Much like in many other sectors, there are some important terms that anyone wanting to understand more about fostering needs to acquaint themselves with. At times, it might almost seem as though the foster system has its own language, but as long as you research everything you need to know, you’ll soon get to grips with what it all means.
As potential foster parents, there is a lot you’ll need to know about fostering and everything that goes along with it, but perhaps the easiest place to start is getting to know some of the most important fostering terms. In that way, you’ll feel a lot more at ease when reading information or listening to an expert. Read on to find out more.
Foster Care Abbreviations
Because there are many reports to write and people to speak to, it is often easier to use abbreviations and acronyms to explain things than it is to write everything out. So these are useful to know more about.
YP is a good one to start with. YP stands for ‘young person,’ and that usually means a teenager. It’s good to know this, as you need to know who to expect when fostering, and misunderstanding YP and thinking it might mean a much younger child could mean you’re not fully prepared for the teenager who comes to you.
Next is IFA, which means ‘independent fostering agency’ just like thefca.co.uk. LA stands for ‘local authority,’ and this is another very useful term to know, especially when it comes to school decisions.
A very important person to know more about is the ADM, or ‘agency decision maker.’ This is the person who will make the ultimate decision when it comes to who can foster and which YPs (or younger children) can go to them. It is even possible for an ADM to overrule a panel decision (or recommendation), so they have the ultimate say.
When you become a foster parent, you’ll often see yourself referred to as an FC, which means ‘foster carer.’ Whether you are registered with a local authority or an independent fostering agency, this term will apply. It means you have been approved and been through all the interviews and checks that are required.
You probably have heard the term ‘looked after child’ before, and this becomes LAC. A LAC is a child who is fostered, as opposed to a YP, who, as we’ve said, will usually be a teenager. No matter who the child is, they will have either an ICO, CO, or EPO attached to them. These stand for ‘interim care order,’ ‘care order,’ or ‘emergency protection order.’ What they have will depend on the reason for them being in foster care in the first place. An ICO often means short-term care is required, whereas a CO will usually mean much longer-term care is needed. An EPO can mean either so that it will be taken on a case by case basis.
There are many terms that you’ll come to know as you delve deeper into the idea of becoming a foster parent, but these will certainly help you get started.
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