Risk Assessment and Planning
Standards and Regulations
The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011:
- Regulation 12 - arrangement for protection of child.
- Regulation 15 - Health of children placed with foster parents.
Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards:
Related guidance
Risk is the possibility that something harmful will happen.
When children are living in foster care, everyone needs to be aware of any risks for the young person, or to others from the young person.
It is necessary and desirable for children to take risks as they grow and develop so that they can develop a healthy awareness of danger, harm and learn skills to manage difficult or risky situations. However, we all have a responsibility in caring for others’ children and should ensure that any risks are assessed, and action taken to manage risks appropriately. Risks can never be totally eliminated but by good assessment and planning, they can be managed.
Risk assessments are carried out by all agencies involved in Children's Social Care and the children's social worker and Fostering Service should provide you with all up-to-date risk assessments and/or safety plans in relation to the children you care for. You should be involved in the formulation of risk assessments and should use and follow the risk assessments for you or the child placed.
The fostering service provides training in this area which can be accessed via your Supervising Social Worker from the Training Hub
The purpose of any risk assessment should be to identify potential or actual risks and have a plan to reduce or mitigate harm or the risk of harm. It should consider all the risks as well as control measures that need to be in place; it should be fit for purpose and consider every issue relevant.
Risk assessments should be specific to the child/young person and the foster home and recorded on the placement planning form. They should be reviewed regularly.
You should have a copy of any risk assessment and understand and agree to the actions required to manage risk. You should also use the risk assessment to inform your safer caring policy.
The child’s social worker and the supervising social worker should monitor the level of risk within the placement and ensure that the safer caring policy within the foster carers’ support plan is adequate.
Risk assessments can relate to the child themselves, issues relating to their care, in relation to others in the child’s network, and to do with the environment or activities.
Risks are usually categorised as low, medium and high. After actions are identified to manage the risks, the levels should be re-evaluated showing what impact the actions will have:
- Low risks – where something happening may be likely to occur but the consequences of it are not significant or are likely not to have a huge impact. There is little cause for concern, but the risk still needs to be monitored to make sure the risk doesn’t increase, or that actions to manage the risk are still effective;
- Moderate – where the consequences may be moderate or high and specialist support or skills can mitigate the risk;
- High – where the likelihood of something happening and the consequences of harm are high even when actions are taken to try and mitigate or manage the risk. In this instance if the child is already living with you, a risk planning meeting should urgently take place involving a manager to decide how the risk can be shared if the child stays with you, or whether the child has to move.
Control measures take the form of Advice, Protect and Avoid.
- Advice – where skills, appropriate training for the foster carer, supervision and observation can reduce the risks.
- Protect - where specific equipment or specialist expertise is needed;
- Avoid - where the situation giving rise to the risk should be avoided because the risk cannot be mitigated by advice and protection.
All risk assessments should state what the risk is and how it will be safely managed. All risk assessments should be signed and dated and reviewed regularly and when situations change. You and the child should receive a copy and they should be held on your and the child’s files.
Children and young people who are placed in foster care may have experienced a number of events in their lives which may impact on the level and type of care they require to keep themselves and others safe.
Possession of a risk assessment does not guarantee safety and cannot prevent unpredictable situations. However a risk assessment can be a useful tool to help prevent a situation occurring. You should always seek advice around dangerous or high-risk behaviours at the earliest opportunity.
See also: Positive Relationships and Behaviour Management Procedure.
All current and significant risks should be known before placing a child or young person.
When social workers complete a Placement Referral form this will include information about known or potential risks. The risk assessment will inform the matching process and ensure that any risks posed are known and can be managed by you. The risk assessment should distinguish between fact and opinion. The risk and frequency of risk should be recorded and how this should be managed in different environments. All known vulnerabilities should be recorded for the child and set out any actions to address these risks. You and the Fostering Service should feel you can provide the child with appropriate and safe care.
In the case of an emergency placement, the risk assessment may be brief and without full involvement of the child, and those who know them well. In this situation, the supervising social worker and child’s social worker should ensure that the risk assessment is fully completed as soon as practicably possible after the child’s placement with you and no later than the placement planning meeting.
The supervising social worker must review the risk assessment and safer caring policy at the first supervision session with you following the child’s arrival to reassess the level of risk and draw up a further safer caring policy if needed.
Where children are receiving respite care, the risk assessment can be kept on the child/young person's file and does not need to be completed each time they begin a period of care. However, it will need to be updated on a regular basis and any significant changes in the child/young person's situation recorded.
At the first Looked After Review, the level of risk should be monitored and action taken if the level of risk has increased or the actions agreed to manage the risk are not working.
Risk assessments should be clear on what the hazards are, and how they will be safely managed. For all fostered children, the following risks should be considered and documented, even if no or low risks are identified:
Children and young people may have a range of challenging behaviours which impact upon you, any birth children, other family members and other fostered children. When matching a child with you, the supervising social worker and child's social worker should attempt to identify any risks that the child may pose to others.
This is particularly relevant if the child has offences or a known history of a sexual or violent nature or if they are identified as having sexually harmful behaviour or posing a risk to children. Particular attention must be given to this area if a placement with vulnerable children is being considered. Before any placement of a child/young person who we know has been sexually abused or has sexually abused others, a risk management discussion must be held. This will enable workers to develop a foster carer support package and to ensure that all essential information has been shared with you. The discussion should include a recommendation about the appropriateness of the placement.
For all children where it is proposed for a bedroom to be shared, a bedroom sharing risk assessment must be carried out, by the supervising social worker.
If it is known that a child has displayed worrying or harmful behaviour in relation to animals, a risk assessment should consider whether a child can live in a home with pets and how the safety of the child and animals can be managed.
Some children you are already caring for may have identified risk factors and an existing risk assessment which would impact upon any new children/young person you consider caring for. You should be asked if there are any issues regarding children/young people already living with you which may impact upon children to be placed in your family. The supervising social worker should check the existing risk assessments on file.
The child/young person may have health issues or cognitive issues which require additional measures, such as extra supervision. Any complex health needs must be subject to a clear risk assessment and written plan which must include relevant training and support to you. Expert help is available from the Children's Disability Team and Complex Health Team.
These must be considered and managed using the relevant assessments and procedures. You must have all the available information and the risk assessment must address what actions should be taken to minimise risk. Additional support and advice will be given by your supervising social worker and the child’s social worker.
In exceptional circumstances a risk may be identified arising from family members of the child/young person. In this case, specific details of people of concern should be noted and a plan of how you should respond if they contact you should be given. Further detail regarding this should be found in the care plan/contact/ family time plan.
You and the Fostering Service should complete an individualised Safer Care Plan for each child/young person in your care and this should be regularly reviewed in supervision. The Safer Care Plan should include agreed measures that can be put in place to manage and reduce risk.
The child/young person should also be involved in this assessment. The child or young person's age and level of understanding and their attitude to risks should also be considered as part of the risk assessment. The child should be helped to think about how they can develop independence and recognise risks.
Risks may come from a variety of sources and there may be external factors to the immediate placement (family/environment, peer relationships, sexual exploitation, county lines). The risk assessment should be child focussed and identify how the child/young person can be supported in their development.
The level of risk will change over time and the regular review of risk should take place noting how risk has been successfully managed. Changes in risk should be considered as part of on-going work with the child/young person such as in your supervision; as part of risk management meetings; and as part of looked after child reviews. You will make an active contribution to the risk assessment based on your experience of caring for the child/young person.
Whilst it is important to consider risks that may have been previously identified, caution should be taken in labelling children/young people and the level of current risk should be continuously assessed. You and the child will learn from what works in helping manage or eliminate risks, and progress must always be recognised and celebrated as a strength.
The Fostering Service has a responsibility to make sure risk assessments are being followed by you and that they are up to date.
If a child/young person moves to another foster placement the risk assessment should follow them and be updated as appropriate.
Last Updated: October 31, 2022
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