Approval of trusted family and friends who provide Babysitting or Short Breaks

In line with The Promise Scotland, Aberdeen City Council’s Fostering Team are committed to providing children and young people with a safe and nurturing family experience in the fullest sense possible.  As part of this commitment the service are supporting fostering families to be able to utilise supports within their own support network to provide babysitting and short break for children in their care.  It is recognised that children and young people being cared for in this way will minimise disruption and enable the child to be cared for by people that they are familiar with.

Assessment of prospective foster carers

The Skills to Foster training discusses The Promise and the aim to normalise a child’s experience of being cared for in a foster family in the widest context.  This will include discussions with the applicants about the need for children to be fully included in the family and not have to experience alternative care arrangements simply on the basis that they are care experienced.  

During the Form F assessment period the assessing worker will explore in detail family and support networks and will be asked to consider who may be appropriate to provide this support.  The necessary checks to be undertaken explained.  The prospective carers will then be asked to discuss this with any identified people/families in the first instance to ensure they are happy to undertake the checks necessary before proceeding. 

An assessment ‘Formal Checks for Babysitters and Short Break Providers’ will be completed and where possible be included in the panel pack along with the carers Form F Assessment.

Registered Foster Carers

For existing foster carers the ‘Formal Checks for Babysitters and Short Break Providers’ assessment will be completed for each person/family providing baby sitting or short break provision.