My Placement May Be Breaking Down

Stability Meetings

When your placement is in difficulty and extra support may be needed, the fostering team manager will arrange a Stability Meeting. This meeting will make sure that everything is being done to support you and the children and young people living with you to manage any difficulties including using your support mechanisms to find a way forward.

Disruption / Unplanned Endings

Unfortunately, not all foster care placements work out. Disruption is the word used to describe a placement which ends before it was supposed to.

A disruption can also occur when Children’s Services feel the placement is no longer meeting the child’s needs, or you decide that you are no longer able to care for a child or the child decides they do not want to stay in the placement.

It is vital that for whatever reason the placement ended, you make the move for the child as positive as possible. (include link to Ending a Placement)

A Disruption Meeting will be arranged by the child's social worker and your supervising social worker and chaired by a Service Manager for Fostering.

These meetings may be held a little while after the actual disruption so that some of the immediate feelings of upset have reduced. The meeting will consider all aspects of the placement in an attempt to understand what happened. Disruption Meetings can sometimes feel threatening, but it is important to recognise that their purpose is not to blame anyone but to reach a better understanding of what happened, including whether more support should have been provided. Most carers who have been through a placement breakdown have found the Disruption Meeting helpful.

Who may attend:

• You;
• The child;
• Your supervising social worker and their manager;
• The child’s social worker and their manager;
• The proposed carer;
•  Any other relevant people.

The Chair of the meeting should ensure the circumstances that led to the disruption are reviewed, and that everyone has the opportunity to express their views in order to find out:

• How and why the disruption happened;
• To learn from what happened and avoid the same thing happening again - for the child/others in your home;
• All the positive work and good experiences for the child amongst all the difficulties;
• Support all parties involved and help them carry on and recover;
• To contribute to the future planning for the child;
• To identify work to be done and who will do it.

The Chair will make sure minutes are sent to all those involved. The report of the Disruption Meeting may be presented to the fostering panel.

A Child in Care Review should also be arranged.

A review may be held to look at your approval terms.