Ms Catherine Bond:

No, I refer to the foster care review. Within the national standards for foster care review, foster carers are required to undergo a review every six months after the first placement and regularly for a number of years thereafter. This is an opportunity for the foster carer to reflect on the foster care placement, on his or her own learning and development and the needs of the children for whom they are caring. The increase in the regularity of reviews for foster carers is also placing more time restrictions on social workers. It is about finding a balance between the increased demands on the need for foster carers and the increased demands by children in care. We have to consider what is reasonable and realistic for a social worker to do in that respect.

As my colleague mentioned, there is a requirement for social workers to provide regular support and supervision to foster carers. That is a requirement and regularly occurs-----