Parent & Child
Guide
Together we will be working on the
following...
Foster Parent’s Information
Safeguarding
Foster parents expectations
Roles & Duties
Assessments & What They Mean
Writing down things we are worried about and
how we can help with this
Keeping everyone safe (safeguarding)
Writing down things you are worried about and
how we can help with this
Meetings
Foster Parent’s Daily Logs
What is a Parent & Child Placement?
Who Will Be Involved and Who Might Visit?
Care Tasks
Care task key
Sterilising bottles
Making a feed
Breastfeeding positions
How to breastfeed
How did I find sterilising bottles?
How did I find making a feed?
Bottle feeding
How did I find bottle feeding?
Pre-CIC Review Form
Pocket Money & Clothing Allowance Guideline
Placement Planning Meeting
Home Visits
Court Involvement
Glossary
Baby massage
When your baby is ill
Going out with your baby
How did I find playing with my baby?
Call the doctor straight away if...
How did I find going out with my baby?
Bathing your baby
How did I find bathing my baby?
Playing with your baby
Changing your baby’s nappy
How did I find changing my baby’s nappy?
Handling your baby
How did I find handling my baby?
How did I find breastfeeding?
Cutting your baby’s nails
How did I find cutting my baby’s nails?
Dressing your baby
How did I find dressing my baby?
Appendix/ Templates
Weekly Shopping List
Resources & Baby Groups
Weekly Events Diary
Parent Equipment List
Baby/ Child Essentials
Menu Planner Template
Feeding/ Nappy Chart
Food diary
What is a Parent & Child
placement?
Parent and child fostering (often also called
P & C), is a kind of fostering where a parent
and their child or baby, live together with a
foster family. This is an arrangement whish
aims to designed to support parents who
need help to learn how to care for their child
or baby safely and in a safe and caring family
home.
This is how we keep everyone safe...
(Safeguarding)
This is a document called an individual safeguarding
plan. This is a document that tells us how we make sure
that everyone stays safe. We work together to find out
the things that could place you or your baby/child in
any danger or at risk of being unsafe. Together we agree
the things we will do to make sure everyone is safe and
they will be written in this document.
We are worried about:
How we can help:
This is where we write down:
Things that we are worried about
How we can help you with this
We are worried about:
How we can help:
This is where you write down:
Things that you are worried about
How can we help you with this?
I am worried about:
How can we help you?:
How are you feeling?
I am worried about:
How can we help you?:
How are you feeling?
Meetings
There will be meetings that are held to help you and to
fix any problems that you may be having. We
understand that meetings can be scary sometimes.
Please remember that everyone who attends these
meetings are there to support you and your child.
Sometimes there will be other professionals who come
to meetings and different appointments to go to but
your foster family will always be there to support you
through this.
Sometimes a social worker will come to visit you at
home to see how you and your child are.
An IRO (independent reviewing officer) will also come
to some meetings. IRO’s are there to check that
everybody is doing what they are supposed to and are
supporting you properly.
Who Will Be Involved and Who Might
Visit?
Parent
& Child
Your foster
family
Any other
birth family
Child social
worker
Independent
social worker
Fostering
social worker
The children’s
guardian
Solicitors (all parties to care
proceedings will have their
own legal team)
The health professionals
for both baby and parent
(can include CAMHS and
mental health
professionals)
Health
visitor for
the baby
Other services
such as mental
health , CAMHS ,
substance misuse
support
An advocate to
support parents with
meetings and help
understand
information.
Education (if parent or
child is of school age)
Foster Parent’s Daily Logs
Foster parent’s write daily logs. These are like diary
entries that show how you and your child are
progressing. This is what a daily log looks like:
Foster Parent’s
Information
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Foster Parents Expectations
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This is an optional exercise to consider this at the start of placement.
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Roles & Duties
This is an optional exercise to consider this at the start of placement.
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Safeguarding
An Individual safeguarding plan (ISP) for a child in
care is a live document which clearly states the
actions taken to manage the risks and the steps to
take to protect the child from harm. The ISP is
reviewed regularly to reflect any changes for the
child.
A family safer caring plan is your family's personal
plan that shows how you ensure and manage the
safety and well being of everyone in the fostering
household. You will have clear expectations and
boundaries in regards to expectations, behaviour,
physical contact and other potentially risky
situations. This is a live document that addresses
the needs and vulnerabilities of each child and
family member. You will regularly review this
document to ensure it is always up to date with
relevant information reflecting any changing
needs within the family.
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Assessments & What They Mean
Parent and child fostering is a specialised type of foster care
where foster families provide care and support to a parent or
parents and their child(ren). Foster parents are part of the team
assessing a parent's abilities when social services have raised
concerns about parenting skills or circumstances. The primary
focus of parent and child fostering is supporting, guiding, and
role modelling to help the parent gain confidence and develop
the skills required to safely and effectively care for their child.
Foster parents will be working closely with social workers and
other professionals to monitor and evaluate the parent's
abilities and progress. The assessment aims to determine if,
with support and guidance, the parent can learn to recognize
and meet their child's needs Written logs contribute to
assessments as evidence and are part of court proceedings. An
Independent Social Worker (ISW) may complete an
assessment, and further questions may be asked to clarify
recommendations, especially regarding the support required
for the family.
Purpose
Assessment Process
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Parenting assessment: a parenting assessment is completed by a
social worker who might be an independent social worker
appointed to determine:
The quality of care and safety a parent can provide.
To assess a parent's understanding of child development and
their capacity to provide a safe, nurturing, and stable
environment.
To identify any support services that might be needed to
enable a parent to care for their child safely.
To inform decisions about a child's best interests, including
whether they should remain with their parents, be placed with
other family members, or enter alternative care arrangements.
The key areas considered include the following:
Parental Background:
Personal history, including their own childhood experiences
and any trauma.
Family background and relationships.
Education and employment history.
Physical and mental health history, especially if there are
concerns about conditions that could affect parenting capacity
(e.g., mental health difficulties, substance misuse, domestic
violence).
Any previous involvement with child protection services.
Parenting Skills and Knowledge:
Understanding of child development stages and age-
appropriate behaviours.
Types Of Assessment