Once a prospective foster carer has completed the assessment with their assessor, a panel date will be set, and the prospective carer and assessor will be invited to attend the meeting.

There might be some apprehension around this, however the assessor will be there to provide support and help answer any questions that The Panel might have.

The role and remit of the panel will be fully explained in advance so that everyone is prepared and ready for the discussions on the day.

A general overview of the panel:

Membership consists of a Chairperson and three other panel members, the Panel Advisor (who gives advice to the Panel members about process and policy) and the Panel Administrator (who organises the schedule and all the paperwork required).

There will be some relevant questions asked by the panel members from the information provided in the assessment.

If the panel members agree with the recommendation, they will endorse this, and the minutes of the meeting will be sent to the Agency Decision Maker (ADM) to be ratified. The ADM has the responsibility for the final decision making around terms of approval.

A prospective foster carer will receive written agreement of this decision in approximately 21 days from the panel date.

Get Your FREE foster carer info pack!

You will get access to a link for your free info pack on completion of your enquiry form and we will also email over a copy to help you on your journey.