How do Birth Families Visit their Child in Foster Care?
If a child is taken into foster care, those who have parental responsibility will still have rights over their child; albeit limited.
If there is a care order that places a child under foster care, the Local Authority will share the responsibility of making important decisions about the child. Some of the decisions that will be made by the Local Authority include:
- Where the child will live
- Who will look after them
- How the child will be educated If a parent has made the decision for their child to go into care without a care order, they will still have parental responsibility.
Maintaining contact with their child
Birth parents usually have a right to visit their children whilst they are in foster care. The foster care agency or the Local Authority should facilitate contact between birth families and their child. In most cases, foster carers will be required to support this facilitation in a number of ways:
- In a few cases, if deemed suitable and safe by the Local Authority, birth families could come to the foster carer’s home to see their child and the foster carer will be required to supervise this contact.
- If deemed suitable and safe by the Local Authority, birth families could see their child in the community for an activity or meal, and the foster carer will supervise this. The carer and birth family member will agree on a mutual location to meet for the contact.
- Some children will be able to stay unsupervised at their birth families home on occasions, including overnight, if assessed as suitable and safe. The foster carer may be required to transport the child to and from the home.
- Some children will have contact with their parents via telephone or video call from their foster carers home. The foster carer may be required to supervise these calls.
- In many cases, children will have contact with their birth families in a contact centre and this will be supervised by a member of staff there or a social worker to ensure the child’s safety and wellbeing. Although foster carers will not be required to supervise contact on these occasions, it is very likely you will support with transporting the child to and from the contact centre. Furthermore, providing emotional support to the child before and after the contact session.
Can contact be stopped?
Ideally, there is usually no need to stop contact. However, if the social worker feels there is a need, they could review the current contact plan and it could be stopped. The social worker or the Local Authority must seek a court order to stop the contact. If the situation is urgent, the social worker can stop the contact and obtain a court order within 7 days.
Do you still have questions?
Please reach out to us if you have any questions about how you, as a foster carer, may support a child to have contact with their birth families.
