Fostering Panel

Presentation of the assessment report

On satisfactory completion of your assessment, the assessment report is shared with you to make sure it is fair and accurate.

Your report will be presented to the Fostering Panel by the social worker who worked with you.

The Panel is held at the Agency office and will consist of social workers, a foster carer and other independent and professional people. You will be invited to attend and are very welcome.

Panel members will ask applicants questions like, why they want to foster, how they and their family will manage conflict and resolve problems.

The Panel process takes about an hour, providing the Panel recommends your approval, you will be registered as an approved foster carer with the Fostering Agency within a few days.

Foster care agreement

Once a foster carer has been approved, an agreement is signed between the carer and the agency which includes details of the support and training to be available to the carer, and the carer’s responsibilities to the agency.

As an approved foster carer you will be able to start your fostering career.

Fostering Panel Purpose and 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 or Agency, and makes recommendations to the Agency Decision Maker about quality issues and performance standards.

In particular, the Panel makes the following recommendations:

• The suitability of applicants to act as foster carers and terms of their approval (including Kinship Foster Carers).
• Exemptions from the limit to the number of children placed with foster carers.
• 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.
• Any other special matters 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, Assessment and Approval of Foster Carers Procedure.