Appendix 1

Permanency Planning Meeting Agenda

Permanency Planning Meeting Agenda
Permanency Planning meeting for / name
Date of birth
Legal status
Date / Venue
1. Attendance
Present:
Chair:
Note Taker
Apologies
2. Reports received
This should include an up to date core assessment and/or a Child’s Permanence Report (signed off by the team manager as adequate to be used in the permanency planning meeting if it is not finally completed.)
Where a case is in care proceedings the initial social worker statement (which includes the care plan) or the interim care plan must be provided to the chair. Where the child is already the subject of a Care Order the court endorsed care plan, plus any other order relevant to the child must be provided.
3. Context
Background history
Legal context
Outcome of the Core and any other assessments
The child’s needs (including emotional & physical health, education, heritage etc
The child’s wishes and feelings
The parent/s’ wishes and feelings
The wishes and feelings of any siblings
The wishes and feelings of significant others
Contact arrangements
The views of the child’s guardian if relevant
The views of the current carers
The views of the child’s social worker and her/his supervisor
4. Consideration of the options for permanency
Placement with extended family or kinship network
Adoption
Permanent fostering including ability of family to make lifelong commitment to child, current and future support needs
Residential placement until maturity and independence/ semi independence in the community
The meeting should also consider what legal orders might best secure the placement, for example, Care Order, Adoption Order, Residence Order. Special Guardianship Order, and what contact arrangements would meet the child’s needs within a permanent placement
5. Primary Plan
Which option for permanence best meets the child’s needs?
Is this plan achievable?
What needs to happen to achieve this plan?
6. Parallel or Contingency Plan
Is the primary plan realistically achievable within the child’s time scale?
Does the parallel plan have to be put in place to ensure that there is no delay in achieving permanency by a second route if the primary plan cannot be achieved?
If so what should the parallel plan be?
Is a contingency plan necessary (e.g. if proposed carers could no longer care for child)?
If so what should the contingency plan be?
7. Decision making
At this point the chair may wish to withdraw with employees of the local authority to consider what decisions s/he will be making which will be recommended by the local authority to the statutory child care review as the overarching permanence plan. This is a suitable point for the chair to seek any necessary legal advice, which is privileged and should not be sought in the presence of people who are not employees of the local authority
8. Decision on Permanency Plan/s to be recommended to the Statutory Child Care Review on behalf of the local authority
This is the chair’s decision taken in the light of the views presented and the assessments completed. If s/he needs more time to consider and for example to consult with his or her manager this is possible but the list of actions (see below) which follow from the decision must be completed as soon as possible and sent to those who have to undertake the actions urgently.
9. Actions
List the Actions, the time scale and the person responsible for each action required to implement the primary plan
List the Actions, the time scale and the person responsible for each action required to implement the parallel or contingency plan
10. After the meeting
Ensure that the decision about the permanence plan(s) to be recommended to the statutory child care review on behalf of the local authority is sent in writing to everyone who attended the meeting and those invited to attend the meeting within 2 working days.
Distribute the completed permanency planning report/agenda to all participants and those invited to the meeting within 5 working days.
Ensure a copy of the competed permanency planning report/ agenda is also sent to the child’s independent reviewing officer.