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FOR FOSTERING PANEL CHAIRS AND ADVISORS
We are delighted to invite all current Fostering Panel Chairs and Fostering Panel Advisors to a jointly hosted event by CoramBAAF and The Fostering Network. Our focus for this session is increasing and maintaining panel diversity. Our speaker for this event is Dr. Arlene Weekes.

FREE FOR MEMBERS
Ruth Copson will share findings from her doctoral research which explores how Family Time/contact for infants in Early Permanence placements is managed and experienced by those closely involved. The perspectives of birth parents, Early Permanence carers and practitioners will be shared with reflections on how infants respond to Family Time.

In many situations, the reality of the placement becoming unlawful speaks more to the limitations of the regulations themselves, than whether the placement is the best place for a child to live. In an effort to help practitioners navigate these challenges, we have published the following a practice note.

FREE FOR MEMBERS
As LGBTQ+ people are an ever-increasing proportion of adopters, it's crucial that adoption agencies and professionals adapt to the diverse needs and identities of prospective adoptive parents. New Family Social is the UK’s peer support charity for LGBTQ+ adopters, foster carers, and special guardians. Our presentation will shed light on the unique challenges and opportunities that trans, non-binary and gender diverse people experience within the adoption process. This presentation will equip adoption professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary to create an inclusive and supportive environment.

FREE FOR MEMBERS
Special guardians are usually family members or family friends who look after a child when the birth parent is deemed not able to, often due to the child being at risk of abuse or neglect despite interventions and support from social services. Michelle Hall's PhD explores the experience of contact from both the perspective of the special guardian and the birth parent. The study explores special guardians' experience and identifies three core areas of importance when managing contact with birth parents. This session will discuss each of those areas in depth, including how the findings may impact practice and the way we support special guardians with contact.

The responsibilities of a Chair can be considerable. Whereas some duties may be clearly outlined in related practice guidance along with the qualities that ensure effective chairing, not all Chair responsibilities are so helpfully detailed or provided. This workshop will explore general planning for and facilitation of panels and complex meetings in the children’s sector. It will explore time management and group facilitation whilst holding the child at the centre of thinking, recommendations and decision making. It will enable Chairs of meetings to consider good practice and approaches to effectively managing the flow of information, summarising and the formation of key action plans.

This two-day open course will provide practitioners and particularly those who may be new to undertaking, quality assuring or considering fostering assessments with an opportunity to develop knowledge, skills and practice in completing fostering assessments. This workshop may also provide a refresher for those wanting to reflect and build on knowledge skills and best practice in the completion of fostering assessments.

Panel advisors have a complex role in managing the relationship between the agency and the panel, quality assuring and feeding back to all involved in panel work. This open course will enable panel advisors to examine this role in detail and build on effective practice as they carry out their role and responsibilities including: quality assurance; inducting new panel members; contributing to the appraisals of panel members; feeding back issues to the agency and working with the agency decision maker. Case scenarios, group work and practice application will provide opportunities for panel advisors to address shared dilemmas and good practice.

The purpose of this open course is to give participants an opportunity to consider what good practice in assessing adult relationships is, exploring their own values and assumptions and to consider the importance of attachment styles; motivation; sex and sexuality; and loss and infertility.