Supporting you through allegations, concerns or complaints
Some foster carers will face an allegation, complaint or concern during their fostering career. This can have a significant and traumatic impact on the child and fostering families involved.
The Fostering Network's Advocacy and Mediation service has provided support to foster carers who are experiencing allegations, complaints or concerns and wider fostering related issues for over 30 years. Through this work we have developed a deep understanding of the issues foster carers face offering emotional support as well as extensive knowledge to guide foster carers through processes and procedures.
The Fostering Network can provide allegations and standards of care support to foster carers via their fostering service through a variety of offers across the UK:
- Fosterlines – all foster carers and prospective foster carers can access free, confidential and impartial advice, support and signposting on a wide range of issues including concerns, complaints and allegations. The service is not able to advocate on foster carers’ behalf to services, or attend meetings, panels or home visits.
- Membership – If you are a foster carer member of The Fostering Network who has been subject to an allegation, you can call the Legal Helpline. It is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
- Advocacy & Mediation Service –The service provides direct support to foster carers experiencing a concern, complaint or allegation. Our consultants will provide intensive emotional support, advice, guidance, mediation and advocacy to foster carers throughout to ensure that they understand processes, their views are represented to empower them to fully participate in the process and services are meeting the National Minimum Standards.
As a foster carer, you cannot directly access this service from us, it must be via your service. However, we can advise you on this via our advice lines. Please contact your fostering service to check if they have an advocacy and mediation arrangement with us to provide this support.
If your service does not have an arrangement with The Fostering Network, you can ask them to spot purchase advocacy and mediation on your behalf.