Administration of Medication and Safe Storage

The Fostering Agency takes a responsible approach to ensuring that any medication administered in a foster placement to a Child or Young Person, is accurately recorded by the Foster Carer as part of safe practice. Foster Carers will use the medication record for this purpose.

The Placement Planning Meeting will address the area of the administration of medication and treatment, however it is recognised that during the course of a placement, a Child or Young Person may be prescribed medication or begin to take non-prescribed medication.

• The medical consent for a Foster Carer to administer medication or treatment to a Child or Young Person will have been addressed in the Placement Planning Meeting along with the Delegated Authority Proforma which gives clarity as to areas of authority the Foster Carer has with regard to health care;
• As part of this process the relevant forms/permissions will have been completed/received in conjunction with the Child or Young Person’s Social Worker and any other relevant health care professionals will have been/will be consulted with if there are any concerns in relation to health;
• Foster Carers must ensure that they regularly keep the Child or Young Person’s Social Worker and Supervising Social Worker up to date with any health changes with regard to the Child or Young Person they care for, including any need for prescribed medication or non-prescribed medication;
• Where a Young Person is already self-administrating or requests to self-administer prescribed medication that has been prescribed on a longer-term basis, this will be discussed and decisions clearly stated as part of the Placement Planning Meeting and Placement Plan. Where this occurs during the course of a placement the Foster Carers, Young Person’s Social Worker and Supervising Social Worker must discuss this and relevant agreement/consent forms must be in place before this can occur, where agreed as appropriate;
• In such circumstances, the Young Person’s Social Worker must have consulted with the relevant health professional, and have this information available for the Placement Planning Meeting or where this occurs during the course of the placement. The person/s holding parental responsibility for the Young Person should also be informed of the prescribed medication by the Young Person’s Social Worker including the proposed administration arrangements;
• In relation to non-prescribed medication or short-term medication arrangements for the administration of medication will also be discussed and agreed;
• Foster Carers must ensure there is no delay in the administration of medication for a Child or Young Person and must complete the Medication Record when they are administrating medication to a Child or Young Person in their care whether prescribed or non-prescribed.

All medication must be stored in the original packaging and instructions for its storage must be adhered too. Medication must be kept out of reach of Children and Young People or locked away. Young People who wish to, and who can safely keep their own medication, do so where this has been agreed as part of the placement planning process. Foster Carers however must be vigilant in this area to prevent other Children or Young people having access to this medication where clear guidelines will be discussed with the Young Person of the safe storage of their medication and also monitored.

Supervising social workers may check the storage of medications and will ensure the carers are keeping sufficient records for the administration of medication.

• Placement Plan & Delegated Authority Proforma;
• Medication Record.