Long term fostering cases Protocol for approval and matching.

As of the 1st of December all Children and Young people will be matched at the Fostering Panel. Traditionally Enfield has approved matches for children and carer’s at the Adoption Panel. With the changes brought about by the 2002 Children Act it now means that the Adoption Panel is required to only consider the approval and Matching of Adoption cases. The Adoption Panel will continue to hear Best Interest Decisions for Children. The Fostering Panel to date has been approving and matching children 12+ and we now intend to handle all matching for all long term fostering. Outlined below are the type of case and what paperwork will need to be presented to the fostering Panel.

  1. ‘Best Interest’ Decisions (now known as ‘whether Child Should be Placed for Adoption or Not’) –

All Children under the age of 12 will have their best interest decision made at the Adoption Panel, regardless whether it is Adoption or Long term Fostering or Kinship care. A child’s Permanency Report CPR will be required for Adoption Panel. In addition to the CPR the Adoption Panel will need to know that the child’s Birth Family are no longer being considered by the authority as permanent carer’s of the child. Evidence of Family Group Conferences FGC contained within the CPR. Once the Best Interest Decision has been made for Long term Fostering the recommendation sheet must be included within the papers to be presented at the Fostering Panel.

  1. Long term Matching of Children to Foster Carer’s in ‘In House’ Foster care-

Where children are already placed with carer’s and it is the Child’s care plan to remain in that placement, the following information will be required for Fostering Panel to match the child to the Carer’s-

Matching report jointly completed by the Social worker for the Child and the Supervising Social worker for the Carer. The Child’s Permanency report or Form E. the Foster carer’s Form F, along with Medical, CRB, and Refs. In the event where the Foster carer does not have an up to date form F we are requesting the carer to complete selected parts of Form F 2 and the Supervising Social worker will complete Form F 1.

  1. When a child is placed in an Agency Foster Placement -

The Fostering Service (Kinship and Permanence team) Co-ordinates the matching activity, and books time in to Fostering Panel for the Case to be heard. The Social worker for the child and the Supervising Social (from the agency) worker together complete the Matching report, the Child’s Form E or CPR together with the Carer’s Form F, Checks CRB, references school and personal). These documents must be with the panel administrator no less than two weeks prior to the panel time booked. The fostering service in this instance where it has not had a role in Family finding Co-ordinate the use of panel time.

  1. Where the Fostering Service (Kinship and Permanence) are Family Finding for the child –

When a child is referred to Kinship and Permanence for a permanent long term placement to be found it may be an in house carer we find via the recruitment process or we may seek families via an Agency placement once agreement at Resources panel has been granted. In the case of In house carer being sought they would need to be approved as a long term carer prior to the Matching. In this case the carer is approved and once the child has been through introductions and placed Matching would take place no later than six months after the placement is made provided the placement is meeting the child’s needs and this remains the care plan.

In the case of a child being family found via an agency placement, the Matching would take place at Enfield Fostering Panel as stated in section 3. The carer for the agency would need to be approved by that agency as a long-term carer before coming for Matching at Enfield Panel. Minutes of the agency Panel recommendation should be included within the paperwork submitted to Enfield panel.

  1. Young People over the age of 12 who are permenantly placed with In house carer’s and require matching at Fostering panel-

A detailed matching report for the young person and the Carer completed by the Supervising Social Worker and the Young persons social worker. The Foster carer’s last review recommendation sheet from Panel together with the last review documents is to be presented to Fostering Panel for 12+ Matching.

The Fostering Panel Administrator requires all paperwork for panel to be submitted no less that two weeks prior to panel date booked.

______PJ Stacey 13/11/18

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