All Foster Carers have a Health and Safety Check carried out at the time of their fostering assessment. This process is designed to promote the safety, comfort, and wellbeing of everyone living or visiting the fostering household, including the children and young people in placement. The approach taken should be collaborative and respectful, ensuring Foster Carers understand that the purpose of these checks is to support them in maintaining a safe, nurturing, and trauma-sensitive environment for children.
Most often, all actions from the initial Health and Safety Check should be completed before approval. However, there may be times when minor issues remain outstanding. In these cases, they should be clearly recorded and followed up during the Foster Carer’s induction period. Supervising Social Workers (SSWs) should take a supportive approach, working alongside carers to help them meet requirements and to understand the reasons behind each safety recommendation.
Foster Carers’ Health and Safety Checks are diarised for 11 months from the last check to ensure they are completed within each 12-month cycle.
A full Health and Safety Check can be carried out during a normal supervisory visit using the Health and Safety template. This checklist must list any actions required, provide clear and achievable timescales for completion, and record who is responsible for completing each action. The process should be transparent and discussed with the carer to ensure shared understanding and agreement.
Any outstanding actions must be followed up by the SSW at the next visit. The Health and Safety form must be updated to reflect completion of actions, with notes that confirm how the issues have been addressed. Foster Carers should be acknowledged and thanked for their efforts in maintaining a safe environment for children, reinforcing positive practice and collaboration.
All Health and Safety Checklists must be dated and signed by both carers and the SSW. This ensures shared accountability and clarity.
SSWs must carry out at least two unannounced visits each year. Both unannounced visits should include a review of the home environment to check general Health and Safety. This does not require a full checklist but should include the SSW’s observations and recording of any obvious hazards, concerns, or positive environmental strengths. Where possible, the SSW should communicate in a way that reduces anxiety, explaining that unannounced visits are part of ensuring consistency and safety, not a punitive measure.
If there are any concerns about the standards of the home, they must be clearly logged, tracked, and followed up by the SSW. Follow-up should be done in a constructive and supportive way, working with the carer to explore barriers and identify practical solutions. All outcomes must be recorded as evidence of robust and transparent follow-up.
If Foster Carers, members of the household, the support network, Enhanced Support staff, or anyone who visits the family home has pets or animals living in or visiting the home, the Pet Checklist and/or Dog Assessment Form must be completed. Any change in circumstances regarding pets requires a new Pet Checklist to be completed. Updates should continue to be reviewed and discussed at each Annual Review, ensuring any new risks or considerations are identified and managed collaboratively.
The SSW should approach discussions about pets and home environments in a way that values carers’ strengths and recognises their capacity to create safe, nurturing spaces for children. Any identified risks should be balanced with recognition of positive aspects of the household, such as nurturing routines, relationships, and the therapeutic benefits animals can bring to children who have experienced trauma.
