Training & events programme

This course will provide guidance on how to conduct and chair these important meetings. 

This open course will explore issues and dilemmas in the Agency Decision Maker (ADM) role and provide a useful basis for self-audit and future decision making. It will be co-facilitated by a legal adviser, giving you the opportunity pose questions for some of the challenges you face as Agency Decision Maker. Please note this session is for those considering Best Interest Decisions for children as part of the care planning process.

Decision makers in fostering and adoption agencies have a vital but often under-explored role. Many decision makers describe finding themselves in the role with little or no preparation, and with few arenas locally to share dilemmas or discuss best practice. What is the best process for reaching a sound decision? How can you avoid it simply becoming a ‘rubber-stamping’ exercise? What is your role in relation to the quality assurance of the panel’s activities? How should a decision maker appraise a panel chair? What does a reasonable decision look like? How should it be conveyed?

Sibling assessments are complex and emotive for many. This course will offer a comprehensive approach to undertaking these important assessments. It will explore how assessing social workers can plan the assessment, identify the key contributors and ensure you can engage these contributors in the process. Most importantly it will explore how to gain the views of the children, observe sibling interactions, draw conclusions on the quality of sibling relationships as well as focusing on the individual needs of each child and of the sibling group.

The Child’s Permanence Report (CPR) is the primary document used by the agency decision maker to reach their decision that the child ‘should be placed for adoption’. The CPR also provides information for adoption panels to reach their recommendations when children are being placed for adoption with the consent of their birth parents.

This course will support social workers to understand the content, purpose and function of the Child’s Permanence Report (CPR), good practice in its undertaking and how it can be used to provide a full picture of each child’s journey and needs.

Attending court and giving evidence can be a daunting task for many social workers. Increasingly, children’ social workers, adoption social workers and managers are being called to give evidence on staying in touch plans, family-finding and matching when there is a care plan of adoption. This course is an opportunity to learn some key tips, hear advice directly from a legal advisor and practice giving verbal evidence.