On the completion of the assessment, you will be invited to attend a Panel Meeting. The members of the independent foster care panel will carry out the final checks before making a recommendation to Excel Fostering about your suitability to become a foster carer.
Panel members will have already read your assessment report before your panel meeting. Prior to you joining the meeting the panel will have discussed your assessment and the chair will have enabled members to ask questions about the information.
All independent fostering agencies are required to work with an independent foster care panel of people. These experienced and objective panels meet regularly to provide feedback on the suitability and capability of potential foster carers. and current foster carers working with Excel Fostering.
The panel chair will ask panel members for comments and queries on the report and accompanying documents that may require further clarification, which will have been submitted to them by the assessing social worker. During your panel meeting you will be asked questions about your application and the process.
After your meeting with the panel is completed you will usually be provided with verbal feedback on the panel’s recommendations. Bear in mind that the foster panel’s recommendation is not final – and the decision remains with your foster care agency. Agencies do however take the panel’s recommendation into account when deciding whether to approve new foster carers.
The panel’s recommendations and the meeting minutes will be sent to the agency decision-maker for final consideration and approval. The recommendations and minutes are normally agreed within 5-10 working days of the panel meeting.
The Agency Decision Maker is tasked with making the decision about whether you are suitable to be approved or reapproved as foster carers for the agency or whether, for some valid reason, your approval should be terminated. In most cases, the agency decision-maker accepts the recommendation provided by the panel.
To find out more about becoming a foster carer, contact our team of fostering advisors today.
If you’ve got any questions or would like to find out more about fostering with Excel Fostering, fill out the form below.
An experienced fostering advisor from your local area will then be in touch.
Start the conversation today. Our team of friendly advisors are on hand to answer any foster care questions you may have. We can offer you honest and practical advice that can help you decide if becoming a foster carer is the right path for you.
