Weekend Family Time Visits

For children looked after, family time between children, young people and their families can take place via the Hertfordshire Family Time Service (where agreed) or in the community.

Family time is either supervised by staff at the family time centre or in the community by foster carers, or practitioners if foster carers are unable to supervise the family time.

It has been identified that practitioners are facilitating family time sessions outside normal office hours during the weekend.

In accordance with the HR Working Time Policy, in relation to overtime and additional hours, the policy states:

"Any agreed overtime or additional hours worked will count as working time. Employees should not work any additional hours without the agreement of their manager." 

Only under exceptional circumstances should practitioners be facilitating family time during the weekends. Exceptional circumstances may include, but is not limited to:

• A parent lives out of the country and can only visit on a weekend;
• There is a parental emergency (i.e. health decline) and the child needs to see their parent as soon as possible, which happens to be during the weekend;
• A parent is in a treatment/hospital/residential setting and can only visit/leave the facility on a weekend. 

In instances whereby:

1. an exceptional circumstance is present; and
2. the parent has identified the reasons why the family time cannot take place during the normal working week (i.e. Monday - Friday).

The following process must be followed:

1. The practitioner to discuss with their line manager;
2. Manager and practitioner to follow the risk assessment processes in line with the Personal Safety and Lone Working Guidance, which covers discussions around:
   • Identifying whether there are risks involved in facilitating family time during the weekend (i.e. not having contact with colleagues, being on their own with parents, are there any hazards identified, etc);
   • Ensuring they keep a mobile phone on and someone to ring in an emergency;
   • Practitioners keeping their diary up to date of where they will be going and with whom.
3. Add a case note in the child's record to indicate agreement by manager to facilitate a weekend family time and the reasons why.