Fostering Friendly Policy

Introduction

3D Recruit recognises and values the contribution that foster carers make to the lives of children and young people in care. We understand that foster carers will need some flexibility in their working arrangements in order that they can meet the needs of their fostered child or young person.

3D Recruit is committed to support any staff member who is a foster carer or approved kinship carer. We will do this, wherever possible, by creating a fostering friendly organisation that offers flexible working arrangements which respond to the needs of all staff who are foster carers or approved kinship carer.

Aim

3D Recruit offers staff the opportunity to work flexibly where this is compatible with the demands of their job. Our flexible working, child placement leave, emergency time off for dependents, parental (where extant) policies all apply to foster carers and approved kinship carers.

Scope

This policy applies to all staff.

Eligibility

This policy applies to staff who have three months or more employment service with 3D Recruit and:-

are applying to become a foster carer
are an approved foster carer and have a child in placement (or have had a child in placement for 75% of the previous twelve months)
are an approved kinship carer

Time off

This policy sets out the additional time off that we offer to staff who are foster carers and approved kinship carers. 3D Recruit will support foster carers and approved kinship carers by giving paid time off per 12month aggregated period as follows:-

assessment and training prior to approval as a foster carer - up to three days
attendance at panel for approval – one day
child review meetings, annual foster carer review meeting, training – up to five days.

The line manager will approve the leave on a discretionary basis taking into account individual circumstances of each case and operational requirements of the business. The leave will be considered and approved on a pro rata basis.

Procedure for requesting time off

The request for time off should outline the reason and the amount of leave required.

Where more than the maximum entitlement of paid leave is requested (as outlined above), the line manager and the staff member should discuss other means available e.g. annual leave, time off in lieu, parental leave.

The staff member should send the leave request to the line manager for authorisation. The line manager should the forward the request to HR to be recorded appropriately.

Fostering Friendly Policy Review Dates:

Version: v.Oct-23

Review date: Oct 2023

Review by: Rachel Power, Safeguarding Manager

Changes / Amendments: No changes

Next review date: Oct 2024