Panels

Review Panels are set up to be entirely independent of your agency.

No panel member will have any previous association with your case. When you receive your papers for the panel it will include a list of panel members and you will have the opportunity to tell us if you believe a particular review panel member does have a conflict of interest.

Locations of the Review Panel meeting

Panel meetings are now held virtually via Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

Members on the Review Panel

There is a central list of panel members who have been appointed on the basis of their skills, qualifications and experience. They include both professionals and lay members with personal experience of fostering and adoption. The profile of each panel member will be provided to you ahead of the Review Panel.

Review of a fostering determination

The panels considering these cases will have a minimum membership of 5 people. All
panel members will have professional or personal experience of fostering or adoption.

Each panel will include at least:

• Two social workers with the required level of experience in child care social work including direct experience of fostering work
• Three other persons from the central list including where reasonably practicable, at least one who is or within the previous two years has been a local authority foster parent

Professional Advice to Panels

This will be provided by a professional adviser who will be an experienced social worker with appropriate skills, experience. and knowledge of both adoption and fostering legislation and practice.

The panel may, where it considers it appropriate be advised by any of the following advisers who must be members of the central list:

1. a legal adviser with knowledge and expertise in adoption and fostering legislation
2. a registered medical practitioner with relevant expertise in adoption or fostering work, whichever is appropriate to the qualifying determination being considered
3. any other person whom panel considers has relevant expertise in relation to the determination being considered

A Chair with the relevant skills and experience will be appointed to each review panel.

A Panel Secretary will be present to make a record of the meeting.