Health

You should be provided with a child’s basic medical history when they are placed with you. If they are placed in an emergency, this should happen as soon as possible. As much information as possible needs to be understood about the child’s health especially where the child has health behaviours that potentially pose a risk to themselves, you and others. Any concerns should be fully shared with you, together with an understanding as to what support you will receive.

A child/young person will have a Health Care Assessment which forms the Health Care Plan. If the child/young person does not have one, their  Social Worker should arrange an assessment so that a plan can be drawn up and available for the child’s first My Voice Matters meeting which will take place within 20 working days.

The Health Care Assessment happens at particular times:

• The Initial Health Assessment should be completed before the  child ‘first placement or, if not possible, before the child’s first  My Voice Matters Meeting (unless one has been done within the previous 3 months);
• For children under five years, a Health Care Assessment should occur at least once every six months.
• For children aged over five years, a Health Care Assessment should occur at least annually.

The child should have a copy of their health plan if appropriate.

You play an important role in looking after and promoting the health needs of children in your care. This means talking to them and providing them with information about doing the things that keep them healthy and well.

Foster carers’ responsibilities in ensuring that a foster child’s health needs are met include:

 understanding that achieving optimum health starts early and includes the provision of good quality care, which starts at infancy, and which provides a child with a positive sense of identity and self-esteem.

• Encouraging, educating and supporting each foster child in achieving optimum health;
• Providing a home environment which actively encourages and supports a healthy lifestyle;
• Ensuring the child attends health appointments and clinics as necessary;
• Contributing to the foster child’s health assessment and Personal Health Plan;
• Ensuring and facilitating contact and communication with the child’s parents and family in accordance with agreed plans;
• Ensuring the child you care for gains maximum benefit from education and broader experiences offered by leisure activities, hobbies and sport.

It is important to link the promotion of good health for children to their educational experiences. Access to good education has a direct impact on a  child’s wellbeing, including a sense of self-worth and self-confidence. It can enable integration within a social network and encourage a sense of being a valued member of the local community, as well as helping to establish positive peer relationships.

School provides children with both formal and informal opportunities for developing cognitive and social skills.

Many looked after children have experienced disruption to their schooling.

Looked after children make up a disproportionate number of children either temporarily or permanently excluded from school. This not only affects their academic achievement but contributes towards them becoming socially excluded and places them at greater risk of engaging in activities which may be detrimental to their health and wellbeing.

The lack of a proper educational assessment of a child may lead to their learning difficulties not being recognised. This may also lead to a failure to recognise a child’s gifts and strengths. Foster carers, along with social workers, need to advocate with education services, for example ensuring that a child who moves school retains their GCSE options, ensuring access to an appropriate school and providing practical and financial support for a child’s participation in extracurricular activities.

The importance of leisure, hobbies and sport to a foster child’s good health

Research has demonstrated that success and involvement in a range of activities and sports can provide a turning point in the lives of looked after children and young people. This is often referred to as ‘resilience’: the ability to overcome disadvantages.

Opportunities for physical activity and for expressing creativity are recognised as important factors for enhancing emotional wellbeing and combating a low sense of identity and self-esteem in  children.

Sporting activities in particular can provide opportunities both for risk taking and developing teamwork skills. Arts and drama can have therapeutic applications through providing a means for expressing feelings and discussing health issues in a safe environment.

Children and young people may have leisure interests and hobbies which should continue to be supported by foster carers and developed during the  child’s time with you. There is great potential for foster carers to engage children in the foster carer and families own hobbies and interests and to engage them in opportunities available in the local community, which can aid the promotion of the foster child’s’ health and development.It is important that you keep a record of the child’s health and that you take the child for their health assessment and relevant appointments. If you can’t do this, please let their social worker know as soon as possible.

The information you hold about the child Dincluding their daily routine, likes and dislikes, health issues etc. - should be shared with other professionals.

The health care plan should detail the progress the child has made and include areas of health such as physical health, health education needs, emotional, social and psychological help.

For children with disabilities and lifelong conditions their health needs are identified (including their mental and sexual health needs, as appropriate). You and the child should feel well supported and have access to local health services when it is needed. There is good monitoring in place to support with the child’s needs and effective relationships have been built up with the health professionals.

You should check whether you need to register a child with a GP, Dentist and Optician and whether you have Delegated Authority to take the child for any treatment. This will usually have been decided when completing the Placement Plan. See Local resources.

Each time a child is given medication, you must record when, how often and how much was given. All medicines should be stored securely and accessible for those who need it. Safe management is in place with controlled drugs - see First Aid and Medication. Please see Health and Safely form.

You should help children/young people to make informed decisions about their health and their views should be taken into account when making decisions.   

In the event of an accident or incident, you must record the details of what happened and inform your Supervising Social Worker and the child’s social worker as soon as possible, you should seek medical treatment for a child if they have injured themselves or become unwell. You need to do this as soon as possible and inform the out of hours support line and let the child’s Social Worker/Supervising Social Worker know.

You will receive appropriate training including health promotion, communicable diseases, hygiene and first aid. Social Workers and health practitioners should ensure you have specific contact details and information on how to access relevant services, including CAMHS.

If you feel concerned about any aspect of the child’s health please inform their Social Worker, Nurse Practitioner, Doctor and Supervising Social Worker as soon as possible.