Facing Allegations in Foster Care

Allegations in foster care are rare, but when they do happen, whether genuine or not, we have a responsibility to the vulnerable children and young people in our care to take them seriously. 

The thought of having an allegation made against you may be unnerving, so we’ve created this article to help you understand what allegations are, why they happen, how we manage them, and the support you’ll receive from ISP if it happens to you.

What are allegations in foster care?

We encourage children in our care to speak up if they believe something isn’t right in their foster home, and we go out of our way to make sure they feel supported and safe to do so. If they have worries, they can raise them in a few ways:

Concerns: If a child is unhappy with an aspect of care they’re receiving from their foster parents, they can raise a concern. We typically manage concerns through supervision meetings.

Complaints: A child may formally raise a concern as a complaint if they believe a problem needs further action. They can do this in writing or by discussing the issue with someone they trust within ISP. Complaints may include a request for a response and suggestions for how they’d like the situation to be managed.

Allegations: This is when a child discloses that their foster parents caused them harm or committed a criminal offence against them. Allegations are dealt with immediately, and we always refer them to Children’s Social Care and the police for investigation.

Concerns, complaints, and allegations don’t just come from the children in our care. Anyone involved in a child’s life can raise an issue, such as a family member, friend, or teacher.

We treat every young person in the same way we would want our own children to be treated if they were in their shoes. That’s why we promptly investigate every problem raised with dignity and care.

Why do allegations happen?

A child’s allegation may be genuine or come from someone they know who is concerned about the care they’re receiving. However, there are often occasions where allegations may be unfounded and, whilst difficult to understand, we will do all we can at ISP to support foster parents around these and get them resolved as soon as is possible.

So, why would a child or someone they know make a false allegation?

To get back to their family

Imagine you’re a child living in a foster home. You may have the most loving foster parents who consistently show up for you and help you feel safe, but you still miss your parents, siblings and home. Your living situation before entering care may have been unsafe, but you will still love your family and do anything within your power to get back to them.

Children who miss their families may make an allegation because they believe it means they’ll be able to return home. They need help to make sense of their experiences and understand why they’re in foster care at the moment. As a network we will work with you and them to help understand their journey into care and why they are not able to live with their family at this time.

They’re told to

The birth family of a child may ask them to make an allegation against their foster parents because they think that’s how they’ll get their child back. In situations like this, the child may not feel comfortable making the allegation but still do it anyway out of loyalty to their family or guilt about being happy in their new living situation.

To prevent getting too attached

Children in care living with trauma have often been let down by those they trusted most. This means they may struggle to let their guard down and build meaningful connections because they’re worried about having to go through the same hurt again.

A child may make an allegation because they know it means they’ll have to leave their current foster home, preventing them from becoming too attached to their current foster parents.

This can also give young people a sense of control over their lives. They had no control over their past experiences or moving into care, but by making an allegation, they get to decide whether they stay in their current foster home.

Misunderstandings

Children living with trauma may misinterpret their foster parent’s good intentions if they trigger a painful memory. For example, if they’re upset, you may hug them, but for a child who has experienced abuse, this may feel threatening and scary for them. This could lead to an allegation because they don’t understand your intentions.

The way a child explains a conversation or situation to another adult could also lead to allegations due to a misunderstanding. If they’ve hurt themselves by accident, the way they explain it to someone else may raise concerns, especially if the child is young or has limited vocabulary. They may also misinterpret and misquote conversations they overhear because they don’t know the full context.  

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It’s important to remember:

Children in care don’t make false allegations out of malice. Their trauma means they see the world in a very different way to you.

Many children in care have been through the unimaginable, often having to change their behaviour and the way they relate to others to survive. When they move into your care, it takes time, patience, and consistency to help them feel safe enough to let go of these behaviours, trust your intentions, and start building healthy relationships.

How does the allegations process work?

At ISP, we understand the impact concerns, complaints, and allegations can have on your whole family. That’s why your supervising social worker and our fostering advisors will be by your side, helping you navigate the process while providing tailored support.

If a child or someone they know raises an issue about your care, we’ll inform your Registered Manager. They’ll discuss the situation with the Head of Safeguarding to decide on the next steps, which will differ depending on the type of issue raised:

Concerns

If there is a concern, once it has been referred to your supervising social worker, they’ll discuss it with you during supervision, creating actions and outcomes. They’ll notify the child’s LA Social Worker about how we are addressing the concern before notifying both them and your Registered Manager of the outcome.

Complaints

If the issue is a formal complaint, we’ll notify the child’s local authority social worker and will investigate the issue through our compliments, complaints, and representations procedure, which has three stages:

Stage 1: Your local registration will complete an investigation within 10 working days.

Stage 2: If the person who made the complaint is unhappy with the outcome of our initial investigation, a manager from outside ISP but within Polaris will also investigate the concern.

Stage 3: If the person who submitted the complaint is still dissatisfied with the outcome after stages 1 and 2, a senior manager will review the complant and come to a final decision.

Following investigations into the complaint, there are two possible outcomes:

Complaint not upheld: There will be no further action.

Complaint upheld: Further action is needed to address the issue. This may be through supervision, a Standards of Care Investigation, or a full review of approval.

Allegations

When a child or someone they know claims that a foster parent has harmed that child or believes they are at risk of being harmed, we’ll use our allegations procedure to investigate. The safety and well-being of children in our care are at the centre of everything we do here at ISP, so when an allegation happens, we always take it seriously.

To begin with, we’ll notify the social worker for the child the allegation relates to which will involve a strategy meeting with social workers, police, ISP and sometimes health and education professionals. If necessary, we will make a referral to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) of your home area and notify the local authority social worker of each child you foster. Whilst we do everything we can to ensure the process is completed as quickly as possible, it is a statutory process and we are guided by the local authority in terms of how quickly the process is concluded.

In this meeting, they’ll discuss the nature of the allegation and the steps that should be taken next, including whether the child is at immediate risk and needs to move to another home. If they decide that the matter requires further investigation, they’ll launch a child protection enquiry (S47). Every region will have their own child protection procedures, but ISP, Children’s Social Care, and the police will all play a role in these investigations.

Once the investigations are complete, the police and Children’s Social Care will conclude with one of three outcomes:

Substantiated: If there is evidence to support the allegation, this will trigger a full review of approval and presentation to the Fostering Panel. There may also be police procedures involved.

Unsubstantiated: If there is no evidence to support the allegation, we’ll conduct an internal investigation before creating a report and presenting it to the Fostering Panel.

False/unfounded: If the allegation proves to be false, there will be no further action.

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Support during allegations

If you ever have a concern, complaint, or allegation made against you, you won’t face it alone. At ISP, we are by your side throughout the ups and downs, helping you navigate any challenges that come your way.

When we conduct an internal investigation, you’ll always be kept informed throughout the process. Your Registered Manager will select someone from the ISP team to meet with you regularly, updating you on the progress of the investigation and offering support.

If a child protection enquiry is initiated, we may not be able to share specific details of the allegation immediately unless the local authority’s strategy meeting agrees it’s appropriate. However, you will be informed of the nature of the allegation at some stage in the process.

Here for your whole family

Your whole family will have access to an independent support and advocacy service, offering advice, guidance, support, mediation, and advocacy throughout the investigation. If you feel you need a little extra emotional support, you’ll have access to an independent counselling service.

You’ll also receive foster parent training on allegations and disclosures, as well as free membership to FosterTalk, which offers further resources to help you manage the allegations process.

Why recording and reporting matters

As a foster parent, part of your role is keeping daily logs of your child’s care, including their behaviour and well-being. When it comes to allegations, having clear, accurate, and up-to-date records becomes even more important.

During allegation investigations, we’ll review your daily logs to help understand the child’s care and what took place. n. For example, if a child accidentally hurts themselves and later describes the incident differently or struggles to remember details, your records can provide clarity and context about what happened.

Keeping records not only supports you during difficult situations but also demonstrates that you take safer care seriously because you’re able to show that you consistently meet the child’s needs and provide a safe home.

Coping with allegations

Allegations can have a significant effect on every member of your family. You may feel stressed or anxious, while a child who is at the centre of an allegation might feel confused, guilty or worried about what it means for them. If you have children of your own, they may also find it difficult to understand what’s happening or why a child you foster has suddenly left the home.

During an investigation into a concern, complaint or allegation, it’s important to maintain a sense of normality at home by sticking to your usual routine wherever possible. Regularly checking in with all the children in your household is vital to ensuring they continue to feel safe and supported. If you believe anyone would benefit from additional support, our in-house therapists can provide tailored therapeutic support for children in foster care, as well as your own children.

If a child makes a false allegation and remains in your care after investigations, your supervising social worker will work with you to support your family and help you heal your relationship with the child. They’ll need emotional safety and reassurance that you still love and care for them more than ever. PACE parenting can also support you and help prevent it from happening again. Remember – you don’t have to face complaints or allegations alone. We’re here to support every member of your family so you can continue enjoying your fostering journey and keep transforming young lives.

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