Information Sharing Day

Normally in my region, the information sharing is done as two separate sessions, but lucky for me, they manage to book both in on the same day! Mine was held about a month after I was 'linked' and just under a month before my matching panel. (Linked 31st March, Info sharing day 28th April, Matching panel 23rd May)

1) Foster carer(s)

2) Nursery/School 

To quote some of the matching material "Relationships with people who care for them are the ‘golden thread’ running throughout a child or young person’s life. Whatever the route to permanence, professionals must work to match the developmental needs of the child with the caregiving required to meet them. There are many criteria to be considered but these should be viewed through the ‘lens’ of the quality of the child’s relationships."

Basically - I need to learn from those who are closest to littl'un. I know this might sound sensible, but it's good that seems thought through that this needs to start ASAP and that they're looking to also ensure that we're uncovering any concerns/queries that could affect the match.

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So what happened and how did it go?

Headline first - From my point of view (and that of my social worker from my chat with her), there was nothing that jumped out at me to cause me to change my mind/have any concern, but a lot of really useful information!

So, my social worker picked me up and kindly drove us down there.  We quickly grabbed some sandwiches for later before we headed in..

1) Foster Carer

The meeting was in a room of a community hub where a couple of the social workers were based. We were met at the door by the child's social worker and family finding social worker, who then led us through the quiet building to a room and quickly introduced to the foster carer and her social worker.

Another agency worker joined us via Teams to take notes! Making it 4 social workers, one admin, one foster carer and me!

They ran through the purpose "The purpose of these meetings is to bring together individuals who have significant knowledge and experience of [child] with the purpose of sharing this with [me!] thereby increasing the chance of a better outcome for the stability of the placement.

It collates a chronology and contextualised life story for [child]. 

It brings together the factual and emotional chronology of their life and assists in identifying areas that may require support going forward."

        (I've taken this verbatim from the notes)

We talked about

- what they were like when they first arrived at the foster carer's

- what they are like now

- likes/ dislikes

- attachments / style

- experience of nursery (in my case)

- favourite foods 

-potty training

- what they're like when dysregulated and what comforts them

- routines

- contact with birth family - who/how/how they've gone

- health and development

- I was also asked what, if any, other questions i might have for the foster carer 

I was asked to give a little detail about me and my life (for others - i'd recommend that this is something you think about in advance - how do you give a quick 2 minutes glimpse at who you are?)

We discussed what was scheduled to happen next in terms of dates for meetings and potential transitions etc.

I was given the 'homework' to create a welcome book with pictures of my home etc and to consider a transition toy.

 
*****

2) Nursery/School 

A quick snack in the car and off we went to the school, finding a spot to park, making a mental note that if successful, i'd be returning here during transitions! We went in and logged in, receiving a freshly printed sticker that used the login details and photo (i've kept this one!)

A friendly face came out to meet me, my social worker and the child's two social workers, introducing herself as the headteacher. We followed her into her office and the admin joined us via teams on the laptop. The administrator took notes in both meetings to share around later.

The headteacher spoke about

- how they were known in the school (nicknames, attitude, progress)

- how initial introductions and transitions went

- areas for development - she noted that the school had a private assessments and support, which made a big difference to the pupils (particularly due to wait times!) She recommended that it was worth checking whether potential schools/nurseries also had this facility.

 She ran through favoured activities, mobility, speech and language, any other development points.

We also discussed favourite colours, books and what the school uses for songs etc (e.g. they use Learning Station songs and Super Simple songs).

Usual behaviour, as well as dysregulated behaviour was discussed. interactions with adults and children, expectations and food. 

Finally for this part of the meeting, we discussed what they were like around contact visits and any advice for next steps/future education.. - this included noting their online system tracking the child's progress and that they are able to share this all with me. The headteacher was content to speak with the child's new school, or to offer phone/email support to me in the meantime. 

with the discussion part over - This led to my favourite part of the day...

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Observation

The headteacher took me and my social worker across the school to the nursery playground where I was able to observe my potential child, happy in her own environment and enjoying their world.

This was a bizarre experience for me, as it goes against my natural grain to not interact with a playground full of children, so i worked hard to do the equivalent of sitting on my hands and look on from the sidelines.

The headteacher was able to interact, but i largely stood back to just watch how they were with other children, what they sought out and just to get to see them in real life for the very first time.

Words can't do it justice, but I felt my heart grow to several times its previous size in that meeting.