A bit fed up.

[MissVerinder]

We've applied for fostering, and are soooo close www.mumsnet.com/Talk/fostering/1129113-Panel-Questions but it's ground to a halt again. Basically, we missed our original panel date in December because the paperwork apparently wasn't up to speed.

Since the last thread, ASW is now (seriously) ill, but has given our paperwork to someone else, who has said it's fine.

Any clues as to what happens next? I last heard from ASW 10 days ago saying everything is good for the paperwork, and that the SASW will probably have to go to panel with us.

What is going on? Nobody told us ASW was ill, nobody from the company has called/written in the last 10 days, no e-mails, nothing at all. It has now been 14 months since the first SW visit.

I feel like calling them up and telling them not to bother.

Hang in there - it is one of the parts of fostering that is infuriating. Sadly there are serious shortness of staff money ect which causes problems like this.

Just remember that it will be worth it in the end, never nice feeling like you are the lowest priority, trust me I have had to deal with that one a good few times, and the waiting is horrid :(

MissVerinder - are you applying to foster with the LA or an IFA. Obviously your ASW going off sick has caused a problem. All the other social workers are probably overloaded with work (most of them are these days). I am assuming you have seen your Form F and there is a positive recommendation. If that is the case, you are waiting to go to Fostering Panel. There is also a problem there, because panels are usually held monthly and there are more sws trying to book slots on the panel than there is time for, so you have to wait till the next panel. Some LAs run panels twice monthly but it does depend on the LA.

You say no-one told you the ASW was ill but you clearly found this out from someone, presumably you chased the LA or IFA. You say no one has called in 10 days - I know it is frustrating but you must realise how social workers are completely overloaded with work and that is before these cuts are going to be made. You say 14 months since the first visit and we usually tell people it could take around 12 months. I have seen people posting on here that have been waiting 2 years plus which is not really acceptable.

I am concerned that you say you feel like telling them "not to bother" because if you do get approved you will feel many more frustrations as Squidgybrain says. If you think everything is going to run like clock work you may need to think again whether this is for you.

Instead of waiting for phone calls, you will need to contact the social workers. I can't tell you how many times I have gone home at 7.00 pm in the evening with many many calls left unanswered because there haven't been enough hours in the day.

Hope things get resolved, and in an ideal world you would not have to wait for things to happen, but I'm afraid this is the reality.

I agree If you do decided to go ahead their is lots of social worker hunting that gose on they don't usually tell you their off sick and often will have to chase them and will often have a duty sw turn up to meeting who you have never laid eyes on before of just have meetings cancelled last minutae if your looking fir a slick smooth running beast this is not it

I call it planned chaos

A foster carers role is very demanding - but very worthwhile. I love caring for the children. The social workers and other proffessionals involved in the planning for the child have to be tolerated. Sorry if I come across as being negative. I am beginning to think I have been a foster carer for too long. It does not get any better. Patience is a virtue

I have asked myself many times if I would be better off stacking shelves at Tesco. But I continue to foster - because there is no better gratification than turning a childs life around.

Go for it. You have come this far.

nananina It's an IFA. I found out the ASW was ill, because I e-mailed her to ask if our answers to the supplemental questions were ok, and she replied she'd just had an operation! I felt a right numpty, and very guilty that I'd bothered her and she was on sick leave!

We were all set for panel- I think, just no date but we haven't seen the from F yet though. I am under no illusions about how short staffed they are and that the system runs as well as a chocolate engine! I'm starting to think that I haven't helped myself by waiting for them to call me. I'm just hyper aware they've got better things to do than listen to me whining and I feel a bit selfish about it. If I was calling up on behalf of a little one, I'd have the phone superglued to my ear! I don't know if you see what I mean
squidgy, maypole and fishtank I can't wait to get approved to be honest. Part of why I am so frustrated is that everything is ready! The house is ready, I am ready- everyone is poised for it, and then you see on the news that children are waiting and desperate for foster homes while we're sitting here, waiting for them! I know it's not a brilliant system and that there's so many hoops for us to jump through to make sure the little ones get the right foster carers, but it's just so frustrating!
I think I'm feeling a bit mardy at the moment because I called them yesterday and the guy who answered just didn't listen to what I was saying and put me through to completely the wrong person.
I don't want you all to think I'm an impatient wuss and I'd be rubbish at this. I really can't wait to get started!

OP - look on the waiting as training for the real thing. We are registered with a LA to take 3 placements and have not 1 at the moment. We have had to wait for up to 6 months in previous years.

I'm beginning to wonder if the whole "10,000 more foster carers needed" headline, is just a load of twaddle.

But, I've heard today of a neighbouring council desperate for carers so I wish some new think tank would come up with a national register of carers which would also allow for better matching of children and carers. Then hopefully registered carers wouldn't have long fallow periods between placements.

Fostering, your suggestion is exactly what I have been saying since I started fostering - the national register thing. It's ridiculous that one borough can be using agencies as they're desperate for carers whilst the one next door has carers waiting for placements. It's also ridiculous that my LA pays only £200 per week, yet the one next to me pays up to £500... (wish I'd done my research better before I chose my LA!!!)

Miss Verinder - I am very surprised that you are having this trouble with an IFA as they are usually very on the ball, as they are a business and need to get carers approved asap. I was absolutely sure you were describing an LA as they are much more overloaded with work that IFA's that's for sure. It doesn't bode well.

Can I ask what age range you are considering. It's just that if you are thinking of under 5's it is unlikely that you will get many placements as LAs don't usually have any trouble in placing these children. Also LAs are unable to meet the high fees that the IFAs charge and because their budgets are being cut to the bone, they will bring iFA children back into the LA carers as soon as there is a vacancy. Don't want to put you off and there are several people who foster on here for IFAs and seem ok. The thing is there are large numbers of children waiting for foster homes but there are small numbers of social workers who are able to deal with the cases, and that is the problem. Obviously they have to deal with child protection cases but they don't have the time to recruit and assess. IFAs are usually very quick to do so!

So would it be possible for someone to set up a non profit making business to screen potential carers then hold them on a national register for LA's to access?

Then payments could be evened out across the country and LA's wouldn't have to use the expensive IFAs.

I can't begin to anticipate the problems but perhaps if we discussed them here we could collectively start the ball rolling?

Sorry Miss Verinder, I will start another thread not sabotage yours!

Phew fostering - think you've beaten me with your proposal! To be honest I am surprised that there are some LAs with significant numbers of vacancies. There already exists an inter-agency policy (used for fostering and adoptio). Where fostering is concerned it was common practice to contact neighbouring authorities to see if they had a vacancy as this is, as you say less expensive that an IFA. I can never recall any LAs offering us vacancies and even when we made the call we knew we were on a hiding to nothing. Likewise if other LAs phoned us and we did have a vacancy, we would be very loathe to let it go, as we knew we would need it maybe the next day and if we had given it away we would be having to use an IFA.

When you say a non profit making business (which I think is something of a contradiction in terms) as all businesses are profit making! Applicants would have to be assessed by a qualified social worker and approved (or not) by a fostering panel that adhered to all the Fostering Regulations, which are very comprehensive. I know a lot of LAs don't adhere to them all as it isn't possible, but you'd need to start out wanting to adhere to them IFYSWIM.
Have no idea how this could be done honestly.

Really the issue is finance, because each LA has a budget and it is up to them how they spend it. If "someone" held this register and finance was shared out around the country, "someone" would in fact be spending money of any LA - to pay for the placement.
This would mean that LAs would not be in charge of their own budgets.
Would be a bit like you and me spending the next door neighbour's money if you see what I mean!! Nothing's simple is it.

There is of course the Journals (BAAF) and Adoption UK who advertise children who are needing a permanent home either by way of permanent fostering or adoption. I'm sure you know that these are the children that LAs cannot place, large sibling groups, chdrn with disabilities, very damaged children with challenging behaviour etc. In this way the inter agency system works well because if an approved carer in Halifax is interested in a child whose LA is Somerset (say) then Somerset pay Halifax for the placement, and there are special rates for "inter-agency" fees.

Don't let me stop you all putting your heads together but money is at the top and bottom of everything sadly.

NanaNina, have started a new thread about this topic.
Have had 2 empty placements for 6 months and now 3 empty placements for 3 weeks working for a LA who do not like to be challenged with a carer who asks "why?"