Placement Stability Meeting

A Placement Stability Meeting will be called when the placement of a child in foster care, residential or a semi-independence placement is considered to be at risk of disrupting.

Reasons to Call A Placement Stability Meeting?

• Concern is raised through the child’s, foster carer’s or units review process;
• Where an allegation or complaint has been made;
• The child or young person is absconding or being absent from placement on a regular basis;
• Where there is relationship fragility of the placement because the relationship between the child, foster carer or provider gives cause for concern that the placement may breakdown;
• The child or young person has made it known that they want the placement to end;
• The carer(s) / providers have expressed concerns that they are experiencing difficulties or that they feel they can no longer care for the child or young person;
• The child or young person’s social worker or other professionals raise concern that the placement does not meet the needs of the child or young person.

The Aim of a Placement Stability Meeting?

1. The aim Of a Placement Stability Meeting is to allow the Placement and Young Person to be able to Voice their concerns and stress. the number one aim is to prevent the placement to break down and lead into a Disruption Meeting. These may be related to activity or behaviours of the child, carers, birth family or other staff members. The principal focus must be the child’s welfare
2. It also focuses on the strengths if the placement and to Acknowledge and build upon these
3. to find solutions and to support carers and the young person to ultimately avoid the placement from breaking down. and to identify and provide resources to help make the placement stable Or,
4. To clarify if a planned Disruption is in the child’s best interest.

Who Can Attend the meeting?

• Child / Young Person;
• Child’s social worker;
• Foster carer(s) / key worker / provider;
• Supervising social worker;
• Fostering Manager;
• Other relevant professionals;
• Advocate for the Young person where appropriate

Some reasons that stability issues may occur in the placement.

Five factors appear to cause frequent placement moves:

• a change of social worker
• over-optimistic expectations
• placement breakdown, particularly for teenagers
• any policy or practice which generally discourages children from remaining fostered after the age of 17
• the child’s level of emotional disturbance and motivation to remain in the placement also appears to be a key factor.
• IRO (independent Reviewing Officer)
• Residential Team Leader
• Virtual School (if at School Age)

What’s Next: calling a disruption meeting.

if the placement continues to breakdown after the Placement Stability Meeting, it may be needed to arrange a Placement Disruption meeting. this signposts to the Social Worker and Local Authority that the placement Is on the verge of breaking down / or that the placement has broken down and that the meeting is needed to discuss and prevent similar placement breakdowns in the future.