A Child's Time with You is Ending

Children’s time with foster carers can end naturally or because of an unforeseen situation. There are many reasons why a placement ends such as:

• The child returns to their family;
• The child’s time in the foster home ends unexpectedly;
• The child is moved to another foster home or care setting;
• The young person is old enough to live independently;
• The child/young person is adopted;
• The child/young person is made the subject of another legal order such as a Child Arrangement Order or Special Guardianship.

Wherever possible when a child’s time with you is coming to an end, a plan should be developed to enable the child’s transition. The child/young person might be feeling worried about what is going to happen to them even if the move is one that they feel positive about.

The plan should consider when the move should take place, how is the child supported, what other meetings need to take place (A child in care review should take place), what formal handover is needed, practical arrangements for a move, keeping in touch after the child has moved etc.

You may feel anxious about the child/young person’s move too, this is natural, that is why it is important for everyone that there is a clear plan about what will happen and who will do what. It is really important that you talk to your Supervising Social Worker, especially if you think that the move is not in the child’s best interests.

In conjunction with the CSW and the existing team around the child you have an important part to play in helping the child to move and should be positive about it even if it is in difficult circumstances. When you are talking to the child about the move be positive about why they are moving and what will happen.

Plan "goodbyes" for friends and family members that the child is close to, unless this is agreed as not appropriate. In any case, the child should understand how they will keep in touch.

You should put together information about the child/young person’s daily routine, likes/dislikes, and any other important information that will help the new carer and let the child’s social worker know if you are happy to talk to the new carer. This should include details of medication and allergies.

If the child/young person has photographs, a memory box, life story book and other information about the time that they have spent with you, you should make sure that they go with them. If at all possible, hand over a copy to the social worker, as some young people may lose or destroy items, especially if their time with you has not ended in a planned way. 

Make sure you hand over all important documents such as their passport, and red book health record.

You should provide clear instructions about any medication or appointments the child may have.

The child's belongings should be moved in a suitcase or holdall and never be transported in bin-bags or other inappropriate containers. If a child or young person has been with a carer for an extended period of time, suitcases and or bags for everything are not always possible and you may need to obtain packing boxes or borrow bags and suitcases. You should let your supervising social worker know if you need extra resources to facilitate a good move for the child and their belongings.

Let the child know what contact they may have with you in the future and provide them with photographs and mementos of their time with you.

If a child’s time with you ends without this being planned, a disruption meeting will be held. A disruption meeting is an opportunity for everyone who has been involved in the child/young person’s care to look at what has happened, what went well, and what could have gone better. This helps not only you as a carer but allows service colleagues the opportunity to reflect appropriately and may be beneficial to the child and future carers.

If it is not possible for the child to take all their belongings with them immediately when they move, you should store them carefully and arrange for prompt collection with your supervising social worker.