Support Services, will send out a copy of the Health Passport with the Children’s guide to every new child placed.
Supervising Social Workers (SSW) MUST see the child’s Health Passport and discuss the health needs of the child on each Supervision visit and make sure that it is up to date. There is a prompt on the supervision template as a reminder.
If the Foster Carer does not have the Health Passport to hand or has lost it, this must be discussed and noted. If the Foster Carer has mislaid the passport, then a new one must be requested for them. Following this, the SSW must check that it has been backfilled and is up to date by the next visit.
The maintenance of the health passport is a topic for discussion in the household annual review, therefore viewing the passport each visit is a necessity.
SSW should use the information contained within the ‘Health Passport’ to monitor the child’s health and health appointments and also as a spring-board for having discussions with children about their health and healthy living.
SSW’s should encourage the Foster Carer to use the ‘Health Passport’ as a tool to begin discussions with children about their health and healthy living.
The child’s SSW should be given access to the ‘Red Book’ or Health Passport on their visits.
The Foster Carer should record appointments on their daily recordings link AND in the passport. This duplication is because the Health Passport moves with the child but we still need to retain the information after the child has left agency. If the child’s placement ends without notice, the SSW must ensure that the Health Passport is sent to the LA SW.
Under five years
- The Positive Aspirations Group Health Passport does not replace the NHS ‘Red book’ for pre-school children.
- All Foster Carers should continue to maintain and update the NHS ‘Red book’ for their pre-school children.
- If Foster Carers do not have access to the child’s ‘Red book’ any relevant information should be requested from either the child’s SSW or if appropriate the parents at the Placement Planning Meeting (PPM). In these circumstances Foster Carers should use the Positive Aspirations Group Health Passport to monitor the child’s health.
- Supervising Social Workers should use the information contained within the NHS ‘Red book’ or Health Passport to monitor the child’s health and health appointments.
Five to eleven years of age
- At 5 years of age the NHS ‘Red book’ is no longer in use and it is at this point that all relevant information from the ‘Red book’ should be wherever possible transferred into the Positive Aspirations Group Health Passport.
- If Foster Carers do not have access to the child’s ‘Red book’ any relevant information should be requested from either the child’s SW or if appropriate the parents at the PPM.
- As the child approaches eleven years of age, dependent upon their ability, each child can begin to be given some responsibility for maintaining their ‘Health Passport’ with the Foster Carer remaining responsible for its maintenance.
Eleven years and over
- From eleven years of age young people should be given increasing responsibility according to their ability, for maintaining their ‘Health Passport’. This does not negate the Foster Carers responsibility to make sure the passport is up to date.
- The young person should be encouraged by the Foster Carer to share the information within the Health Passport with their SSW. If the young person is self-conscious about the nature of some appointments then the Foster Carer should convey the information in a discreet manner.
