The Fostering Services (Amendment) Regulations 2008

Statutory Instruments

2008 No. 640

Social Care, England

Children And Young Persons, England

The Fostering Services (Amendment) Regulations 2008

Made

6th March 2008

Laid before Parliament

10th March 2008

Coming into force

31st March 2008

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 22(1) and section 118(5) of the Care Standards Act 2000(1), makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and application

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Fostering Services (Amendment) Regulations 2008 and come into force on 31st March 2008.

(2) These Regulations apply in relation to England only.

Amendment of the Fostering Services Regulations 2002

2.—(1) Regulation 24 of the Fostering Services Regulations 2002(2) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (6), for “A” substitute “Subject to paragraph (6A), a”.

(3) After paragraph (6), insert—

“(6A) Where—

(a) a member of the fostering panel holds office as a member of that fostering panel pursuant to paragraph (3)(b)(i) and is in a second consecutive term of office as a member of that fostering panel, and

(b) that term of office is due to expire on or after 31st March 2008,

that member may continue to hold office as a member of that fostering panel for a further period not exceeding twelve months.”

Beverley Hughes

Minister of State

Department for Children, Schools and Families

6th March 2008

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Regulation 2 relaxes a restriction in the Fostering Services Regulations 2002. Where a person who is registered under Part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000 as the person carrying on a fostering agency is an individual, regulation 24(3)(b)(i) requires that individual to be a member of the agency’s fostering panel; however, regulation 24(6) restricts the period for which a person may serve as a member of the panel to two consecutive terms not exceeding three years each. Regulation 2 of these Regulations permits an individual who is a fostering panel member pursuant to regulation 24(3)(b)(i) and whose second consecutive term of office expires on or after 31st March 2008 to continue to hold office as a member of that fostering panel for a further period of up to twelve months.

(1)

2000 c.14. These powers are exercisable by the appropriate Minister, defined in section 121(1) of the Care Standards Act, in relation to England, as the Secretary of State. “Prescribed” and “regulations” are defined in section 121(1) of that Act.

(2)

S.I. 2002/57.