41.—(1) The local authority provider must ensure that foster parents have the information they need to provide care and support to a child placed with them in accordance with the child’s care and support plan.
(2) The local authority provider must ensure foster parents receive such training, advice and support, including support outside office hours, as appears necessary in the interests of children placed with the foster parents and to enable them to provide care and support to children in accordance with each child’s care and support plan.
(3) The local authority provider must ensure prospective foster parents receive such training, information and advice as is considered necessary.
(4) The local authority provider must monitor and review the information, training, advice and support provided to foster parents and prospective foster parents and make any improvements which may be necessary.
42. The local authority provider must ensure that foster parents are familiar with and act in accordance with the policies and procedures established under regulations 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 39 and 45.
43. The local authority provider must ensure that foster parents are appropriately supervised.
44. The local authority provider must—
(a)maintain good professional relationships with foster parents, and
(b)encourage and assist foster parents to maintain good personal relationships with children placed with them.
45.—(1) The local authority provider must have a policy and procedures in place to enable foster parents to provide support and assistance to children on how to manage their money.
(2) The policy and procedures which are required by this regulation to be in place must set out the steps which are to be taken by foster parents to enable and support children to manage their own money and to protect children from financial abuse(1).
(3) The policy and procedures must ensure that there is adequate oversight and monitoring by the local authority provider of savings which are made by foster parents on behalf of children.
(4) Where a child’s money is held by the foster parents for any purpose, the policy and procedures required by this regulation must provide that the money is held in an account in the child’s name or in an account which enables clear demarcation of the child’s money.
(5) The policy and procedures must ensure that foster parents pass on all records of savings (including expenditure from savings) to the local authority provider when the placement of a child to whom the records relate comes to an end.
See section 197(1) of the 2014 Act for the definition of “financial abuse”.