Through the chair?

Adoption, Fostering, Permanence and Kinship Care Panels are an essential part of the adoption and fostering services of statutory, voluntary and independent providers. They not only fulfill statutory requirements under the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 and its regulations, but can also consider fundamentally important issues such as permanent plans for children. They can also provide their agencies with an invaluable overview of planning and policy matters that address the range of services for Looked After and adopted children and substitute carers.

The chair of the panel, therefore, carries a significant responsibility to ensure that statutory duties are discharged, full consideration is given to each case and that the meetings are conducted efficiently and in a manner which enables everyone’s participation.

This workshop is designed to help panel chairs clarify the various components of this important role and to look at various models of running panel meetings. It also aims to explore some of the contentious issues which arise in this crucial area of work.