Can Foster Carers Give Consent for Surgery?
Making decisions for your foster child is one of your responsibilities as a foster carer. However, the scope of the decisions that you can make is also limited. Find out if you can give consent for a foster child to undergo surgery.
When you register to become a foster carer and subsequently get a placement, your foster care agency will let you know the kind of decisions that you can make on behalf of the foster child. They are called delegated authority.
Can you give consent for surgery?
You can give consent for medical surgery if the scope of your delegated authority allows you to make long-term decisions for the foster child. However, in most cases, you will have to involve the foster care agency before giving consent.
So, what is the scope of your delegated authority?
Your placement plan should inform you of the scope of your delegated authority. This will help you determine if you can make the decision for your foster child to undergo surgery or not.
3 levels of delegated authority
According to the Department of Education, there are three levels of delegated authority i.e.
1. Day-to-day decisions
These are simple daily decisions that you can make without consulting the foster care agency or the birth parents. They include school trips, parent-teacher meetings, dental check-ups, and haircuts among other simple decisions.
2. Long-term decisions
These are long-term decisions like the school in which the foster child will attend.
3. Significant decisions
These are decisions that are made by local authorities or birth parents; for example, surgery.
Medical treatment for your foster child
As earlier mentioned, your child placement plan will determine if you can make medical decisions for your foster child. Contact your foster care agency to know if you are able to make decisions about:
- Medical examination
- Medication
- Surgery
- Local or general anaesthetic
Summary
As a foster carer, you have delegated authority over the foster child. Find out from your foster care agency the scope of your delegated authority to know if you can make medical decisions such as giving consent for surgery.
