(Last reviewed 08/01/2025)
Introduction
At Positive Aspirations, we value meaningful, safe, and appropriate contact between children who are in foster care and their birth families. Such contact supports children to keep their identity, understand their heritage, and stay connected with people who matter to them. This policy is informed by the Children Act 1989, Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011, National Minimum Standards (NMS), and other relevant statutory guidance.
The purpose of this policy is to:
• Outline the principles and procedures for supporting contact between children and their birth families.
• Ensure contact arrangements prioritise the child’s safety, wellbeing, and emotional health.
• Comply with relevant legislation and guidance regarding contact.
Legislative and Regulatory Framework
• This policy is guided by the following:
• Children Act 1989 (Sections 34 and 22) – States the local authority’s duty to promote contact with birth families when it is in the child’s best interests.
• Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 (Regulation 11) – Requires fostering agencies to support foster carers in facilitating contact.
• The Human Rights Act 1998 – Recognises the right to family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
• National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services (Standard 9) – Requires agencies to ensure that contact arrangements promote the child’s welfare.
9.1) Children are supported and encouraged to maintain and develop family contacts and friendships, subject to any limitations or provisions set out in their care plan and any court order.
9.2) Foster carers are provided with practical help, including financial support where needed, to enable appropriate contact and to manage any emotional or other challenges that the child or foster carer may experience because of contact.
9.3) Emergency restrictions on contact are only put in place to protect the child from significant risk to their safety or welfare and are shared with the responsible authority within 24 hours of being imposed.
9.4) Any ongoing restriction on communication by the child is agreed by the child’s responsible authority, takes the child’s wishes and feelings into account, and is regularly reviewed together with the responsible authority.
9.5) The fostering service shares with the responsible authority any significant reactions a child has to contact arrangements or visits with any person.
9.6) When deciding whether to offer a placement, the fostering service works with the responsible authority to consider how the child’s contact with family and significant others will be supported, especially where a child is placed at a distance from home.
9.7) Foster carers understand which decisions about contact are delegated to them, in line with the child’s care plan, and make those decisions in the child’s best interests.
Principles
• The child’s safety, wellbeing, and emotional health are paramount in all decisions about contact.
• Contact arrangements must be in the child’s best interests, as set out in their care plan.
• All contact must be carefully risk-assessed to safeguard the child and foster family.
• Positive communication and collaboration between the agency, foster carers, local authorities, and birth families are essential for successful contact.
Roles and Responsibilities
• The local authority is responsible for setting the contact arrangements as part of the child’s care plan.
• Foster carers play a key role in facilitating contact and supporting the child emotionally before and after each visit.
• Foster carers must follow the contact arrangements specified in the care plan and report any concerns or challenges to their supervising social worker.
• Supervising Social Workers should provide foster carers with guidance, training, and support about contact arrangements.
• Supervising Social Workers must liaise with the local authority and other professionals to ensure contact arrangements are appropriate and effective.
• Foster carers must do everything they can to promote positive contact between children and their birth families and family friends, as long as this aligns with the child’s care plan.
• They must assess any risks involved and how these will be managed.
• Contact will be discussed at every child’s review.
• Foster carers must tell their supervising social worker and the child’s social worker about any difficulties with contact at the earliest opportunity.
• Foster carers must keep a written record of contact arrangements and how they work in practice. They must note whether the child looks forward to and enjoys contact and any behaviour changes that seem linked to contact.
• Foster carers should be aware that the internet allows birth families to contact children through many electronic platforms. This can include (but is not limited to) Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp, and computer game consoles. If carers are concerned about any of these, they should contact their supervising social worker for advice. The agency offers specific training on keeping children safe online, which carers or supervisors should complete if they have concerns.
