From an early stage in my career, I have been heavily involved as an adoption and fostering panel member and as a panel advisor; it is a pleasure to watch people come to panel who have dreamed of fostering or adoption for so long and for it to become a reality. It was also a good opportunity to take a sneaky peak at the quality of other Social Workers report writing and presentation style.
Connected Carers
One of the areas of Social Work that I find myself most drawn to is working with connected carers. Connected carers formally known as kinship care for me is a specialist area. A connected carer is defined as a family member or friend who has a significant relationship with a Child Looked After and is willing to provide with them with care outside of their birth parents
Our role as Social Workers is to guide connected carers through, often new territory. They are required to lay their life bare during an assessment whilst taking on the challenge of caring for somebody else’s child at a time when they had perhaps not considered this. They are expected to navigate their own relationships with family members, maintain loyalties and support, whilst prioritising the young person in their care. I believe it takes a special kind of person to do this role.
Connected carers are expected to be able to evidence that they meet the National Minimum Standards for Fostering in the same way any other foster carer would. They are also expected to undertake training and sign up to policies as guided by their Local Authority. I find that all of this at the outset can be overwhelming for people who have never been exposed to the Local Authority or it has been a long time since they left education. The relationship between the Independent Social Worker and the connected carer is critical in supporting and guiding them through the complexities whilst also providing critical oversight of the assessment and placement.
Connected carers can sometimes be going into the process with a position of mistrust and it is important that this can be overcome quickly to form effective working relationships.
The Connected Carers Assessment
When I am completing connected carers assessment, I tend to take a calm and steady approach. I find myself on my first point of contact explaining the process in detail without Social Work jargon. I acknowledge any areas of frustration, or any areas which need clarity and begin the foundations of a positive working relationship. I set myself out to be honest and straight forward talking which puts people at ease and allows the relationship to become supportive. One of the additional benefits of completing connected persons assessments is that you get to build up a good knowledge and understanding of the Child Looked After, particularly in the cases where children are placed under Regulation 24. You often get to see them doing things naturally which their own Social Worker may not get the benefits of, as their role is so different.
When a connected carers assessment is complete this is presented to fostering panel who provide critical oversight to your recommendation. As someone who has presented items to panel for many years, I can honestly say those nerves when your work is being analysed never goes away; however, it feels satisfying to know that a collective of people from a variety of walks of life are given the opportunity to pour over your hard work and praise the efforts of the person putting themselves forward. It is more of a relief when the panel have no questions for you, as that means you did a great job in providing all the detail they require.
