Health
A foster home is more than a roof over a child’s head; it is the day-to-day engine room of that child’s physical, emotional and developmental health. Positive Aspirations Group therefore places equal weight on prompt medical care, meticulous record-keeping, healthy lifestyles and carers’ own wellbeing.
Early information and ongoing vigilance
At or before the Placement Planning Meeting you should receive the child’s known health history—immunisations, allergies, chronic conditions and current medication. If details are patchy you must chase them: start with the child’s social worker, copy in your Supervising Social Worker (SSW), and keep a note of each request. On the first evening make a brief written observation (“no obvious rashes, eating well, slight cough”) so a baseline exists if symptoms emerge later.
Seeing a professional—err on the side of caution
Because foster carers may not yet know a child’s family medical history, you cannot wait and see “whether it clears up by morning” in the same way a parent sometimes might. Seek GP, NHS 111 or A&E advice promptly; record the outcome; inform your SSW as soon as practical; and log medication given, dosage and times. Under delegated-authority agreements you may consent to routine treatments—paracetamol, antibiotics, optician visits—but only if that delegation is written, signed by the local authority and filed in the child’s records.
GP, dentist and optician—one-week rule
Register each new arrival with an accessible GP within seven days and check whether dental or eye appointments are overdue. Statutory “Looked-After Child medicals” will either be organised by the local authority’s own clinician or carried out by your GP; the child’s social worker supplies the paperwork and the local authority pays the fee.
The Health Passport
Every Positive Aspirations child has (or soon receives) a Health Passport—a simple, running log of immunisations, appointments, allergies, growth measures and emotional-health notes. You will update it after each health contact and bring it to supervisions; it is reviewed at your annual carer review. When a child moves on, the Passport moves with them, giving the next carer or birth family an immediate picture of their needs.
Household health standards
Foster homes must be smoke-free indoors. Carers who smoke tobacco products cannot look after children under five; carers of older children may smoke only outside and never in the child’s view. E-cigarettes are treated separately: they must still be used outside, stored out of reach and explained to children as an adult product with health risks. Illegal drugs are, of course, barred entirely. Alcohol intake must not breach national guidelines or impair supervision.
Nutrition, exercise and routine sit alongside safety: eat a balanced family diet, model daily physical activity (a dog walk, kick-about, park run), and teach age-appropriate self-care—hand-washing, dental hygiene, healthy screen-sleep balance.
Vaccinations—hepatitis B offer
Following Department of Health advice, the agency will reimburse up to £150 per person for hepatitis B vaccination for any household member. Submit receipts to finance; if upfront payment is difficult, contact the office to arrange direct billing with the clinic.
Risk-based health planning
Any long-term condition (asthma, diabetes), allergy (nuts, latex) or developmental diagnosis (ADHD, ASD) must be written into the child’s Safer Caring Policy with clear actions: who carries inhalers, where medication is stored, what emergency numbers sit by the phone. The SSW will audit compliance during announced and unannounced visits.
Carer health and self-care
Your own medical fitness is reviewed every three years via a GP assessment seen by the agency medical adviser. Between assessments you must alert your SSW to significant changes—new medication, surgery, mental-health difficulties—so that placement-matching decisions remain safe. Healthy weight, responsible alcohol use, good sleep and emotional support all model resilience for children and protect your approval to foster.
When professional advice conflicts
Occasionally medication regimes or therapy appointments clash with school times or cultural routines. If complying feels unworkable do not alter or stop treatment on your own initiative. Speak first with the prescribing clinician and the child’s social worker; copy in your SSW. Together you can negotiate alternatives or seek specialist clarification.
Summary—five golden rules
- Register, record, report—every contact, every dose, every symptom.
- Seek help early—unknown family history means no “wait and see.”
- Use the Health Passport—it travels with the child and prevents information gaps.
- Promote healthy living—balanced diet, exercise, smoke-free environment, honest conversations about substances and sex.
- Look after yourself—your wellbeing underpins the child’s.
Follow these principles and you create a home where health worries are tackled quickly, positive habits grow and children learn that their bodies—and their futures—are worth looking after.
