Foster Care - PDF - hiqa.ie

Follow-up inspection on the implementation of national recommendations on Health Service Executive foster care services
Health Information and Quality Authority
HIQA national and
local recommendation,
July 2010
Recommendation 2.5
Ensure that assessments
for the purpose of
matching the needs of
individual children with the
capacity of foster carers to
meet these needs are
carried out in accordance
with National Standards
and HSE policy and
recorded appropriately.
HSE Action Plan August
2010
HSE actions
Foster Carer Assessments
will be reviewed to assess
levels of capacity of foster
carers to meet children’s
needs. The role and function
of the Foster Care Placement
Committees will also be
reviewed.
A standard tool for the
assessment of the needs of
the child will be developed.
This assessment will be
submitted to the Foster Care
Committee for matching with
the assessment of the foster
care applicants. In this way,
the capacity of the carers to
meet the needs of the child
will be determined.
Matching will take place for
all children currently placed
with carers whose
assessment and approval
are outstanding.
Persons responsible: not
indicated
Timescale: December 2011
Status of
recommendation at
the time of inspection
Recommendation
not met
This recommendation was not met at the time of the inspection. The HSE actions in
relation to the implementation of this recommendation included a review of existing
foster carer assessments, a review of the role and function of the Foster Care
Placements Committees, the development of a standard assessment tool in relation
to the needs of a child and ensuring matching took place where it was outstanding.
Inspectors found that the National Alternative Care Coordination Group had been
assigned the task of reviewing the existing assessment of foster carers. This had not
been achieved at the time of the inspection and it was envisaged by the HSE that
this task would be completed by the end of September 2011.
The role and function of the Foster Care Placement Committees was also in the
process of being reviewed and a draft document, that included a draft protocol for
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