Parent & Child (P&C) fostering—often called “mother and baby” fostering—places a parent (usually with their infant) in your home so they can develop safe, confident parenting. Unlike traditional fostering, the primary focus is assessing and supporting the parent, not providing substitute care for the child (unless safeguarding demands it). Below is a practical guide to the day-to-day role, the kind of evidence you’ll be asked to record for courts and reviews, and how payments typically work.
What Parent & Child Fostering Is (and Isn’t)
In P&C, you provide a stable home, model routines, and help the parent acquire the skills to meet their child’s needs. There are two broad models:
- Support placements: The local authority wants the parent to succeed; your role is coaching and early help.
- Assessment placements: A formal assessment runs alongside support. You observe, record and contribute to social work assessments that may be presented to court.
It isn’t about “taking over”. Even when you can see a quicker way to settle a feed or bath, your job is to coach, prompt, and build the parent’s capacity, stepping in only when safety requires it.
The P&C Carer’s Daily Role
Create a safe, predictable environment
You set the tone: calm routines, clear boundaries, and a respectful, non-judgmental culture. Parents are often anxious and may have experienced trauma, domestic abuse, or previous involvement with services. Predictability helps them learn.
Model, prompt, step back
Think “I do, we do, you do.” You might first model safe winding after a feed, then do it together, then observe while the parent does it independently—offering feedback after.
Keep the baby’s welfare central
If risk escalates (e.g., missed feeds, unsafe sleeping, rough handling), you intervene immediately to protect the child, record what happened, and inform your supervising social worker (SSW) and the child’s social worker according to the plan.
Be culturally competent
Support the parent’s culture, faith, and preferences (e.g., feeding choices, festivals, language needs) as long as they’re safe and within the child’s plan.
Evidence and Recording: What Courts Find Useful
Good P&C recording is factual, balanced and time-specific. Avoid opinions dressed as facts. Capture what you saw, when, and what you did. Use neutral language and link observations to the baby’s needs.
Strong evidence includes:
- Chronological daily notes (short but consistent).
- Task competence grids (e.g., feeds, sterilising equipment, safe sleep, bath routine, medication, contact handovers)—scored over time to show learning or drift.
- Incident records for safeguarding concerns, with immediate actions.
- Parent reflection notes (what the parent says they’re learning, what they find hard, their own goals).
- Professional communications (midwife/health visitor visits, social worker sessions, contact centre feedback).
Example of factual phrasing:
- Weak: “Mum can’t be bothered at night.”
- Strong: “At 02:10 baby cried for 6 minutes. I prompted. Parent said, ‘I’m exhausted, I’ll do it at 07:00.’ I outlined safe feeding intervals and supported a feed at 02:18. Parent completed feed; baby settled by 02:40.”
Evidence Dos and Don’ts
- Do time-stamp, keep it brief, and stick to what you saw/heard.
- Do capture improvement (what went well) as carefully as you capture concerns.
- Don’t include speculation, diagnosis, or personal judgments.
- Don’t share recordings (notes/photos) outside the agreed secure system.
Assessment Focus: What Skills Are You Observing?
Baby care and safety
- Recognising hunger/satiety cues; making feeds safely; responsive feeding; winding.
- Safe sleep (flat, clear cot, correct clothing), safe handling, appropriate soothing.
- Hygiene: hand-washing, nappy care, cord care (if relevant).
- Health: attending appointments, giving medication as prescribed, noticing illness.
Emotional attunement
- Does the parent respond to crying promptly?
- Do they comfort effectively?
- Is there gentle voice/touch; do they maintain eye contact; are they playful and warm?
Routines and executive skills
- Day/night rhythm, punctuality for appointments, organisation (steriliser ready, clean bottles, adequate supplies), budgeting for essentials.
Safety planning
- Understanding of risk (co-sleeping after alcohol, hot drinks near baby, visitors who pose a risk).
- Willingness to follow guidance and adapt behaviour when risk is explained.
Boundaries, Consent and Confidentiality
Agree house rules on arrival: visitors, smoking/vaping, kitchen hygiene, device use overnight, and bathroom/safe-care expectations. Go through the Safer Caring Policy, how photos are handled, and who can see the baby. Ensure the parent understands their placement plan, what an assessment means, and how evidence is used.
Contact with Birth Family
Many P&C placements involve supervised or supported contact between the baby, the parent and other family members. You’ll help the parent prepare a changing bag, travel safely, and arrive on time. After contact, record factual observations (baby’s mood, feeding after contact, any disclosures by the parent). Concerns are escalated via the agreed route; do not keep side-recordings or share with third parties.
Managing Conflict and Allegations
Emotions run high when the stakes involve keeping custody of a child. Use de-escalation: calm voice, space, reflective listening. If a disagreement crosses into risk (threats, refusal of safe sleep, rough handling), follow the immediate safety plan. Know your agency’s allegations process; maintain professional curiosity and meticulous records.
Training That Helps in P&C
- Infant care refreshers (feeding, sleep, first aid for babies).
- Trauma-informed practice and the PACE approach (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy).
- Motivational interviewing for behaviour change.
- Recording for court (writing factual, balanced reports).
- Mental health, substance misuse, and domestic abuse awareness.
Matching and Set-Up
A good match starts with a clear referral: parent’s history, current risks, support network, baby’s health, professional involvement (midwife/health visitor), and the legal context (pre-proceedings or within proceedings). Before arrival, prepare: a safe sleep space, basic baby kit (if needed), and a welcome plan for the parent that respects dignity—no one wants to feel “tested” from minute one.
Payments: Allowances, Fees and Extras
P&C payments usually have three parts:
- Child’s fostering allowance – covers the baby’s day-to-day costs (nappies, formula if used, clothing, utilities, travel).
- Carer fee/skill payment – recognises your expertise and the intensity of P&C. Assessment placements typically attract higher fees than standard fostering because of the recording workload, supervision, and 24/7 nature of support.
- Add-ons/expenses – mileage for appointments and contact, equipment (steriliser, cot mattress), birthday/holiday contributions (if applicable), and sometimes enhanced rates for night-time demands or court-directed assessments.
Exact figures differ by local authority/independent fostering agency and by region. In all cases, ask for a written breakdown that separates the allowance (for the child) from your fee (professional element), and confirm what extraordinary costs can be claimed. Remember that UK foster carers benefit from Qualifying Care Relief for tax, which—depending on your total fostering receipts—often means little or no income tax is due on fostering income. Keep receipts and mileage logs; complete self-assessment annually if required.
Measuring Progress (and Knowing When It’s Not Enough)
Your notes and supervision sessions should show whether the parent is moving from prompted to independent and consistent care. Look for sustained patterns over days and weeks, not one-off successes. If progress stalls or risk increases, the social work team may step up support, extend assessment, or reconsider the plan. Your balanced evidence—strengths and concerns—will carry significant weight.
Ethical Practice: Respect, Hope and Realism
P&C works best when carers hold two truths at once: every parent deserves a fair chance, and the baby’s safety is non-negotiable. You cheer small wins, name risks plainly, and never shame. Your home should feel like a place where a parent can try, fail, try again—and learn—while knowing you’ll intervene instantly if safety is at stake.
A Simple Daily Recording Framework (Use and Adapt)
- Morning: Feeding times/amounts, nappy output, sleep periods, parent responsiveness to cues.
- Day: Appointments attended, equipment hygiene, safe handling observed, mood/interaction quality.
- Evening/Night: Routines, safe sleep set-up, response to night waking.
- Parent reflection: “What went well today?” “What was hard?” “What will you try tomorrow?”
- Carer reflection: Prompts given, learning observed, any risks/actions taken, professionals notified.
The Bottom Line
Parent & Child fostering is demanding, skilled work with a clear moral purpose: to give babies the best start by helping their parents succeed—or by providing the clear, fair evidence needed when they cannot. If you can keep the baby at the centre, coach with empathy, and record with precision, you’ll give professionals—and courts—the information they need while giving a parent their best possible chance.