Emergency Foster Carers Policy

The Emergency Foster Carers Policy sets out the expectations, processes and legal framework for Hertfordshire County Council’s Emergency Foster Care Project (Emergency Hub). It ensures that foster carers, supervising social workers, outreach workers and children’s social workers have a consistent understanding of the purpose of the project, their responsibilities and the statutory basis for emergency placements.

The need for emergency foster carers has increased due to the rising number of children entering care with little or no notice. Emergency foster care provides a safe and stable place for a child for approximately 10–15 working days or up to 4 weeks for younger children, while longer‑term arrangements are explored. These may include returning home, identifying family members, or securing an alternative placement. Carers must have the experience and resilience to support children during times of crisis.

The Emergency Hub is designed to meet the needs of children who require immediate care due to unsafe home environments, parental mental or physical health difficulties, bereavement, or other urgent circumstances. As emergency needs cannot be predicted, the Hub provides a rapid, trauma‑informed response to ensure children’s safety and stability.

The overarching aim of the Emergency Foster Carers programme is to:

Provide increased support for children with complex needs who require emergency or short‑term foster care, and reduce reliance on higher‑cost independent placements.

The programme aims to:

• Ensure foster carers receive flexible, specialist support when caring for children with complex needs;
• Reduce emergency placements in independent fostering agencies by increasing in‑house capacity;
• Develop a trauma‑informed, wraparound support service enabling in‑house carers and residential staff to manage challenging placements;
• Facilitate swift reunification where appropriate;
• Provide enhanced support through fostering outreach workers. These workers will provide intensive support to carers, children and families to stabilise placements and secure long‑term plans.

Short‑term emergency fostering is a skilled and demanding role. Carers must be able to safeguard children, provide emotional support, conduct observations, maintain high‑quality logs and work collaboratively within a multi‑agency team.

What is Emergency Foster Care?

Emergency foster care provides children with a safe place in a crisis while immediate plans are explored, such as identifying family members, supporting a return home or securing a longer‑term placement.

The Emergency Hub provides placements at very short notice and supports children entering care due to:

• Unsafe home environments;
• Parental ill‑health;
• Sudden bereavement;
• Urgent safeguarding concerns (Police Protection Orders).

Emergency Hub Staffing

The Hub consists of:

• 1 Consultant Social Worker (CSW);
• Emergency Hub Outreach Workers;
• Emergency Hub Foster Carers.

Carers must be fully available throughout the week, without alternative employment, and able to meet the needs of children placed in an emergency.

Team Around the Hub

Consultant Social Worker (CSW)

The CSW coordinates emergency placements, liaises with area teams, ensures all relevant information is shared and oversees placement planning. CSW supervises emergency foster carers and outreach workers in the emergency hub.

Emergency Hub Outreach Workers

Outreach workers support carers and children throughout the placement. Their role includes:

• Providing 1:1 support to children;
• Helping children understand and process their narrative;
• Supporting family time and working closely with brokerage and duty teams for move on plans;
• Assisting transitions to new placements or reunification.

Coverage:

• Monday–Friday: 9am–5:30pm;
• Saturday–Sunday: 11am–5.30pm;
• Availability outside these hours for emergencies.

Emergency Hub carers must:

• Be available at short notice, including nights and weekends when on the rota;
• Have experience supporting children in crisis and demonstrate resilience and trauma‑informed practice;
• Support children’s education and daily care needs;
• Provide a carer profile that can be shared with children during crises;
• Contribute to therapeutic, narrative‑based work to support reunification, sibling contact, family time and planned transitions.

• Children placed with Emergency Foster Carers will usually remain for approximately 10–15 working days, or up to 4 weeks for younger children;
• Emergency Foster Carers will be provided with a Placement Referral Form either before the child arrives or immediately after placement;
  If a child is placed out of hours and a PRF is not available at the time, the form must be completed on the next working day;
• Placement Planning
  As emergency placements are time‑limited, placement planning must begin as soon as the PRF is received, ensuring there is sufficient time to coordinate appropriate move‑on arrangements;
• Extension of Placement
  If a move‑on plan has not yet been identified by day 10, Emergency Foster Carers may be asked to extend the placement temporarily. This helps to avoid unnecessary placement moves for the child while a more permanent or suitable arrangement is secured.

A note about the Usual Fostering Limit

No fostering household may foster more than three children unless all the children are related to each other as siblings or an exemption has been agreed in relation to specific placements. The statutory guidance outlines that, even though an adult or non-looked after parent is not counted as one of the three, the fostering service should be mindful of the additional responsibilities of the foster carer and care should be taken not to overburden them. 

Emergency carers receive a daily retainer, payable whether or not a child is placed. When a child is placed, the carer receives the standard child’s allowance and skills fee.

Payments to Emergency carers are outlined in Hertfordshire foster carer payment policy: Approved foster carers - payment policy 2025-26 | Hertfordshire County Council.

Carers can get 3 days paid time off after a child moves on, an additional of 1 day per week is given to carers when they extend placements.

Carers may request holidays, but retainers and fees will cease when off.

1. Fostering teams speak to foster carers that are suitable for this role. If interested, supervising social worker contacts CSW for Emergency Hub;
2. The emergency hub CSW meet with potential carer and discuss expectations of the role;
3. If appropriate, carers are invited to a trial. Once trial is completed carer, current supervising social worker and CSW for emergency hub meet for a review meeting;
4. The Emergency Foster Carer Scheme Manager makes the final decision regarding approval if carer and CSW for emergency hub consider the carer fit for the role.