it is no longer classed as  foster care.

The equivalent of Staying Put in Wales is called When I Am Ready.

Step Down Fostering is a type of fostering where a young person makes the transition from a residential home to a fostering household. In many cases, this can result in better outcomes for a young person.

This types of fostering is also called residential to fostering or step forward fostering.

Read more about Step Down Fostering.

A strategy meeting or discussion occurs between a social worker and other agencies or organisations when there is a concern that a child may be suffering significant harm.

These meeting can contain professionals such as the police, health visitors and teachers.

The aim is to decide if child protection steps should commence.

A Subject Access Request (SAR) is when an individual makes a request to an organisation to provide them copies of their personal information, under right of access laws. In some cases, the information provided will need to be redacted if it contains private information about another individual.

A Supervising Social Worker (SSW) is a social worker who specifically supervises a foster carer.

The role of an SSW can include assessing a foster carer during the application period and providing day-to-day support and supervision. They are also involved in the child-to-carer ‘matching’ process and work closely with a local authority social worker to achieve this.

A support group is an element of a foster carer support package that provides regular meetings for groups of foster carers in a specific area. These groups provide the opportunity for foster carers to share experiences and knowledge. Many carers also make new friends at these meetings.

Read more about our Fostering Support.

A safer caring plan is a piece of work that looks at all potential risks within the fostering home, and then looks to minimalize those risks for everyone. It’s function is also to help deal with various situations that might arise.

It is important that everyone in the household agrees with the plan, and that it is reviewed each year, or when any circumstances change.

A Supervising Social Worker will support with devising the plan, and a child’s social worker will also need to be involved.

TACT Connect is a free community exclusively for care-experienced young people and adults aged 15 or over, who have been cared for by TACT foster carers.

The community provides support and guidance, perks and events to its members – who are able to sign up via the TACT Fostering website.

TACT Connect is staffed by a friendly team, many of whom are care-experienced themselves.

Read more about TACT Connect.

The Team Around the Child (TAC) model offers early help and support for children in the areas of health, development, education or welfare. It brings together a group of people consisting of professionals and family members who all work together to support the child.

A Lead Professional is appointed who will be the main point of contact and will lead TAC meetings.

The Fairer Fostering Partnership is a group of charitable and not-for-profit fostering organisations across the UK.

As well as representing fostering agencies that reinvest surplus income into providing better services for children, they are also able to lobby and advocate for children at central government level.

TACT’s CEO, Andy Elvin, is the current Chair of the Fairer Fostering Partnership.

The Fostering Network is a UK charity that represents children, foster carers and fostering organisations.

The organisation provides general fostering information, as well as membership-only advice, guidance, networks and resources. They are also able to help influence policy, and promote the importance of foster care and its ability to transform young people’s lives.

Therapeutic fostering is an approach to caring for children that uses strategies, along with a model called PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy).

The main objective of a therapeutic approach is to re-route certain pathways in the brain that have become wired in a certain way due to a degree of past trauma. The aim is to generate empathy, improve social skills, create a greater sense of harmony, enable cause and effect thinking, and to help form secure attachments.

Read more on our What is Therapeutic Parenting page.

A transfer protocol is a guide produced by The Fostering Network that details how fostering services should manage the transfer of foster carers from one provider to another.

There are separate protocols for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Each reflect any changes in legislation, regulations and national minimum standards, and are reviewed at various intervals.

Read more about Transferring to TACT.

All foster carers have the right to transfer to another fostering provider. However, if carers are transferring with children already in placement, the best interests of those children will always come first.

Transferring to TACT will initiate a fast-track meeting, and there will be no requirement to re-take the Skills To Foster training.

Read more about Transferring to TACT.

To adopt a trauma informed approach is to acknowledge that individuals will most likely have experienced some degree of trauma in their lives. It’s main goal is to then re-educate and re-position how we interact with one another to avoid re-traumatisation.

TACT have embedded trauma-informed practices and approaches into its culture, which has involved extensive training and guidance.

The Training, Support and Development Standards is a national minimum benchmark that details seven key standards that all foster carers should know within the first 12 months of approval.

Those seven standards are:

1. Understand the principles and values essential for fostering children and young people
2. Understand your role as a foster carer
3. Understand health and safety, and healthy caring
4. Know how to communicate effectively
5. Understand the development of children and young people
6. Safeguard children and young people (keep them safe from harm)
7. Develop yourself

Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children are young people who have been separated from their parents or carers and are seeking asylum. Care is provided for them via a local authority.

Many asylum-seeking children are placed in foster care. For this reason it is also classed as a type of fostering.

Unlike other types of foster care, very little may be known about asylum-seeking children. For this reason they require resourceful and resilient foster carers who are able to support their culture, and provide a nurturing, welcoming and supportive environment.

Read more about Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children.

When I Am Ready is a scheme established by the Welsh Government in 2015 to enable a young person who was fostered to remain with their former foster carer beyond the age of 18. It allows them to remain in the family environment un til the age of 21, or up to the age of 25.

The arrangement is agreed between the carer and young person.

A welcome book is a document presented to children in care prior to them joining the fostering household. It introduces the foster carers, and provides photographs and descriptions of the home, any pets and the child’s bedroom. It may also contain other photos such as of the child’s new school (if applicable), and any local amenities, activities and places of interest.

A welcome book is important as it makes the young people feel welcome, and establishes a friendly and inclusive approach from the outset.