LAC review/Core group meetings?

[Cazzmags]

Hi everyone, need some advice please we've only been fostering 3 months.....although it feels so much longer! Could anyone clarify the difference between LAC reviews and Core group meetings and also tell me who should attending each meeting?

My reason for asking is that I have been asked to attend a lac review in a couple of weeks time in the morning and then attend a core group meeting the same day but 3 hours later and 15 miles away! I assumed (probably wrongly) that the same people would be at both meetings so why would they not combine the two meetings? Bizarrely LO's social worker is on leave so won't be attending either although I foolishly thought her being there was sort of mandatory?

Thanks

[nightshade]

different province to yourself, but the lac review is the statutory required meeting which should involve the wider group of professionals involved with a child.

in my experience, the core group meeting is usually for the smaller group of people immediately involved with a child and is used to work out the finer details of any recommendations made by the lac review, not a statutory meeting, but good practice.

does seem slightly strange that it has been convened directly after lac, but possibly they are ancipating that there will be some fine detail to wotk out. as to the location, it does seem strange, but possibly to accomodate another professional who has to be elsewhere at that time?

[SquidgyBrain]

we have LAC reviews and network meetings, for us the difference is similar to what nighthshade says,

LAC are statutory they are chaired by a CARO worker who is a social worker from a different department who basically oversea the case and ensure good practice and to provide a unbiased view/input they will also set tasks for any of the attendees - usually the parents and the social worker longer term goals are usually looked at and the progress towards them they tend to be 3 to 6 monthly

Network are not statutory, and are chaired by the senior social worker and the rehabilitation contract is usually reviewed we have monthly network meetings

the senior does not usually attend the LAC reviews

ideally the meetings should have been when the social worker was there but she will just submit a report. I will probably not be able to attend the network meeting at the end of the month, and have been told that is ok and I have just to give a report to his social worker. I have seen a LAC review go ahead without the parents present! (they were about 20 mins late and they were given a very brief overview of what had happened)

[NanaNina]

LAC reviews are held every 6 months and are statutory, to review how the past 6 months have been and make any plans necessary for the future of the child. They are chaired by Independent Reviewing Officers though are called different things as SB talks about a CARO worker (probably means the same things) It is important for foster carer to be there as you will have important information on the child to contribute.

Core group meetings are meetings to follow up on child protection plan to ensure that the plan is being carried out and moving forward in the way intended.