What happens at a fostering panel?

The panel meeting is the formal stage at which the evidence gathered during your fostering assessment is examined as a whole. It considers whether your household can provide safe, stable and appropriate care, whether fostering is suitable for your circumstances, and what approval terms may be appropriate.

Before the meeting

Your assessing social worker will normally prepare a detailed assessment report, often called a Form F assessment. This brings together information from your interviews, statutory checks, references, medical advice, training, home visits and discussions about your relationships, lifestyle and experiences. You should be given the opportunity to read the report and identify factual errors before it goes to panel.

Ask your social worker about anything you do not understand. If you disagree with an interpretation or believe important information is missing, raise it before the meeting so that your comments can be recorded and considered.

Who attends the panel?

Membership varies between fostering services, but a panel commonly includes:

• an independent chair;
• people with social work knowledge and experience;
• independent members, including people with relevant personal or professional experience;
• a medical adviser or access to medical advice where health information is relevant; and
• a panel adviser or administrator who supports the meeting and records its business.

Your assessing social worker will usually attend to present the assessment. Other agency staff may also be present where their professional input is relevant. The agency decision-maker is separate from the panel and makes the final decision after considering the panel’s recommendation.

What happens during the meeting?

• Introduction: The chair explains the purpose of the meeting and introduces those present. You may be asked to confirm that you understand the assessment and have had an opportunity to comment on it.
• Presentation of the assessment: The assessing social worker summarises your background, household, strengths, experiences, support network, health, home circumstances and areas that require consideration.
• Questions for you: Panel members ask questions about the assessment and your readiness to foster. They may explore how you would respond to a child’s behaviour, manage allegations, work with birth families and professionals, maintain confidentiality, promote a child’s identity, or cope with the practical impact of fostering on your household.
• Your opportunity to add information: You can explain anything that has changed since the report was written, clarify an answer or raise a relevant question. If you need a question explained, ask the chair or panel member to rephrase it.
• Private discussion: You will usually leave while the panel discusses the information and reaches its recommendation. The assessing social worker may also leave, depending on the service’s procedure.
• Outcome: The chair explains the panel’s recommendation and the reasons for it. The agency decision-maker then considers the recommendation and the supporting evidence before making the approval decision.

Panel members are not looking for rehearsed or flawless answers. They need to understand how you think, what you have learned during assessment and whether you can recognise risks and seek help. Honest answers are more useful than trying to give the response you think the panel wants.

What decisions can a panel recommend?

A panel may recommend approval, usually with specific terms. These terms can describe matters such as the number of children you may foster, their age range, whether sibling groups can be considered, or any other conditions needed to support safe and suitable placements.

A panel may also recommend that a decision is deferred. This means it needs further information or action before it can reach a properly informed view. For example, additional checks, medical clarification, training, references or assessment work may be needed. Deferral is not the same as refusal, although the assessment cannot be completed until the outstanding issues are addressed.

In some circumstances, the panel may recommend that approval is not given. The agency must then follow the relevant procedure, tell you the reasons and explain any opportunity to make representations or request a review. Your social worker should explain the procedure that applies to your application.

How should you prepare?

• Read the assessment report carefully and note any points you want to clarify.
• Refresh your understanding of safeguarding, safer caring, confidentiality and managing allegations.
• Think about practical examples that show how you handle stress, change, disagreement and boundaries.
• Be ready to discuss the impact of fostering on everyone in your household, including children and other adults.
• Consider your support network and how you would use professional advice when a placement becomes difficult.
• Tell your social worker about significant changes before the meeting, such as a change of address, employment, relationship, health or household membership.
• Ask the fostering service what arrangements apply if you need a break, communication support or someone to accompany you.

After the agency decision-maker has reached a decision, the fostering service should confirm the outcome and any approval terms in writing. If you are approved, your supervising social worker will explain the next steps, including ongoing training, supervision, reviews and how potential placements are considered. Approval does not mean that a particular child will automatically be placed with you; placement decisions must take account of the child’s needs and the suitability of the proposed match.