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Child Welfare Fostering Resources

What to know about access to a foster child’s records

A child who is in long term foster care, and is preparing to leave, may want to access their records of their time in fostering. Here are some things to know from us at Beacon Fostering regarding records access for care leavers.

Importance of fostering records

A child’s foster care records are important as they tell the story of their time in foster care. Not only that, but they also provide information of the circumstances leading them to enter care and help them understand their childhood.

When young people can access their records

Young people can access their records when they turn 18. In line with the Data Protection Act 2018, they have the right to access information about them from any organisation that holds it. This includes their local authority and/or fostering agency that arranged their foster care.

What the records contain

A young person’s fostering records will contain details on the circumstances leading to them entering care, notes on their general well-being, medical appointments, appointments with social workers, supervised visits with the child’s family of origin and notable incidents. Some information may be redacted or removed from your records if they are discussing other people, so it helps to talk to your social worker about how much information in your records is/will be restricted.

Who they can contact

Young people can access their records by contacting their local authority, or the fostering agency that was responsible for making their fostering and care arrangements. They will have further contact details and guidance on such a process on their websites.