3.11.1 Fostering Panel

Contents

1. Purpose and Function
2. Membership
3. Meetings

1. Purpose and Function

The Fostering Panel monitors the range and type of foster carers available to the local authority in comparison with the needs of children, and plays a key role in the improvement of standards within the fostering service.

As part of this function, the Panel oversees the conduct of assessments and annual reviews of approved foster carers, advises on any relevant matters in relation to the fostering service and makes recommendations to the Social Work and Safeguarding Service about quality issues and performance standards.

In particular, the Panel makes recommendations as to the following:

1. The suitability of applicants to act as foster carers and terms of their approval (including Family and Friends Foster Carers)
2. The continued suitability of the foster carers and whether the terms of the approval remain appropriate (after the first annual review of foster carers and any other review where significant changes or termination of approval is recommended - see Review of Foster Carers Procedure)
3. Any other special mattes relevant to a foster carer which the Chair of the Panel considers appropriate to be referred

The Panel will also receive and consider any representations challenging a decision not to approve an applicant as suitable, or to terminate or revise the terms of a foster carer's approval - see Section 9 of Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers Procedure (Including the Independent Review Mechanism).

2. Membership

The Fostering Panel is drawn from a Central List of appropriately qualified and experienced people that must include:

• An Independent Chair
• At least one social worker that has at least three years post qualifying experience in either fostering or children’s placements in foster care.
• Three other members from the Central List

There is no limit on the amount of people on the central list, but there needs to be a pool of people with the required skills experience and qualifications to consider individual circumstances and avoid the postponement of meetings. The panel should not be so large that decisions are difficult to reach and that the meeting intimidates applicants and carers who are in attendance.

There must be one or two people who are appointed as vice chairs. If they act as the chair and they are not independent, the panel must include at least one other independent member.

The Agency Decision Maker may not be a member of the panel but they may attend panel in an observatory capacity to monitor the performance of the Panel chair.

All Panel members must have been the subjects of a satisfactory Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks before taking up their appointment. 

Each member will be asked to sign an agreement with the fostering service, in relation to his or her membership, covering the service expectations - which they will receive in writing (including the requirement to report any involvement in criminal proceedings), confidentiality issues and commitment to anti-discriminatory practice.

All Panel members will also be required to attend at least one Panel meeting as an observer before taking up their membership and to attend an annual training day. The performance of panel members will be reviewed on an annual basis.

Panel members may request any relevant information or assistance they require, including medical or legal advice, from the fostering agency and, if so requested, this must be provided by the fostering agency.

Where there are concerns about a Panel member's behaviour either inside or outside the meetings, and this cannot be dealt with by advice, training and/or information, this will raised by the Chair with the Manager of the Fostering Team who will decide whether to end the appointment and if so, will advise the member in writing (giving one month’s notice) giving clear reasons for the decision.

Panel members may resign by giving one month's notice to the Fostering Team Manager.

3. Meetings

The Fostering Panel meets monthly. The Panel Administrator, with the Chair's authority, will arrange additional special meetings as necessary.

The Panel Administrator will arrange for the Legal Adviser to attend the Panel if required by the Chair or by the worker presenting a report.

The Panel's Medical Adviser will provide medical advice on matters to be brought to the Panel, by attendance at Panel meetings or where this is not possible by telephone or an exchange of correspondence on individual cases in advance of the meeting as considered appropriate.

The Panel Administrator may arrange for observers to attend meetings, in consultation with the Chair, but no more than 2 observers may attend at any one time.

The Panel welcomes the attendance of prospective foster carers at meetings during consideration of their applications for approval - for the assessment and approval process in more detail - see Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers Procedure.

The Panel Administrator, in consultation with the Chair, prepares the agenda for each meeting and sends out the agenda to Panel members one week before the meeting.

Those presenting reports to the Panel must send their reports to the Panel Administrator giving them sufficient time to distribute the papers to the panel members five working days before the meeting.

The Chair's role is to ensure that all members participate fully in the meetings (unless an interest has been declared - see below) and that each member has an opportunity to raise questions or offer comments on each matter considered, that sensitive regard is paid to foster carers while keeping the child's welfare paramount, that consensus is achieved wherever possible and that the Panel has clear reasons for its recommendations.

Where there is a serious difference of opinion among members, the Chair may ask for more information to be made available to the Panel before a recommendation is made. Serious reservations expressed by individual Panel members about a particular recommendation must be recorded in the Panel minutes for consideration by the Agency Decision Maker (Fostering).

At the end of meetings, the Panel Administrator will collect all reports and agenda from members (for shredding). Panel members who are unable to attend meetings will be asked to return papers to the Panel Administrator (for shredding) as soon as practicable.

The Panel Administrator will prepare the minutes in which reasons for recommendations and any disagreements or dissent will be fully recorded.

S/he will send the minutes and any other relevant papers to the Chair (and where relevant, the information from the Independent Review Mechanism) for approval of their accuracy, and then submit them to the Agency Decision Maker (Fostering) for approval of the recommendations made and they will make their decision within 7 working days of receipt of the information and the final set of panel minutes.

The assessing social worker/supervising social worker will also ensure that applicants, foster carers and social workers are notified verbally of Panel recommendations within one working day of the Panel and this will be confirmed in writing within five working days. The Panel Administrator will provide social workers with a copy of the relevant minute after a decision has been made by the Agency Decision Maker.

Conflicts of Interest

Panel members should consider any conflicts of interest in relation to Panel agenda items. A potential conflict arises if an interest may be seen to adversely affect a Panel member's capacity to act without prejudice or preference in a matter.

It is anticipated that in many circumstances there may be professional knowledge of a case which should be notified to the Chair but which will not affect a member's capacity to participate in the Panel. In other circumstances there may be a personal interest or connection which would require the Panel member to refrain from participation. It may be less clear in some cases when advice should be sought.

In the case of a potential conflict of interest where advice is required, Panel members should consult the Chair or Legal Adviser, giving as much advance notice as possible particularly having regard to the implications for the quorum.

End