Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Step1
Talk to the probation officer before you attend the meeting. Introduce yourself and the name of the child you are fostering. Ask how often your foster child will meet, where and when. Find out what your role in the meeting will be; chances are that the probation officer will know more about the child than you do, so approach them as an expert.
Step2
Personally prepare ahead of time. Make notes of both positive and negative things that have happened since your last visit, or since the child has entered your home. Suggest that your foster child do the same, if he's old enough to do this.
Step3
Review the things you are planning to bring up with the probation officer or questions that you have for the probation officer with the foster child before the meeting. Remember that you are part of an interdisciplinary team designed to help the child, not ambush them.
Step4
Suggest ways that your foster child should act to get a better response from the probation officer. Things like how to dress, being polite and the importance of being punctual may seem like obvious things to you, but these are lessons your foster child may not know.
Step5
Sign in with all of the appropriate information, including date, time, name and who you are accompanying. Sometimes your foster child may only have to report to the agency to sign in and making sure the information is correct and complete will save the trouble of disputing the visit later.
Step6
Allow the foster child to meet with the probation officer on his terms. Do not run the interaction for the foster child, but support his comments as he has the conversation with the probation officer. It may even be wise to allow him the chance to meet privately with the probation officer, too.
