Confidentiality of Foster Carers

Confidentiality Policy

UK Fostering understands the importance of keeping information confidential and ensures that its foster carers and employees are aware of how to collate, process, store and keep data and information safe and confidential.

Foster Carers and employees respect confidentiality of children and young people and observe the Caldecott principals as listed below:

1. Justify the purpose(s)…. (of using data)
   
2. Don't use identifiable information unless it is absolutely necessary
   
3. Use the minimum necessary identifiable information
   
4. Access to identifiable information should be on a strict need-to-know basis
   
5. Everyone with access to identifiable information should be aware of their responsibilities
   
6. Understand and comply with the law

UK Fostering, its foster carers and employees comply with the Data protection Act 1998 (see data protection policy in section ‘Recording and Record Keeping’).

UK Fostering ensures that a confidentiality clause is included in the contract with its employees, panel members, freelance social workers, contractors and foster carers (foster care agreement) and where appropriate a separate confidentiality agreement is signed.

UK Fosteringrecognises that foster carers are in a position of having access to personal and intimate details of children, young people and their family. UK Fostering has drawn up the following explanations (which are also published in the foster carer handbook), which are primarily aimed at foster carers, to help understand the above listed principals:

Who else needs to know?

Carers will need to share some information about children and young people with their family members who are likely to have regular contact with the child / young person. Carers need to use discretion or ask theirUK FosteringSupervising Social Worker to decide what is necessary to share (e.g. to ensure a child is safeguarded effectively) and what information is not appropriate to share. Foster carers are reminded to be particularly mindful, and apply these principals, when sharing information with their own children and consider their age and maturity in being able to process information.

Who does not need to know?

UK Fostering informs its foster carers that friends and neighbours don’t need to know certain information about children in their care. UK Fostering provides guidance to its foster carers when consideration has to be given to share information with teachers, health professionals, relatives etc.

Discussions with other Foster Carers

All foster carers are governed by the same principles of confidentiality. Foster carers have to ensure that whilst they may have a ‘case discussion’ when attending an in-house training, or an informal discussion with another foster carer, that they keep specific details which might identify the child confidential. In addition, any information shared in this way must remain confidential to those individuals / that group.

What the child / young person knows

UK Fostering recognises that every child / young person has the right to privacy and confidentiality with regards to information about their origins and their past experiences. We recognise that some children/young people may decide not to share personal information with the foster family, whilst others may share these details very openly with a foster carer. UK Fostering promotes an atmosphere of trust and safety within foster homes and encourages and trains its foster carers to be available as and when children / young people want to, or indicate to want to share information.

If the child / young person tells you a secret

If the information a child / young person shares with a foster carer or any member of staff involves a child protection concern or is likely to have a negative impact on their future, the recipient of the information should encourage the child / young person to share this information with their Social Worker. If a child / young person will not do this it is essential that the recipient informs the child / young person, wherever appropriate,that they have no alternative but to inform Social Services on their behalf.UK Fostering advises and trains its carers and staff that some ‘secrets’ cannot be kept confidential, and need to be shared with the relevant professionals.

Breach of Confidentiality

Any serious breach of confidentiality by a Foster Carer will be taken up by the Supervising Social Worker who will have to inform the Fostering Manager immediately.

Storing of information

Foster carers are advised to keep any confidential information about a child / young person out of sight from children and young people, in a secure and lockedstorage space (e.g. filing cupboard, drawer, desk).

Please also refer to ‘recording and record keeping protocol’ and ‘Archive’ for further information.

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UK Fostering Policy, Confidentiality of Foster Carers, September 2013