The parental voice in continuing care panels
Up to Children's continuing care - good practice
While the views of parents and carers are often recorded in the decision support tool paperwork, I wonder if any panels offer parents a more direct way of participating in the discussion about continuing care - either through an attendance slot at the panel meeting or via a pre-meeting conversation?
Hi, I make a point of gathering the parents story, getting their views and those of their child or on behalf of their child and documenting these throughout the DST. I always explain that information gathered from them whilst essential is not "evidence" and that this is gathered from independent sources and that it is expected that this will support their story, although sometimes it may not. I will also go through the domains either with them during the information gathering or later at an MDT. Whilst parents may attend an MDT they do not decide domains but of course their views will be taken on board and any differences discussed. I'm not sure there is a place for parents at Panel which is meant to be made up of Professionals who are Independent and not involved with the child. I would be interested in hearing what you feel a pre meeting conversation or panel attendance could add which shouldn't have have already been heard and documented. I could imagine occasions where this may not go well...
Thanks, Julia. I think I agree with you about the challenges that inviting parents to panel might throw up. I posed the question in relation to a request from a family in very specific circumstances. They were offered a separate meeting with a panel member prior to the panel itself - which I hope they found useful - but it's the first time we had been asked, so I wondered whether or not other areas had processes in place to facilitate this.
