Support care national network FAQs
Will providing a Support Care service reduce the numbers of children in the Looked After system?
Will children and young people need be accommodated under section 20?
Where should the service be positioned? As part of fostering services or within family support services?
Should support carers be fully approved foster carers, and do all the fostering regulations and standards apply?
What’s the most effective period of time spent in stays away from home?
How frequent should the stays be?
How long overall should a series of stays last?
The most commonly held view is that 6-9 months should be the aim – this being clearly understood by all parties from the start of the placement. Extensions are sometimes given, but usually only in exceptional circumstances. Keeping to time-limited agreements is of course a necessity for hard-pressed social services departments, who need to keep placement options freed up to accommodate new referrals, but it is also a surprisingly helpful message for families. It is experienced as positive encouragement to hear that professionals involved think things are likely to improve during that time to the point of a service being no longer needed.
NB For some families, the need for longer timescales may be clear - usually from the point of first referral - and some organisations may wish to think about developing longer-term services as part of their portfolio of options.
