Fostering, adopting and looked after children

West Lothian Council fostering and adoption services are provided by the Children and Families Resource Team who work alongside adoption agencies in carrying out permanency assessments and making permanent placements.

Fostering Service

All kinds of children can need foster carers for a wide variety of reasons. Illness, disability, unemployment or changing family circumstances can lead to tension and stress, leaving some people in need of support. Sometimes children are neglected or abused. Sometimes their behaviour becomes hard to manage.

The council - or a children's hearing - might decide to take a child into foster care in these kinds of circumstances. This would take place after a careful assessment by social workers. The period a child could be in foster care might be for a few weeks or a longer period of time. If a foster place is not available, the child would be cared for in a council-run residential unit.

Our fostering service standards:

We will:

• recruit, prepare and support foster carers to support children leaving home, moving to other placements and preparing older children to live independently and make a financial payment in return for their help
• support children and young people before, during and after a foster placement, taking into account their views
• support families and relatives when children are looked after by foster carers
• offer respite opportunities
• be open and accountable
• consult with users on service needs
• treat all people fairly and with courtesy
• answer phone calls within 30 seconds
• respond to service requests within one week
• carry out assessments within six months
• make home visits at convenient times
• listen to your suggestions about our service
• deal with complaints courteously and effectively

Adoption Service 

Our adoption service standards:

We will:

• be open and accountable
• consult with users on service needs
• treat all people fairly and with courtesy
• answer phone calls within 30 seconds
• respond to service requests within 1 week
• carry out new assessments within 6 months
• make home visits at convenient times
• listen to your suggestions about our service
• deal with complaints courteously and effectively

 

Contact details:

The contact for both adoption and Fostering issues is the Children & Families Resource Team

Children & Families Resource Team
Lomond House
Beveridge Square
Livingston
EH54 6QF

Our telephone, email and website details can be found in the Contact Us panel to the right of this page.