[Withay]

This sounds much like what is known as a Citizens Review Board in my area. This is a meeting that includes a 3-person panel of specially trained citizens, a person who takes notes, the childs cw, the parents, the parents attorneys, the childs attorney and the foster parent. Everyone sits around a table and it is pretty informal. I always try to sit by either the cw or the childs attorney.

One person on the CRB panel asks questions regarding the case and each person in the room is given the chance to talk about their area of the case. For example, as a fp I am asked how the child is doing and how their development is. The cw describes what DHS is doing, the attorneys explain where the case is legally, the parents have a chance to explain why they are at the point in the caseplan that they are. The board declares that either DHS, the parents, the attys, etc are or are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. It is also at this meeting that the board can recommend that the case continue to ru, or that they believe the case should head for the alternative plan. This is NOT a legally binding move, rather a recommendation.

Each meeting is scheduled to last for 30 minutes. If anyone disrupts the meeting (say the bios get angry and start yelling) they are escorted out. The CRB meetings are held on every case every 6 months.

The thing to remember, as the pp said, is to give facts and not opinions. I usually try to take a current picture of the child(ren) with me to show the board. That helps make it more personal for them. Generally I end up giving the picture to the parents.