188体育

Your foster child鈥檚 placement plan should tell you what decisions you can make, known as delegated authority.

There are 3 different levels to delegated authority:

• day-to-day decisions like dental check ups, hair cuts, school trips, parent-teacher meetings and letting your child go to sleepovers
• long-term decisions like which school a child goes to
• significant decisions made by the local authority and birth parents, like surgery

If your child鈥檚 placement plan does not tell you what level of delegated authority you have you should contact your fostering service to find out.

You may not have the same level of authority for each child you foster. For example, you might foster 2 children and have the right to sign a consent form for one of them.

Going on holiday

If you do not have the authority to take your foster child on holiday you鈥檒l need to speak to their social worker.

You鈥檒l also need to:

• tell your child鈥檚 social worker when you鈥檒l be going and when you鈥檒l be back
• get a letter of consent from your child鈥檚 social worker for passport control (if you鈥檙e going abroad)

Medical treatment for your foster child

You may not have the right to give consent to medical treatment. Check your child placement plan to find out if you have the authority to let your foster child have:

• medication
• a medical examination
• local or general anaesthetic
• surgery