Extended definitions

This page has information on our choice of language in the Foster Care Practice Guide. We recognise that individuals and local areas may have their own preferences around language that may not match the terms we have used. 

Child 

When referring to a child we are referring to a child in care, rather than any other children a foster carer may be caring for. We use the term ‘child’ to refer to those under the age of 18 years old, in line with the legal definition of a child. 

This Guide does not cover young people aged 18–25 supported under Staying Put arrangements, as interventions for this age group are typically designed to support the young adult directly, rather than their carers. As a result, they do not tend to generate the carer-focused evidence required for inclusion in this Guide. 

Foster carer 

In England, foster carers can be related to the child (known as kinship foster carers) or non-related (sometimes known as mainstream or non-related foster carers). This Guide is predominantly focused on non-related foster carers. Foundations’ Kinship Care Practice Guide focuses on the specific needs of kinship carers, including kinship foster carers.  

There are also several types of fostering arrangements, including short and long term, emergency care, and short breaks. For the purposes of this Guide, we focus primarily on short- and long-term fostering arrangements. 

Practitioners 

Any practitioner that might directly support a foster family. This includes supervising social workers, a child’s social worker, or any other practitioner with the skills and knowledge to support foster carers and the children in their care. 

Practice supervisors 

Relevant service leads, heads, and managers. 

Senior leaders 

Any senior leader working across the corporate parenting partnership. This includes local authority leaders, such as lead members for children’s services, other elected members (councillors), directors of children’s services, and commissioners, as well as leaders working in health, the police, education, and youth justice services, for example. 

Interventions or programmes 

When we talk about interventions and programmes, we are referring to a structured set of activities or services with set eligibility requirements, aimed at improving how foster carers approach and fulfil their role – specifically their knowledge, attitudes, skills, behaviours, and practices.1 Throughout the Guide, we use the terms ‘evidence-based support’ or ‘evidence-based training’ to refer to interventions. 

This Practice Guide is only focused on interventions, programmes, and services that involve the direct participation of foster carers. The inclusion of interventions delivered solely to children in foster care would have duplicated a range of existing evidence-based guidelines2. This means that programmes for children in foster care are not included, unless delivered as part of an intervention that also involves direct participation of foster carers, for example, an intervention that includes both a group for children and a group for carers. It is vital that children’s voices and perspectives are considered when delivering support to foster carers.