The Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme has produced a short guide clarifying areas of statutory guidance that are either misunderstood or act as a barrier to good practice and outcomes for children and families. The guide provides answers, which have been agreed by the Department for Education (DfE) and their lawyers, to questions identified through work with the DfE’s Partners in Practice local authorities, including the following examples:
- Do we always have to conduct an independent return home interview?
- Can we have one social worker for children and foster carers when a child is in a stable, long term placement?
- Can social workers visit less frequently than the normal six weekly basis in stable and long term placements?
- Is there flexibility to combine fostering and adoption panels?
The myth busting guide is available on the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme website