failed assessment

[mamma]

just failed my assessment, on the grounds because i feel parents didnt harm child intentionally, ive never said they havnt dont it just not like they say, both parents have learning difficulties. they feel that i wouldnt safeguard my g/s if in my care when ive expressed so much that if i was to have g/s id follow every one of there rules.
what is my next step can i appeal. everything else in my assessment is good. even the social worker was crying having to tell me id have a nedative assessment i have to travel 90 miles each way to contact and meetings and ive been doing this since april 2014 how much more commitment do i have to show them, ive even gone to court even tho im not allowed in, im always contacting L/A for updates i speak to the foster carer asking for updates on g/s i buy him things even though foster carer says not to cus he has everything, i cry all the time l/a think its funny and are so desensitised hope someone can help thankyou for reading

[mamma]

hi been to see the social worker that did my assessment today , As when she gave me a negative result she said to fight her all the way. ive been invited to a panel meeting 1st october, this does not give me much time to get advice what happens at these panel mettings please can any advice me, thankyou ill ring advice line monday

[David Roth]

Mamma - I hope that you've been able to get through to our advice line today - keep trying if the lines are busy, as we only have a few staff on the lines, but there are gaps between calls.

How to challenge this decision will depend on what you are being assessed for, and who has made the decision that you should not pass your assessment.

Family and friends carers can go through different types of assessment, according to what legal arrangement they would be raising the child under. If the child is 'looked after' (or 'in care'), and they were going to stay that way while they were with you, then you would be going through an assessment to become his approved foster carer. If you were going to get a Special Guardianship Order or a Child Arrangements Order (previously a Residence Order), then there are different types of assessment, with different criteria for your approval. All these assessments do have a lot of similarities, but you would be doing a different job according to what the legal arrangement was going to be.

The way that you would 'pass' the assessment (or 'be approved') would be different as well. If you were going to foster, then your report would go to the fostering panel. If it was SGO or CAO, then the report goes to court, although local authorities often have a permanency panel (or something similar) that considers the report first, though this isn't a legal requirement.

If it is a fostering approval, and it goes to panel, and your application for approval is turned down, then you can either complain or appeal using the council's own procedures, or appeal to an external Indepent Review Mechanism. You can see more details about the whole process of being assessed as a family and friends foster carer in our Advice Sheet 22: http://frg.org.uk/need-help-or-advice/advice-sheets

[mamma]

spoke to helpline thankyou for all your help today fingers crossed for wednesday

[mamma]

cazza irene i was a nerves wreck but answered all there questions, didnt ask me anthing that i thought may be negative. just about safe guarding and i truleyunderstand that. i said although ive never witnessed my son hurt anyone this has happed to my g/s some how, and ill abide by any rules put in place, verdict was not a fail not a pass but more info from assessor and im to go on the forsering training course, can any one tell me what this is called and abit about please, i still feel beat up but ill fight on with everything i have as i told my g/s s/w your having him to adopt out hes mine xxxxxxxxx

[mamma]

I already work in social care my house is used for respite for vunrable adults, ive done lots of training in safeguarding. i think its because its a family member they have to be extra sure ill safe guard my g/s i asked the assessor why she cried knowing shed be giving me a negative, she said empathy, she also lied to me, on our last meeting, she gave me the medical records to read, saying dont tell anyone ive showed you these. then at the panel the chair said assessor says she showed you the reports. people keep telling me to think like a social worker, i fear ill end up as hard hearted as they are with no empathy

[mamma]

does anyone know how long the fostering course is ? as its been 3 weeks since panel and ive heard nothing. im back in panel in 6 weeks x

[David Roth]

The Fostering Course is usually presented periodically throughout the year, when the fostering team has enough fostering applicants to run it. There will be quite a few other potential carers on the course, maybe a dozen or so, but sometimes up to twenty.

The course usually runs for about 6-8 sessions, of about 2-3 hours each. Sometimes they will be run once a week, but some local authorities might do them over a shorter period, e.g. by presenting two on a Saturday and one on an evening during the week. You'll need to ask your local authority for more details about how they run their own course.

If you're back at panel in six weeks, then you need to find out when the course will be running, and whether you will have completed it before that date.

Have you received a letter from the chair of the panel, formally confirming what they saw as being their concerns? I think the really important thing for you to have done will be to show that you have given consideration to the matters that the panel raised, and thought about how you could meet their concerns, particularly where they may have been worried about a child not being kept safe.

[mamma]

hi david not had minites back yet, but ive heard im not allowed them is this true ? they didnt tell me verballly what there concerns was, just that they all agreed not to give me a negative and to send me on this training

[David Roth]

Mamma, you wouldn't be given a complete set of the minutes of the meeting, which would include the discussion and decisions about other applicants and foster carers. They don't even have to give you a copy of the minutes of the discussion that was just about you. However, if a fostering panel has decided that you are not suitable to be a foster carer, the local authority should write to you, giving the reasons, and a copy of the fostering panel's recommendation. The requirement to inform you of the reason you were approved or not approved is in the Fostering Services Regulations 2011.

The Panel could conceivably say that they did not either approve you or not approve you, they delayed the decision. I still think you are entitled to get their decision to delay, and the reasons for it, in writing from them, as it is clearly the intention that when people go before a fostering panel, the decisions made about them should be as transparent as possible.