Practical Guide to Fostering Law

Lynn Davis is a Consultant for Davis, Simmonds & Donaghey Solicitors in Kent, UK. She has specialised in child care law since 1989, acting as a solicitor for local authorities, parents and children. She provides training to foster carers and legal training for social workers and others involved in child protection, including the Kent Safeguarding Children Board. She has also taught on the law module for student social workers. She is the author of See You in Court and The Social Worker's Guide to Children and Families Law, both published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

• Acknowledgements. Preface. Introduction. Part 1. Agencies and Carers. 1. Foster Care and Fostering Agencies. 2. Becoming a Foster Carer. 3. Placements. 4. Foster Carers' Rights, Allegations and Ending Fostering. Part 2. Looked After Children. 5. Basics of Child Care Law. 6. Looked After Children. 7. Care Proceedings. 8. The Foster Carer as Witness. 9. Duties Towards Looked After Children. 10. Contact. Part 3. Young People in Trouble – Fostered Children and the Criminal Law. 11. The Criminal System - Some Legal Basics. 12. The Criminal Process. 13. Reprimands, Warnings and Court. 14. Sentencing. 15. Anti-social Behaviour. Part 4. Young Victims and Witnesses. 16. Evidence and Compensation. Part 5. Long-term Plans. 17. Long-term Placements. 18. Moving to Independence. Part 6. Jargon Buster. Where Can I Find Out More? Index.

The key role that foster carers play in shaping children’s lives and futures is now being recognised. However, the demands and expectations placed upon them have increased significantly over recent years, as they work in ever more complex situations. Carers’ need for a good understanding of the legal and policy context has never been greater, and so a book which provides such a clear and comprehensive guide to the law is very timely. I know that many foster carers will welcome this useful tool, and others will enjoy the case studies and the links with daily life in fostering households.