Guidance for Placement Disruption Meetings

Placements break down through a combination of factors. The objective of a Disruption Meeting is to look at the sequence of events and to learn from the experience (see Appendix 3: Guidance for Disruption Meetings (Fostering)).

All participants need to know that the process is not an exercise in apportioning blame but a way of identifying why this happened and to avoid disruptions in the future.

A Disruption Meeting will examine whether the placement was appropriate.

A Disruption Meeting also examines whether appropriate resources were provided to enable the placement to continue.

It offers the different agencies involved with the child/young person a chance to talk through the reasons for the disruption.

A Disruption Meeting could identify trends and patterns that would contribute to a future Care Plan for the specific child or children as well as more general learning points for the agency/agencies concerned.

The Permanence/Placement Stability Group will monitor placement disruption and ensure lessons are learned/disseminated.

The term 'disruption' refers to a placement that has ended in an unplanned manner.

A Disruption Meeting must be convened for all children who are matched with foster carers who experience an unplanned move. A disruption meeting must be chaired independently by an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) when a disruption occurs which is complex and requires an independent chair. All other disruption meeting should be chaired by an independent fostering team manager.

A Disruption Meeting should be considered by the child's IRO and Fostering Team Manager in the following circumstances.

• When a child experiences two unplanned placement endings in a 12 month period;
• When foster carer/s experience two unplanned placement endings in a 12 month period;
• When a foster carer ends the placement without notice;
• When a foster carer ends a placement when it is not part of the child's care plan. These meetings will be chaired by a Team Manager in the Fostering Service.

A disruption meeting should usually be held within 4-6 weeks of the placement disruption. It is important to strike a balance between the meeting taking place too soon after the disruption, when participants may be defensive, or too long after the disruption, when participants may be less open to considering issues or have rationalised events.

NOTE: The above timescale may occasionally need to be adjusted to enable key participants to attend.

The Fostering Supervising Social Worker will organise the Disruption Meeting, in conjunction with the Child's Social Worker and identified chairperson.

The Fostering Supervising Social Worker will invite participants to the meeting (see Appendix 1: Disruption Meeting Minutes).

Consideration needs to be given to the number of active participants and whether they need to attend throughout the meeting. The emotive nature of disruption meetings does however mean that it can be unhelpful for a number of people to move in and out of the meeting, particularly if the carers involved in the disruption are present. Attendance options should be discussed with the Independent Chair.

Following is a list of suggested relevant people to attend the Disruption Meeting:

• Chair Person;
• Child's Social Worker or Young Persons Advisor;
• Team Manager;
• Fostering Supervising Social Worker;
• Minute taker;
• Foster Carers involved in the Disruption;
• School - current and previous, especially the school, attended during the disrupted placement - for part of meeting to share information. Written report can be provided;
• School Nurse / Health Visitor - for part of meeting to share information. Written report can be provided;
• All agencies involved with the child/young person (eg. Full Circle & Community Support, if applicable);
• Child / Young person if appropriate.

If there are not sufficient key participants with relevant information available to attend the disruption meeting the Chair Person will decide whether the meeting should be rearranged.

It may be appropriate to invite the child/young person for part of the meeting.

If a young person does not an attend agreement must be reached about who is most appropriate to elicit the child's views directly from the child (e.g. Social Worker, Advocate, Chair etc.).

The child's view should cover the following:

• What did the child/young person think was best about the placement?
• What did the child/young person like least about the placement?
• How did the child/young person feel about leaving the placement?
• What is the child/young person's understanding of why they had to leave the placement?

Essential Information to be provided to the Chair of the Disruption Meeting.

The following should be provided to the Chair of the Disruption Meeting.

• Last Foster Carer Review documentation. Fostering Supervising Social Worker Disruption Meeting Report;
• Any previous Disruption Meeting Minutes, that either the child or the carer has experienced;
• Chronology of events leading up to the disruption and the support that was provided;
• Form F.

The following should be provided by Child's Social Worker

• Last CLA Review Documentation, including the Care Plan;
• Placement Plan;
• Any up to date and relevant assessments;
• Child's chronology from birth;
• Chronology of events leading up to the disruption and the support that was provided;
• Child's Permanence Report (for permanent placements only);
• Matching Report.

The Fostering Supervising Social Worker and the Child's Social Worker will ensure that the foster carer has all the written information 5 working days before the meeting. The Fostering Supervising Social Worker and child's Social Worker should provide each other with reports, their respective managers too with the reports.

The written information should be provided to the Chair Person 5 working days before the Disruption Meeting.

The format of the meeting will follow the CoramBAAF guidelines:

• Information from partner agencies, eg education and health;
• Child's life prior to becoming looked after;
• Reason for care episode;
• Selection process of the carers/placement;
• Introduction process to the carers;
• The recruitment, training and preparation of the carers;
• The consideration of the carer(s) by the Adoption or Fostering Panel;
• Care Planning process (including outcomes of Core and other assessments);
• Chronology of events leading to the disruption;
• Why the placement does not meet the child/young person's needs;
• What could have made the placement work?
• Was the LA reviewing and Foster Carer reviewing process robust?
• Identification of disruptive patterns;
• Disruption and subsequent events;
• Future Care Planning;
• Learning Points;
• Conclusion and Recommendation.

See Appendix 2: Disruption Meeting Agenda.

The notes of the meeting will be taken by Fostering Business Support. They will be sent to the Chair Person to check within 14 working days. The Fostering Business Support will send the final notes to all participants to check for accuracy within 7 working days.

The record of the meeting will be distributed by the Chair Person via Fostering Business Support to all parties within the 28 days of the meeting. All amendments will be sent to the Chair who will amend as required. The final notes will be circulated to all participants by Fostering Business Support.

The Chair Person should be contacted within 5 days to any disagreements about the notes and decision of the meeting.

The Fostering Business Support will ensure the Final Record of Disruption Meeting is distributed to all parties.

Following the meeting a discussion between Fostering, Team Manager and Operations Manager will take place regarding:

• Payment of carers;
• Whether a foster carer review is needed;
• Whether the issues need to be considered by Fostering Panel.

The Fostering Team Manager will ensure the lessons to be learned from the Disruption Meeting are shared at Placement Stability / Permanence Review Meeting.

The Placement Stability Permanence Review will produce an annual Learning the Lessons Action Plan.

Click here to view Appendix 1: Disruption Meeting Minutes.

Click here to view Appendix 2: Disruption Meeting Agenda.

Click here to view Appendix 3: Guidance for Disruption Meetings (Fostering).