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4.1.7 Disruption Policy

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

These procedures apply to all permanent placements made through adoption and fostering including children placed with kinship carers in a long term fostering arrangement that disrupts.


Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Legislation and regulatory requirements
  3. Departmental policy
  4. Placement Difficulties
  5. Procedures following a disruption
  6. Pre disruption meeting preparation
  7. Who should attend?
  8. Structure of the meeting
  9. The Chair's reports and minutes
  10. Procedures following receipt of the report from the Chair


1. Introduction

1.1 These procedures apply to all permanent placements made through adoption and fostering including children placed with kinship carers in a long term fostering arrangement that disrupts.
1.2 The term carers used throughout these procedures applies to foster carers, kinship carers, prospective adopters and adopters.
1.3 This policy should be read in conjunction with the Dealing with Disruption, a Good Practice Guide by Heidi Argent and Jeffery Coleman BAAF 2006 which gives an overview of research on factors that may lead to disruption and detailed practice guidance on facilitating disruption meetings for those responsible for chairing them.


2.Legislation and regulatory requirements

2.1 The Adoption and Children Act 2002, and its accompanying regulations, include certain specific requirements about adoption support services and disruptions. 
2.2 Regulation 36(10) of the Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005 states that where a placement disrupts and the child is returned to the agency, there must be a review of the child's case no earlier than 28 days, or later than 42 days, after the date on which the child is returned to the agency.  This is a formal reviewing requirement which will be met by arranging a Statutory Child Care review.  This runs alongside but is separate from the process of arranging a disruption meeting.
2.3 Ensuring support in cases of disruption is required under regulation 3(1) (f) of the Adoption Support Services Regulations 2005.  The following are prescribed adoption support services:
  2.3.1

Assistance where disruption of an adoptive placement or an adoption arrangement following the making of an adoption order has occurred, or is in danger of occurring, including:

  1. Making arrangements for the provision of mediation services and
  2. Organising and running meetings to discuss disruptions in such placements or arrangements
2.4 Although there is no equivalent statutory requirement to deal with disruption in foster carer, the same processes for adoption placements will be followed for children placed in permanent fostering placements.


3. Departmental policy

3.1 A disruption meeting will be held for all adoption and permanent fostering placements within one month of the placement disrupting.
3.2 Disruption Meetings of a pre adoption or adoption placement will be chaired by an independent chair.  Disruptions of a permanent fostering placement will be chaired by a team manager from the placement service or area teams
3.3 The purpose of the disruption meeting will be:
  3.3.1 To enable everybody to share information and feelings about the placement process, the placement and the disruption
  3.3.2 To identify issues which have led to difficulties and the disruption.  Disruption or difficulties are rarely the result of a single factor
  3.3.3 To interpret the current needs of all parties- the child, the foster carers, the birth family and the agency
  3.3.4 To highlight areas for development in practice
  3.3.5 Plan for future placements
3.4 The purpose of a disruption meeting is not to apportion blame, it is to learn from the experience and aid successful planning for the child. Disruption is never the result of what one party has done or left undone.  It is usually a combination of:
  3.4.1 Unidentified circumstances
  3.4.2 Misinterpreted circumstances
  3.4.3 Unpredictable circumstances
3.5 We can try to prevent disruption but we cannot eliminate it.  It is not always possible to get the match of a child and a new family right each time.  Some placements will disrupt.  It should not be a matter of failing or succeeding as carers, but of being given the tools to manage, and the support to withdraw if and when it is no longer possible to manage.


4. Placement Difficulties

4.1 Where a placement is in difficulty but has not quite reached its limits a placement support meeting could be convened by the supervising social worker or post adoption support worker.  Its purpose is:
  4.1.1 To demonstrate support for the carers and the child
  4.1.2 To move on and not get stuck
  4.1.3 To share and acknowledge feelings rather than apportion blame
  4.1.4 To identify issues leading to placement difficulties
  4.1.5 To agree the child and the carers' current needs
  4.1.6 To make plans to provide for additional support to meet these needs or to state clearly if any needs cannot be met
  4.1.7 To set time limits for action and dates to monitor progress
  4.1.8 To hear and understand the child's wishes and feelings
  4.1.9 To leave the door open for continuation or disruption
4.2 This meeting can be chaired by the supervising/post adoption social worker or their line manager and consideration given to inviting relevant people as detailed in section 7.


5. Procedures following a disruption

5.1 Wherever possible any move of the child should be planned and the carers involved in facilitating this move.  The child's social worker and the carers supervising social worker or post adoption support worker should agree with the carers:
  5.1.1 Who will say what, when and where to the child
  5.1.2 How gradual or abrupt will the actual move be
  5.1.3 Who will take or collect the child
  5.1.4 How will clothes and other belongings be transferred
  5.1.5 How will continuity for the child be maintained.
5.2 If there has been a placement support meeting before the disruption, the carers are less likely to demand an instant ending or to abandon the child at the office in a final act of desperation.   If the carers do not opt out of the process, the child will feel more valued and may begin to see the disruption as part of a continuing story
5.3 Once the child has moved his or her social worker will arrange a statutory child care review within 28 days of an adoption or permanent fostering placement disrupting .


6. Pre disruption meeting preparation

6.1 The child's social worker will liaise with the fostering or adoption team manager to identify a chair and then confirm a date and time for the disruption meeting. 
6.2 The social worker will liaise with the chair about who should be invited to this meeting (see section7) and about the length of the meeting.  Some disruption meetings will last the whole day, others will be shorter.  Refreshments should be provided including lunch when necessary and organised by the child's social worker.  This will be funded by Placement Services.
6.3 The child's social worker will organise a venue for the meeting which should be in a neutral setting and not at the carer's home.  They and the supervising social worker should also be available for advice and guidance about the proposed meeting.
6.4 If the disruption meeting is to be chaired by an independent chair the child's social worker should organise for someone to take the minutes.  When the meeting is chaired internally the team manager is responsible for organising a minute taker
6.5 The chair of the meeting is responsible for completing an agenda.  This will be sent to all participants with a letter confirming the time, date and venue of the meeting by the child's social worker.
6.6 The child's social worker and the carer's supervising social worker should provide the chair with information requested by them which could include:
  6.6.1 The child's permanency report of Form E
  6.6.2 The carer's Form F or prospective adopters report
  6.6.3 The Adoption Placement Report or the Foster Carers Agreement and record of agency follow up if relevant
  6.6.4 The matching report
  6.6.5 Minutes of the Adoption & Permanency Panel
  6.6.6 Outline of the Adoption Placement Plan, which should include the Introductions plan
  6.6.7 Adoption or Placement support plan including contact arrangements
  6.6.8 Inter agency agreements
  6.6.9 Summary of events prior to disruption and present situation.


7. Who should attend?

7.1 Everyone who has been involved before, during and after the placement should be invited.  This should include:
  7.1.1 The carers and anyone they wish to bring to provide them with support
  7.1.2 The child's social worker and their line manager
  7.1.3 Supervising social worker or the post adoption support worker
  7.1.4 Family finder and family finder's manager
  7.1.5

Anyone else who played a part in the placement or has a particular interest or knowledge in the child/young person, for example:

  1. Members of the birth family
  2. Teachers
  3. Therapists
  4. Psychologists
  5. Professionals involved in supporting the carers or child
7.2 The child's participation in the disruption meeting
  7.2.1 It is crucial that the child's wishes and feelings about the placement are ascertained and considered at the meeting.  The child can be invited for all or part of the meeting where this is felt to be appropriate, but this will be dependent on the child's age and understanding.
  7.2.2 If children are to participate they will need careful participation by their social worker.  They will also have to be fully aware of their own history as well as the purpose and aims of the disruption meeting.   They should know who will be there and what will be discussed and they should have an informal chat with the Chair before the meeting begins.
  7.2.3 Alternatively if it if felt that the child might not be able to manage the meeting, the chair can offer to see the child separately to help ascertain their views.
  7.2.4 If children are too young, too distressed, or to fragile to be directly involved, it may still be important for them to know who will tell their story and how it will be presented.  Their feelings and wishes can be brought to the meeting by, for example their social worker or other trusted adult.  Alternatively the child can send written information to the meeting. 


8. Structure of the meeting

8.1 The Chair will be responsible for structuring the meeting the meeting which is likely to consider the following factors.
  8.1.1 The child's progress in the birth family: attachment patterns and behaviour, quality of parental care, physical, emotional and intellectual health and development and identify formation


9. The Chair's reports and minutes

9.1 Minutes
  9.1.1 An accurate set of minutes of the meeting, capturing as much of the verbatim discussions as possible will be needed as an objective detailed record.
  9.1.2 The purpose of these minutes is to provide a full account for the agency of everybody's contributions to the meeting and the Chair's comments and conclusions as expressed in the meeting.
  9.1.3 It should be agreed at the meeting whether the parties would like a copy of the minutes as well as the Chair's report.
9.2 Report
  9.2.1 An interpretative overview report should be produced by the Chair.  This should follow the sequence of issues set out in the agenda that will have shaped the meeting's proceedings.  The template at the back of this policy can be used and adapted as required
  9.2.2

The report should differentiate between facts and professional opinion.  The report should be designed as a tool to help those given access to it to reflect upon 'why' and not just 'what' in the disruption process and should consider

  1. What did the meeting contribute to an understanding of how and why this placement disrupted?
  2. How far did the meeting provide an opportunity to hear and validate the experiences of all key participants?
  3. Did the meeting generate learning points that need to be highlighted in relation to factors concerning the child, the carers, the agency or any other parties to the disruption?
  4. Are there action points, either agreed and noted at the meeting, or now recommended by the Chair, to be set out for implementation and review?
  5. Are there implications from the meeting in relation to future planning for the child?
  6. Has the child's voice been heard directly or adequately represented?


10. Procedures following receipt of the report from the Chair

10.1 The child's social worker is responsible for sending copies of the report to all participants.
10.2 The Chair should organise for the report to be taken to the Adoption & Permanency Panel.
10.3 If there is an Independent Chair the Fostering or Adoption Team Manager should organise in consultation with the Chair for the report to be presented at the Adoption & Permanency Panel.

End