Approved foster carers

Supervision
Advice by phone
Emergency Duty Team
Handbook and other guidance
Recording sheets and expenses forms
Other support

Supervision

Your supervising social worker and the child's social worker will provide you with advice and support. You may also be paired up with an experienced local foster carer, who you can phone for a more informal source of support.

Advice by phone

• Burnley & Pendle 01282 478 418 
• Hyndburn, Rossendale & Ribble Valley 01254 220 759 
• Lancaster, Wyre & North Fylde 01524 585 939
• Chorley & West Lancashire 01772 530 919
• Central Lancashire 01772 535066

Monday to Friday 8.45am to 5pm

Advice line (out of hours)

• 0300 123 6724

Monday to Friday 6pm to 11pm
Weekends and bank holidays 8am to 11pm

The advice line does not replace the Emergency Duty Team who provide a service to cover all the periods when the office is closed, rather it is complementary to it.

You can ring the advice line to discuss any concerns you have and a Fostering Team worker will suggest appropriate actions. The social worker will not visit but may advise you to contact the Emergency Duty Team if the matter is sufficiently serious and further action is necessary outside normal office hours.

Emergency Duty Team

• 0300 123 6722

You should contact the Emergency Duty Team when you have any concerns or emergencies relating to a child in your care, or if a child is missing. The service is available outside of normal office hours.

Guidance, policies and procedures

• Foster carer handbook (PDF 1.39 MB)
• Tier information: foster carer requirements and skills (PDF 153KB)
• Guide to National Insurance and tax for foster carers from HMRC (external link)

Recording sheets and expenses forms

Frequently used fostering forms are available below for you to download and print for ease of use. Alternatively contact your supervising social worker to request additional forms you may need or for printed versions.

• Carer's daily record (Rich Text Format 608)
• Carer's recording sheet - significant event (Rich Text Format 632 KB)
• Foster carer's travelling expenses (Rich Text Format 118 KB)
• Memory/celebration record (drawn) (Rich Text Format 362 KB)
• Memory/celebration record (written) (Rich Text Format 366 KB)
• Record of emergency non-routine medication  (Rich Text Format 702 KB)
• Record of regularly prescribed medicine (Rich Text Format 703 KB)

Other support

Groups

Most local fostering associations have regular support groups where you can meet local carers and there are support groups and social events for children.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

SCAYT+ is part of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and provides a service promoting positive mental health and emotional well-being for children and young-people who are looked after and adopted.

Schools

Schools are asked to give all children from care priority access to schools, which means that a child placed with you should be able to attend whichever school you think best meets their needs. You can find out more about how to apply for a school place in the schools section.

Schools can claim extra funding for previously looked after children called pupil premium. Find out more in the previously looked after children section.

Free early education for two year olds

If a child placed with you is two years old you can take up the offer of a funded early education place.  You will need to be referred by a professional like a Children and Family Wellbeing Service (previously children's centres) worker.

30 hours funded childcare for 3 and 4 years

From September 2018, some children in foster care will be entitled to 30 hours funded childcare if the foster family meet the eligibility criteria. To find out more read our guidance for foster carers.

Education

You can get education support for your foster child from the Virtual School for Children Looked After.

Young people

The youth zone has information for young people about being in care like LINX, Lancashire's children in care council. In October 2018 we added the new care leavers local offer which includes all the support that we have in Lancashire for care leavers.

Youth zone also has more general information on issues like jobs, further education, training, health and relationships.

Special educational needs

If you think a child may have special educational needs we can help. Visit the special educational needs and disabilities - local offer to find out who you can speak to and what support is available.

National organisations 

Please note that we are not responsible for the content of external websites.

Fostering Network

The Fostering Network is the UK‘s leading charity for everyone involved in fostering. Their website provides advice and information for anyone with an interest in fostering. Members of the Fostering Network can access additional information and services through the members' area on the website.

Fosterline

Fosterline is funded by the Department for Education and provides confidential, impartial, advice and information to foster carers and those interested in fostering. Fosterline advisors respond to enquiries by telephone, email and on the Fosterline Interactive Forum.