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Introduction
Fostering and Adoption Services is a part of local authority children’s services which focuses on placing children who cannot live safely with their birth families into foster care or adoptive families. It holds detailed, highly sensitive information about children, their birth families, foster carers, and prospective adopters; the information is gathered through assessments, direct work, home visits, placement reviews, and input from partner organisations such as health, education, and specialist services.
When there are concerns of child sexual abuse, Fostering and Adoption teams may hold information about previous incidents, disclosures, risks within the family or placement, and any protective actions that have been taken. This information is critical in making decisions about safe placements, matching children with carers, and providing ongoing support and monitoring to protect children from harm.
Fostering and Adoption teams carry out a range of assessments to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and carers. These assessments typically include:
- child assessments – detailed accounts of the child’s history, development, health, emotional wellbeing, and experiences of harm or neglect
- parental assessments – analysis of the birth parent(s)’ capacity to protect and care for their child, including historical risks or safeguarding concerns
- carer assessments – evaluation of potential foster carers’ or adoptive parents’ suitability, including the home environment, the individuals’ experience, and their ability to meet the child’s needs
- family histories and chronologies – detailed timelines of previous concerns, incidents, and interventions
- multi-agency contributions – information from schools, health, police, and other specialists involved in the child’s life
- the child’s voice – direct work with the child to understand their wishes, feelings, experiences and concerns.
Once a child is placed with foster carers or adoptive parents, Fostering and Adoption Services maintains placement and care plans. These plans outline:
- the child’s needs and expected outcomes
- the roles and responsibilities of carers and practitioners
- actions to support the child’s emotional, physical and educational wellbeing
- timescales for reviews, monitoring and updates from partner agencies
- safety arrangements and supervision requirements
- support for the child to process experiences of abuse
- ongoing monitoring and reporting of any disclosures or worrying behaviours
- coordination with statutory social work teams, health services and the police.
Plans are reviewed regularly, ensuring that the child’s current situation and risk are accurately reflected and that protective measures remain effective.
Fostering and Adoption teams also hold records from:
- placement reviews and supervision visits – notes from regular checks to ensure that the child is safe and supported
- strategy and safeguarding meetings – multi-agency discussions about risk management and protective actions
- legal processes – court reports, adoption or fostering assessments, and other legal documentation relating to care orders, parental responsibility or adoption proceedings
- specialist reports – therapeutic, medical or psychological reports related to the child’s wellbeing.
These records are essential for maintaining a full picture of risk, safeguarding measures, and support needs, particularly when child sexual abuse is a factor.