Reporting Incidents

(Last reviewed 18/08/2025)

Purpose
This policy sets out how we report, record, and manage incidents in line with The Fostering Regulations (2011), the National Minimum Standards (NMS) for Fostering Services, and Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018).
As an Independent Fostering Service Provider, the Agency must have clear procedures that keep children and young people safe.
Therefore, the Agency will make sure foster carers, supervising social workers, and the Agency itself act quickly to protect children and meet all regulatory duties.
This policy applies to foster carers, supervising social workers, and the managers and registered managers who oversee practice and report to external bodies.

Reporting Responsibilities

1. Immediate Action – In an emergency, the foster carer must contact emergency services if required.
2. Initial Notification – Initial Notification – For non-emergency incidents, the foster carer must notify their supervising social worker (SSW)/team manager (TM) or the out-of-hours service without delay. The SSW must sensitively assess the nature and impact of the incident to decide next steps. The SSW must record this in the Agency’s database.
3. If the incident is a notifiable incident (see Notifiable Incidents and Significant Events Procedure), the SSW must inform the registered manager (RM). The SSW must submit a notification to Ofsted through their online system within 24 hours.
4. Incident Report Form – The foster carer must complete and submit the Agency’s incident report form within 24 hours.
5. An incident report must be completed and shared whenever something occurs that has serious or potentially serious consequences for a foster child, any other person, and/or the reputation of the Agency.
6. Any other incidents that may be viewed as non-serious must also be reported by the foster carer to the SSW in the first instance. The SSW and TM/RM will decide in what way the incident should be recorded for monitoring purposes.
7. When a child does not return home at the agreed time, the foster carer must try to contact the child to understand the situation and agree a plan for their safe return home. If this is unsuccessful, the foster carer must contact the SSW for advice and guidance (see Missing from Care Policy).
8. If a child does not return home and their whereabouts are unknown, the foster carer must notify the SSW immediately (see Missing from Care Policy).
9. All unauthorised absences and missing-from-care situations must be notified and an incident report completed (see Missing from Care Policy).
10. The SSW must add their assessment of the incident to the incident report, clearly stating actions taken, support for the child, and support for the foster carer (for example, training needs). The SSW must also say whether any further intervention is required, by whom, and by when. This incident report must then be sent via Base to the TM for comment and any actions.
11. The TM or RM must add the incident to the relevant recording and monitoring systems where applicable.
12. The SSW must carry out a follow-up visit or phone call to review progress and provide ongoing support. This must be recorded as a contact on Base.
13. The SSW and TM/ RM must review the incident and ensure that any actions set are reviewed and followed up on and that an outcome summary is added.
14. All completed incident reports must be shared with the local authority social worker (LA SW) at the earliest opportunity. The email to the LA SW containing the incident report must be uploaded to Base.