SGO assessment and panel

[JYHJ4]

I am currently fostering my neice as a intrem care order has been put in place. I am in the final process of SGO assessment but the fostering placement runs out in July and the court hearing is not until August. Their was talk about extending this but due to assessment nearly been complete they mentioned it looks like it will go to panel. Will I get a recommendation from the assessment still or will the recommendation come from panel now? What can I expect to happen during panel? The SGO assessment was very intrusive will panel be the same? Just looking for some advice of what to expect. Thanks.

[Robin D]

Hi JYHJ4 and welcome here.

I have never known a foster placement to run out. Of the about 50 foster placement we have had, only three were short term, one to cover the mother being in hospital for an operation, another was a child with an infection that needed specific care, and the last was three children that came for a one week holiday and they never went back home! As it happened all of those went on much longer that the initial plan, but the placement did not 'end' so I am am a little confused. I suggest speaking to the social worker to get clarification, but I cannot see how if an SGO is being progressed, that your niece will be moved.

Equally I have never been asked or allowed to attend a 'panel'. Unless things have changed in the last few years, these usually hear several cases in one meeting. It's effectively an oversight of the social workers decision and is based on the reports prepared by them. It's always been a significant procedural step for the social worker dealing with a placement, but as far as the carer is concerned is a bit of a non-entity. On a couple of occasions we did not know that it was going panel on a specific day and only knew when notified that we had 'passed'. When we first took a child for adoption half a century ago, the social worker called to give us the good news that we had passed panel and we had absolutely no idea what it was at that time.

I believe you should always be told the outcome of the social worker assessment.

I am sure @Suzie the FRG advisor will reply with better and more current information.

Best wishes .... Robin

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

I am currently fostering my neice as a intrem care order has been put in place. I am in the final process of SGO assessment but the fostering placement runs out in July and the court hearing is not until August. Their was talk about extending this but due to assessment nearly been complete they mentioned it looks like it will go to panel. Will I get a recommendation from the assessment still or will the recommendation come from panel now? What can I expect to happen during panel? The SGO assessment was very intrusive will panel be the same? Just looking for some advice of what to expect. Thanks.

Dear JYHJ4,

Welcome to the kinship carers’ forum and thank you for your post. I can see that you have had some helpful advice from Robin D already, and I hope the following information will also be helpful.

As Robin D has already mentioned, foster placements do not ‘run out’ and if the SGO assessment is ongoing then it would be most likely that your niece will remain in your care whilst the SGO assessment is completed. I would suggest that you contact the social worker to ask them for clarification about what they have told you.

Again, as Robin D has explained, carers are not invited to panels. The purpose of the panel is to ensure that senior managers within the local authority are aware of the SGO applications and for those managers to review the social worker’s assessment and recommendations. The social worker should let you know the outcome of their assessment and provide you with a copy of the written documents.

I hope that this is of some help. Please post again if you have any further queries or you can call our free, confidential adviceline on 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 3pm). We also have a webchat which is currently open on Monday and Thursday afternoons.

Best wishes,
Suzie

[JYHJ4]

Thank you. The placement was put in place for the assessment period to be carried out, originally this was due to be carried out until July but the court date has now been put in place for August. They said an extension of 8weeks can normally be put in place if they needed more time to finish the assessment but our assessment will be completed by july (as just waiting on final report) so that is why they have mentioned panel. During my kinship training they informed me that I would have to attend the panel. Unfortunately the allocated social work is not much support and is extremely hard to make contact, I feel my concerns are not listened to or addressed. My assessing social worker on the other hand is amazing and I will raise my concerns with her and ask further questions regarding panel on our next visit.
Thanks