Simply Fostering

Annual Foster Care Review

AFCR (Annual Foster Carers Review)

First Year Fostering Review

Whether you have had children living with you or not, your fostering agency will arrange for an annual foster care review of your first year as a foster carer. The annual foster carers review is presented to the fostering panel who will make a recommendation regarding your approval.

Annual Foster Carers Review

The agency will hold the review every year after the carer’s first review.
Fostering Review Regulations
Fostering Services Regulations 2002 (Reg.29)

  • The service provider must review approval of each foster parent in accordance with Regulation 29 [Reg.29 (1)]
  • The annual foster care review must take place no more than a year after approval and thereafter whenever the service provider considers it necessary but at intervals of not more than a year [Reg.29(2)]
  •  

The annual foster carers review can and often does recommend a change of approval such as being approved for more children or different categories such as ‘parent and child’ or ‘long term’.  Annual foster care reviews are also a formal opportunity for the foster carers to give feedback to the Fostering Panel,  both positive and negative about their year in fostering. The annual foster care review is a very useful tool for both foster carers and fostering agencies, to highlight issues over the previous year.

 

There is a general requirement that you attend three training events each year which are provided by the agency who holds your approval.

Foster Training topics:

  • Safe caring;
  • Allegations;
  • Child protection;
  • Working in partnership;
  • Managing challenging behaviour;
  • Moving in moving on.

You may be encouraged by your agency to undertake specialist training at your local college such as the new childcare Diploma and fostering related courses and the courses and training you attended during the review year will be considered by the Fostering Panel as part of their decision regarding your re approval.

Carer’s concerns
In our experience as Panel Managers, and as fostering social workers, the negative concerns that foster carers most often raise are:

  • The lack of good enough support;
  • The bureaucracy they encounter;
  • Sometimes they feel their opinions have been undervalued.

You need to consider these reasons when discussing any application you might make with a Fostering Agency because in our experience, they are high on the list of reasons why foster carers feel the need to move Agencies later on.

If a foster carers disagrees with the decision made by the Panel, an application for a review of the decision can be made to the Independent Review Mechanism.

Contact us at Simply Fostering, to find out more about what Fostering Agencies have to offer.

UK Wide Fostering Network

Try these: South WestDevonExeter

If you live in the UK… We’ve got you covered.
We cover the length and breadth of the UK with our unique Agency Network. Finding an Agency near you and supporting your move into foster caring.

 

free fostering handbook

Free Fostering Essentials Handbook

By contacting us you are entitled to the Simply Fostering Essentials Handbook, a wall to wall guide to fostering.

An A-Z comprehensive guide to a range of useful fostering terms. Essential reading for any newbie foster carer. Includes subjects as varied as:

  • Parental Responsibility
  • Managing Behaviour
  • Human Rights
  • Reviews
  • Eat Disorders

Form Only Takes A Minute To Complete.

The Best Start in Fostering

Scroll to Top
Free ‘Fostering Essentials #1’ E-book

Please provide your email so we can send you a download link and password.