Fostering Panel
FCA has established regionally based fostering panels, each of which is made up of members with a wide range of relevant knowledge, skills and experience – and come from a wide range of backgrounds.
This includes having three FCA staff on each panel (two social workers and a senior manager), and other panel members who are independent of FCA. Some will have relevant professional backgrounds and others will have relevant life and care experience, including experience of being fostered or being a foster carer. In addition to each panel's collective expertise, members also have access to specialist medical and legal advice as required.
The main functions of an FCA fostering panel are:
- To consider applications to foster and make recommendations about the suitability of applicants. This also includes making recommendations about the number, age range and backgrounds of the children or young people placed with carers.
- To review the continued suitability of FCA foster carers. All foster carers must be reviewed at least every 12 months, as part of the foster carer review. The FCA fostering panels consider all first reviews, and reviews due to major changes in foster carers' circumstances, or following any serious complaint or allegation against the foster carer.
- To provide a quality control function through advising on FCA policies, procedures and good professional practice in assessing and supporting foster carers to care for children and young people.
Decisions about approval, refusal, or alteration/termination of approval of foster carers are made by an FCA "Agency Decision Maker" (usually the FCA Regional Manager) following consideration of panel recommendations.
Each FCA region/country has a panel information booklet that will tell you more about the membership of their fostering panel.
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