Foster Carers Leave Policy

Contents 

1. Introduction
2. Am I eligible?
3. What are my responsibilities as an employee?
4. What are my responsibilities as a Line Manager?
5. What support is available to take time away from work?
6. Where can I access further advice?
7. Code of Ethics

1. Introduction

1.1 This policy sets out our organisations support for employees who are applying to become foster carers, or who are already approved as foster carers, to undertake' the care of a child/children under a foster-care arrangement.

1.2 We recognise that, in such cases, employees have specific obligations towards the child/children in accordance with their foster-care arrangement and that, in some cases, the child/children may require a high level of care.

1.3 This policy is intended to form part of our organisation's overall family-friendly approach, and it attempts to strike a balance between the business needs of our organisation and the needs of the employee to meet their care obligations.

2. Am I eligible?

2.1 This policy applies to all Police Officers and Police Staff who:

• Are applying to become foster carers.
• Are approved foster carers.
• Provide foster care for children and young people.
• Provide a notice of placement. 

3. What are my responsibilities as an employee?

3.1 If you intend to foster a child/children, you should discuss with your Line Manager any known needs for time away from work. This is to ensure that your Line Manager and colleagues can provide you with support and make any necessary arrangements for staff cover.

3.2 Complete the Foster Carer’s Leave Application Form and obtain authorisation from your Line Manager when time away is needed for compulsory assessments, training or review meetings. Submit your authorised application form and any supporting evidence (certified letters/emails of confirmed appointments/training etc) to People Services.

3.3 Where feasible, individuals should try to arrange assessments, training and meetings outside of their working hours or at times that will cause the minimum amount of disturbance to their working day (i.e., at the start or end of their day / shift). Where this is not possible, alternative support options are detailed in Section 5 of this policy. 

4. What are my responsibilities as a Line Manager?

4.1 Where a manager is aware that an individual is applying or has been approved to become a foster carer, they should inform the individual about the support options offered by the Force and encourage them to access and utilise the support available. Details of support options available are referenced in Section 5 of this policy.

5. What support is available to take time away from work? 

5.1 If you are a foster carer, you may need to take time off work to help the child/children to settle into the new environment. You may also need time off to attend assessments, training courses, meetings with professionals or appointments with the child/children.

5.2 Foster Carer’s Leave 

5.2.1 Individuals who are applying to become foster carers are entitled to apply for up to 3 days paid leave to attend assessments and training and half a day’s paid leave to attend a panel approval. The paid leave entitlement is a total amount per individual and is not an entitlement per foster child.

5.2.2 Individuals who are approved foster carers are entitled to apply for up to 1 week of paid leave (37 hours for Police Staff and 40 hours for Police Officers) in a rolling 12-month period to attend child review meetings, annual foster care review meetings and training. The paid leave entitlement is a total amount per rolling 12-month period and is not an entitlement per foster child.

5.2.3 Leave allowances are to be calculated on a pro-rata basis for part time workers.

5.2.4 The value of 1 days paid leave is the equivalent to the individuals average working day. This is your weekly contracted hours divided by 5. (Even if you work less than 5 days) E.g. If you work 37 hours per week, the value of 1 days paid leave is 7 hours and 24 minutes. If you work 20 hours per week, the value of 1 days paid leave is 4 hours.

5.2.5 Foster Carer’s Leave can be taken in days or hours over the rolling 12-month period to suit the individual’s shift pattern and personal circumstances. If the individual requests time off exceeding their personal entitlement, other leave options are available to support. See section 5.4 of this policy.

5.2.6 It can be advisable to use the Foster Carer’s Leave at times when a full or half day off work is required, as we may be able to support providing time off for shorter periods in other ways, such as flexibility in shift start and finish times, flexitime or Time Off In Lieu, for example.

5.2.7 If two individuals entering a joint foster-care application/arrangement both work for Humberside Police, each individual will be entitled to the above detailed paid leave.

5.2.8 Foster Carer’s Leave must be submitted on the Foster Carer’s Leave Application Form, be authorised by your Line Manager and submitted to People Services along with supporting evidence (e.g letter of confirmation of training day, review meeting, etc).

5.2.9 Foster Carer’s Leave taken will be recorded in Origin and DMS as ‘Special Leave’.

5.2.10 Where practical, training, assessments, meetings and appointments should be planned outside of working hours and agreed in advance with your manager.

5.3 Other support for time off 

5.3.1 If you require additional leave above your personal entitlement for Foster Carer’s Leave, or you require time away from work for other purposes (e.g. settling the child into your home or making alternative arrangements for care due to an emergency/illness), then please review the below alternative options and discuss with your Line Manager.

5.3.2 Requests for time off will be considered on an individual basis. Whilst it is recognised that not all roles within the Force will be able to accommodate all the support options listed below, full consideration and efforts to facilitate these options should be made in respect of individuals in both operational and non-operational roles. Line Managers are responsible for agreeing and approving time off arrangements, however there may be times when additional authorisation from SLT is required.

5.4 Other leave/flexible options to support time away from work 

1. Annual Leave/Rest Days in Lieu/Time Off In Lieu: Individuals can request to use these methods of leave to support time away from work. AL, RDILs and TOIL are to be processed as per the normal process via Logistics.
2. Time Off for Dependents: Time Off for Dependants leave is designed to give carers of a dependant paid leave to deal with an urgent or sudden domestic crisis that may have arisen. This is normally defined as a situation that occurs suddenly or unexpectedly and cannot be planned for.
3. Shift-swapping: Individuals may agree to rearrange shifts among themselves by swapping shifts with colleagues who perform the same type of work/roles requiring the same skills at different times of the day. Line Manager agreement must be sought when arranging a shift swap and Logistics are to be informed.
4. Staggered hours: Individuals can request to adjust their start and finish times temporarily. i.e., on the day of an appointment or for a temporary period.
5. Flexible working: Individuals have a right to request flexible working. For further information on flexible working requests, please refer to our Flexible Working Policy.
6. Flexitime: Police Staff who are eligible can use some of their Flexi time to attend appointments/training. 
7. Compressed hours: Individuals may request to work more hours over fewer working days to gain an additional day away from work.
8. Homeworking: Individuals may request to work wholly or partly from home on the day of an appointment, review meeting or assessment or for a temporary period. This option is only available if the role is suitable to be conducted remotely and the necessary equipment is available.
9. Unpaid leave: A request is to be made via People Services. Please note unpaid leave will affect pensions contributions. For further information, please refer to the Unpaid Leave Policy. 

6. Where can I access further advice?

6.1 After reading this policy if further advice or guidance is required, please contact People Services.

7. Code of Ethics

7.1 Any abuse of the Foster Carer’s Leave Policy should be reported and dealt with as per Humberside’s standard procedures.

7.2 The College of Policing launched the Code of Ethics and Code of Practice in January 2024, which applies to everyone in policing. The Ethical Policing Principles which form the Code of Ethics are Courage, Respect and Empathy, and Public Service. These principles aim to help people in policing do the right things, in the right way, for the right reasons. The principles should be observed and adhered to at all times and in line with this policy.