Introduction
Life inevitably involves risk, and part of providing safe, nurturing foster care is recognising and responding to potential risks in a thoughtful and balanced way. Supervising Social Workers (SSWs), Foster Carers, Team Managers (TMs) and Local Authority (LA) professionals share responsibility for identifying and managing any risks that may be higher than expected, while ensuring that children and young people continue to experience normal life opportunities and positive experiences.
A trauma-informed approach to risk assessment recognises that many children in care have experienced adversity and that over-restrictive or reactive responses can unintentionally recreate feelings of powerlessness or mistrust. Risk assessment is therefore not about removing all risk but about understanding and managing it collaboratively and proportionately.
Purpose and Principles
- Risk assessments are dynamic “live” documents which must be updated whenever circumstances or presenting risks change.
- The process should be collaborative, involving the Foster Carer, SSW, TM and where appropriate, the child or young person, so that everyone understands the identified risks and the agreed strategies to manage them.
- Language used in assessments must be clear, factual and non-stigmatising, distinguishing between fact, opinion and third-party information.
- Updates and decisions must be recorded promptly and shared with all relevant parties.
- Completed and updated assessments must be saved securely on Base as a record and shared with the Foster Carer for signature, ensuring transparency and shared ownership.
Templates and Recording
All templates are located at:
Agency Drive > Forms and Templates Folder > Fostering Forms Folder.
1. Holiday and Overnight Stay Risk Assessment
To be completed in advance of a foster child staying overnight somewhere other than the foster home. This assessment should consider the child’s feelings, any previous experiences that might influence how they cope with change, and the steps required to ensure they feel safe and informed.
2. Respite Risk Assessment
See the Respite Procedure for full guidance. The assessment should explore the child’s emotional readiness for respite, how they will be supported before, during and after, and how information will be shared to promote consistency of care.
3. General Risk Assessment Template
To be completed for any risk not covered by other templates or matrices, for example:
- an adult in the home or support network without a DBS,
- an incident or near-miss that raises concern.
The SSW should approach the discussion using curiosity and empathy, ensuring the person feels supported to talk openly about context and circumstances.
Record of Disclosure (ROD)
- Generated by Support Services (SS) following completion of a DBS check.
- If there are no recorded offences or police information, SS completes the form, marks “No Action Required”, and files it securely.
- If there are recorded offences or information, SS partially completes the template and forwards it to the SSW & TM marked “Action Required.”
- The SSW must then engage the subject of the check in a respectful, restorative conversation, gathering context about the offences, circumstances, and evidence of learning or change.
- The SSW completes the risk assessment element in a balanced and factual manner.
- The completed ROD must be shared, signed and filed on the person’s file and saved on Base.
Local Authority Risk Template
- Generated by Support Services when a Local Authority check identifies that a person or family is “known” to the LA.
- Support Services send the LA check and accompanying LA Risk Assessment Template to the SSW.
- The SSW discusses the findings with the individual or family in a sensitive, transparent manner, acknowledging the purpose of the process is safety, not blame.
- The SSW identifies any risks and collaboratively plans how these will be managed or mitigated.
- The completed LA risk assessment is then shared, signed, saved and filed on the person’s file and Base.
Safer Caring Policies
See Safer Caring Policy and Guidance for detailed procedures on how individual Safer Caring Plans relate to risk assessments.
Risk Matrices
See Safer Caring Policy Guide for use of matrices to analyse patterns, likelihood and impact, supporting balanced decision-making.
Trauma-Informed Practice Reminders
- Use language that promotes safety, empowerment and collaboration rather than control or punishment.
- Consider the child’s perspective and emotional state when identifying or describing risks.
- Ensure that all discussions and written assessments are strengths-based, recognising protective factors and positive coping strategies already in place.
- Avoid labelling or pathologising language; instead, describe behaviours in context and link them to underlying needs or experiences.
- Always ensure that the risk assessment process contributes to the overall sense of stability, trust and belonging within the fostering household.
