(Last reviewed 09/05/2024)
Scope of the Policy
This policy applies to Applicants/Foster Carers, Members of the Household, the Support Network, Enhanced Support, and anyone who visits the family home who has pets or other animals living in or visiting the home.
It explains the assessment process so pet owners can show they act responsibly and, above all, place the child’s well-being first.
It also lists the dog breeds that, under any circumstances, a child will not be placed with.
Please note – although this policy focuses mainly on dogs, its principles apply to every animal.
RELEVANT LEGISLATION AND GUIDANCE
- Fostering Services: National Minimum Standard 4 and Standard 10
- BAAF Practice Note 42, Placing Children with Dog Owning Families
The Positive Aspirations Group recognises that pets are an important part of many foster households and can help children in care build positive relationships within the family. However, our primary responsibility is to safeguard and promote each child’s welfare throughout their time with a fostering family, ensuring their needs are met in a safe and nurturing environment. When Applicants/Foster Carers keep animals, the impact on children must be considered during the household health and safety check carried out each year.
The Policy seeks: –
• To safeguard and promote the child’s welfare and make sure it remains the highest priority;
• To objectively identify any risks posed by a specific animal;
• To confirm the owner’s plans for caring for the animal and how well those plans reduce potential risks and accidents;
• To gather evidence, through observation and information from the owners, supported wherever possible, that they act responsibly as dog owners;
• To find out what actions the owner plans to take if pet-related problems arise after a child is placed;
• To make clear that dog/pet owners must show evidence that their animal poses no serious risk;
• To inform potential carers that they cannot be registered or approved to care for children if they own a dog legally classed as dangerous and therefore banned;
• To recognise that every animal carries some level of risk and to ensure owners have plans for managing those risks should they arise.
1. Dangerous Pets
The agencies within the Positive Aspirations Group will not register or approve foster carers who own any dog breed listed under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (amended 1997)—currently: Pitbulls, Japanese Tosas, Fila Brasileiros, Dogo Argentinos, and American Bully types including XL, Standard, Pocket, Micro, and Toadline Bully—or any pet covered by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.
In addition, the Group requires the following breeds to be assessed by a canine behaviour expert before the fostering assessment is completed: Rottweilers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, and Doberman Pinschers.
The Positive Aspirations Group will cover the cost of these canine behaviour assessments.
Owning any of these breeds will limit the carer’s terms of approval to caring for children aged 8 years or older.
2. Number of Dogs/Pets in a Foster Home
A risk assessment must be carried out for all animals living in or frequently visiting the foster home.
• Each animal needs either our pet checklist or, if the animal is a dog, our dog assessment form.
• The dog assessment form must be completed separately for each dog.
• Other animals can be recorded on a single pet checklist, as long as it is clear which animal each answer refers to.
• If a household has more than two dogs, an independent assessment by a canine behaviour expert must be obtained so the Registered Manager can decide whether an assessment should continue or whether an approved carer can keep fostering.
This is because more than two dogs may develop a pack instinct that could increase risk to children.
3. Pet Checklist/Dog Assessments
Pet Checklist/Dog Assessments are required when someone applies to become a foster carer and whenever a new pet is brought into an existing fostering household.
During the initial recruitment process, prospective applicants’ pet ownership and pet management will be reviewed. If concerns arise—such as a banned breed or dangerous animal as defined in legislation—the application will not be progressed.
The Pet Checklist/Dog Assessment Form must be completed during the assessment of prospective applicants. This form requires the pet owner(s) to explain why their pet(s) have the right temperament to enable foster children to live safely in the family home and to support the fostering task.
The assessor should request any available supporting evidence that can help confirm positive pet behaviour and management, alongside their own observations.
The assessor should also consider how changes in routine might affect the pet, including territory issues and the pet’s instinct to protect its owners.
If the assessor has any doubt about a dog’s suitability, a canine behaviour expert must assess the dog, and the result will determine whether the assessment ends.
The agency must be informed whenever a new or first pet enters the fostering household, and a Pet Checklist/Dog Assessment Form must be completed.
Any change in pet circumstances requires a Pet Checklist/Dog Assessment Form, and the form must continue to be completed annually.
During visits to the foster carer’s home, the supervising social worker should monitor the pet’s development—especially puppies—and its interactions with adults and children. If any concerns arise, another Pet Checklist/Dog Assessment Form must be completed.
A Pet Checklist/Dog Assessment Form must always be completed alongside the annual Health and Safety Check of the foster carer’s home.
4. Matching
Matching considerations before a child is placed in a foster family must include a risk assessment. This assessment should cover the child’s attitude and experience with pets, any allergies, any other risks, and the child’s capacity to live in a household with animals. For example: Is the child fearful of dogs? Does the child’s culture view dogs in a particular way? Has the child ever mistreated animals?
5. Supervision of Dogs/Pets
Dogs, other pets, and children must be supervised at all times, especially during feeding, playtime, and walks. The foster carer must ensure children do not tease, harass, or mistreat the animal, and that the animal does not show any aggressive behaviour towards the children.
No child in care should ever be left alone with a dog or other pet.
6. Size of Dogs/Pets
It is acknowledged that dogs and other animals can attack children. While a dog’s size matters—especially for vulnerable children—the breed may indicate its likelihood or ability to be aggressive. Small dogs can bite, but larger dogs have the strength to cause serious injury or death. Therefore, when assessing a family this must be considered in the final recommendation to the Panel.
The Fostering Panel should consider all dogs and pets when approving a family and decide the minimum age of any child placed. The assessment must include the potential risk posed by each animal and the carer’s attitude and approach to pet ownership.
Foster carers should provide details of any dog training or obedience classes attended.
6. Working Dogs and Animals in Rural Communities
Where prospective foster carers have working dogs (e.g., police dogs, farm dogs, sheepdogs), these animals must be kept in a secure area outside the home that children cannot access. The assessing social worker must inspect this area and be satisfied that children cannot gain entry.
A report or letter from the family vet describing the dog’s work must be referenced and confirmed in the Dog Assessment Form and included in the presentation to the Panel.
7. Dogs and Animals Kept for Breeding
Households that keep animals for breeding purposes require an individual assessment to ensure this activity does not distract from the fostering task. As with working dogs, the assessing social worker must be satisfied that the animals are kept in secure, separate areas where children cannot gain access. Even the most placid animals can become aggressive when protecting their young.
If the foster carer breeds five litters of puppies or more, the household must be formally registered under the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999.
8. Health, Safety and Hygiene
It is important to understand the health risks associated with pets, and all vaccinations must be current. Health risks include:
• Cat scratches, bites, and litter trays, which can cause Toxoplasmosis;
• Toxocara canis, a parasite found in dogs, and Campylobacter, a bacterial infection;
• Psittacosis, sometimes called Parrot Fever, which can affect other birds as well.
Vaccinations and Health: All dogs and other pets in the home must have up-to-date vaccinations and regular veterinary check-ups. The foster carer must ensure each animal is healthy and free from communicable diseases that could be passed to children.
Dogs and cats must be wormed and treated for fleas regularly. Carers should be able to provide a certificate or letter from their vet, and this should be recorded on the Pet Checklist/Dog Assessment Form.
All outdoor areas must be kept free of animal waste. Pets in cages must be kept clean, and gloves should be worn when cleaning cages. Gloves should also be worn when cleaning litter trays.
Where cats are kept, babies should be protected by using a net on prams and pushchairs, and cat litter trays must be out of reach of crawling babies and toddlers.
Fish tanks or other tanks containing animals should be placed where children cannot access them.
If chickens are kept, they must be secured appropriately and checked by a vet.
9. New Pets
If, after approval, a carer’s family decides to acquire a dog or other pet, they must first:
• Carefully consider what type of pet fits their approval;
• Gather background information on the pet (e.g., age, history);
• Seek expert advice on handling and managing the pet in light of the fostering tasks and potential behaviour of children in care;
• Consult their Supervising Social Worker once all information is known; the worker will then seek further advice from their Team Manager or Registered Manager.
10. Dogs/Pets Currently in Placement
If existing carers have more than two dogs or have a large dog, Supervising Social Workers must visit to review the carers’ approval and registration. For example, if a carer is approved for babies and toddlers but owns a large dog, the approval must be formally reviewed. Having more than two dogs in the foster home also requires a formal review. By reviewing each case individually, we can meet the child’s needs and address pet safety within the family.
Supervision visits must include observations of how pets are managed in the home.
The social worker should also explore how visitors to the house are managed, including how contact sessions within the home are organised.
11. Emergency, Remand, Short Break and Respite/Day-Care Foster Placements
Emergency or remand placements can involve children of any age arriving at any hour. Carers providing these services must therefore avoid keeping pets that might pose a risk to certain children—for example, large dogs—because the age or size of an incoming child is unknown. If a dog lives in the household, allow a 24-hour settling-in period before introducing the child to the pet.
For respite or short-break placements, the introduction of pets to children must be risk assessed.
12. Visiting Animals
When friends or relatives visit a foster carer’s home with their own pets, this Policy applies in full.
13. Actions in the Event of Injury to a Child by a Pet
If a household dog or other pet bites, scratches, or otherwise injures a fostered child, the foster carer must immediately:
• Remove the animal from the home;
• Give the child first aid and seek medical advice or attention as soon as possible;
• Notify the Supervising Social Worker or Team Leader;
• Complete an incident form.
Guidance for Foster Carers Getting a Dog
Foster carers must take special care when choosing a family pet and cannot keep dogs that could seriously endanger their foster children. Selecting a suitable animal is the first step, followed by thorough training and consistent, compassionate care. As part of the agency’s health and safety checks, an annual pet checklist is completed for all pets to confirm they remain appropriate alongside fostering.
Dogs can, on rare occasions, cause severe injury or even death to children. While most people believe their family pet would never harm anyone, the fostering agency must prioritise safety. For information on the harm some family pets can cause, please see: http://www.ukandspain.com/dangerous-dogs/. Foster children may be particularly vulnerable because they might unintentionally provoke an otherwise gentle animal. Foster carers must therefore be extra cautious about the breed of dog they choose.
Certain dogs are banned by law from being kept as pets: Pitbulls, Japanese Tosas, Fila Brasileiros, Dogo Argentinos, and American Bully types including XL, Standard, Pocket, Micro, and Toadline Bully.
The Positive Aspirations Group imposes further restrictions on dogs considered acceptable as pets. We do not believe foster carers should keep dogs that—if they became aggressive—could seriously harm a child. It is impossible to list every unacceptable breed, but we consider factors such as the breed’s history, size, and jaw type, always erring on the side of caution. The following breeds require assessment by a canine behavioural expert: Rottweilers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, and Doberman Pinschers.
If you are thinking about getting a dog, consult your Supervising Social Worker before making any decisions. Research any breed you are considering online. If that breed has been implicated in attacks on children, we are unlikely to approve it. If foster carers choose a dog the agency deems unsuitable, they may need to decide between keeping the dog and continuing to foster.
Preparations, where needed, should be in place well before any foster child arrives—for example, moving the dog’s sleeping area or creating a dog-free space in the garden.
Foster carers should also plan how they will respond if dogs and children cannot safely live together—for example, whether a family member could temporarily care for the dog.
Introductions should be handled carefully and never when the dog is sitting on the owner’s lap, as this can prompt guarding behaviour. Experts recommend letting the dog approach the child, rather than the child approaching the dog, and encourage stroking under the chin or chest rather than patting the head.
Dogs may react unexpectedly around food, when woken, in pain, or when stressed. Understanding your dog’s body language and teaching your foster child how to behave around dogs are essential.
Adults in the home set expectations and manage interactions between children and dogs.
Stilwell (2005) and Dogs Trust, RSPCA, and Blue Cross suggest the following rules for children and guidance for adults to keep everyone safe:
• Do not tease a dog with food or toys.
• Do not touch a dog while it is eating.
• Do not touch a dog while it is sleeping.
• Never stare at a dog or put your face near the dog’s face.
• Remember that a dog is an animal, not a cuddly toy; some dogs dislike being hugged.
• Be gentle with the dog; avoid rough play.
• Socialise dogs properly with children and teach them not to jump up or be overly boisterous.
• Teach children to interact appropriately with dogs, following the rules above.
• Never leave young children unsupervised with any dog, even for a few minutes.
• Provide separate toys for children and for the dog.
• Give the dog a quiet, safe space to retreat to if needed.
• Watch the dog’s body language so you can intervene at the earliest signs of stress.
By researching and using available information, foster carers can help build healthy, safe relationships between dogs and children.
The Blue Dog Trust focuses on educating children about their relationship with dogs. The Blue Cross offers free talks to parents and carers with young children under the title “Keeping your child safe around dogs.”
Email: education@bluecross.org.uk or call: 0300 111 8950.
