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?

How often should placements be reviewed?

Practice varies – some services apply Section 20 regulations to the letter, but most have come to the conclusion that theses do not fit well with the ethos and practice of Support Care (see Q 2 above) and have made their own adjustments, while keeping to the basic principles of the regulations. What is important is that everyone with an interest in moving things forward and ensuring that the placement is working well towards a successful outcome meets up regularly to check progress, and to ascertain the views of parents, children and young people. These meetings may not be called "reviews", but need to include that function. They may be held as frequently as is necessary to ensure progress to an agreed outcome, and the frequency should ideally be part of the agreement between professionals and service users.