Family Rights Group | Kinship carers’ Forum

Hi, update, our assessments is nearly completed and assessor said everything is looking positive and no reason grandson won't be coming to us, she said she will be looking to book us onto panel beginning of July, she said that she wouldn't put us to panel if she didn't expect positive result, however is this true, also she has to submit ipapers to court regarding this by end of this month, does the judge always agree with her assessment and what will happen next

Dear Devotedgrandma,

I am glad that the assessment is going so well and you must be very relieved.

Fostering panel

Irene is right to say that the social worker wouldn’t take the assessment of you to the fostering panel if she did not think you would be successful. Here is some more information about the
fostering panel


Court proceedings

The court and all the party’s (children services, the parents and the cafcass guardian and anyone else who may have been made a party to the proceedings) will get a copy of the assessment of you.)
The assessment document will go with all the statements and reports into the court bundle.
Sometimes one of the partys or the judge might want further clarification about some of the information in the assessment but these questions are likely to be directed at the social worker in the first instance.
The assessment follows a standard form so that really all the important matters should be covered but sometimes details are missed.
Ask for a copy of the assessment, before it goes to panel just to ensure that everything is accurate. If there are any factual errors or information missing you can raise it with the social worker. It is easier to amend the assessment now rather than later on.

If you have any questions, please post back.

Best wishes Suzie

Thankyou all for your reply, I am just so scared, we are our grandsons only chance as far as we are aware, courts did ask about anyone else but there's only paternal grandma who has never met my grandson or his mum and biological dad never met child or wanted anything to do with grandson unfortunately he was only 1 night stand. Will we have to attend court when papers etc are presented as nobody giving us answers, is the result totally dependent on panel or can judge etc refuse. Our assessor said eventhiugh there have been issues in past with brining up our stepdaughter they can see we all worked things out and assessment is positive as is viability. I just wish I had something positive to look on as so scared.

Hi. I am so worried. Our assessment is complete and assessor dtill says it's positive and awaiting panel.date,however just seen latest contact reports and I feel this will be bad for us as contact worker says we don't set bounderies for grandchild re behaviour. He's not naughty just silly and sometimes will spit his food out but as I've explained to SS the worker jumps in before we can and will be awkward her telling him and us, also he likes to be in his bedroom here but on one occasion we encourage him to cone downstairs and play this was only because felt we couldn't stay up there with worker stood on landing. Will the courts see this badly

I just feel,that everything we do is wrong, we encourage good manners however they're are times he is silly when eating etc but as say contact worker alway comments first. Even we seem to be wrong saying we'll play downstairs rather than CW stood upstairs.Just wish I had someone to talk to

Hi Devotedgrandma

How are things going? Any news yet on a panel date?

Hope all is continuing to go smoothly.

Suzie

Hi, no news on panel date still, assessor says paperwork with foster team but wish they'd hurry and get us to panel, also grandchild guardian from court wants to observe our contact is this normal as its another person who will be at contact aswell as contact worker and worry in case grandson begins to feel anxious as other professionals are at our home for contact

Me and my wife went to a fostering panel and thought we did very well, only to find out that we were voted down by something like 15-0, we could not believe it, stunned. However, we did appeal and had to go to another panel in London, we got asked the same sort of questions and won the case to be foster parents by a 15-0 vote, there were also many criticisms of the local authority but just shows you to never give up.

Dear swampydrill

Thank you very much for your post. I would just like to agree with ied53’s “well done” and thank you for letting other relatives know that there can be successful outcomes to fostering panel appeals.

Best wishes

Suzie