# When did you get your official panel invite



## EverHopefulmum (Sep 23, 2009)

I'm going to panel on 25th Nov & my SW assures me i'm booked in, she says i will get an official invite "all in good time". With only 11 days to go should I have an invite already?, or am i just being impatient (again) and it's always a last minute thing?


When did you guys get your invites?


Everhopefulmum x


----------



## Flash123 (Jan 29, 2006)

Ever, we didn't  receive an invite for either of our panels so try not to panic xxx


----------



## GERTIE179 (Apr 20, 2005)

Hi,
We only got an invite for match panel as it was a different agency. Didn't get one for AP.
X


----------



## Daddyboo (Paul) (Dec 24, 2012)

I requested a letter as I needed it for work to get time off, but that only came a few days before panel.


----------



## juboo (Dec 26, 2012)

Hi, we go to panel on monday and we only recived ours on Friday, try not to worry


----------



## kizzi79 (Jan 9, 2009)

I got mine one week before panel. Good luck  xxx


----------



## skyblu (Sep 9, 2010)

We got our invite 1 day before our approval panel and our lo was home for a week when we had our invite for matching panel.
Don't worry, it will come one day.
Best of luck.
Skyblu.xx


----------



## crazyroychick (Aug 21, 2012)

We got ours a week before, good luck xx


----------



## lynsbee (Jun 21, 2013)

We only got ours for approval panel a few days before the actual day. Some people don't get them at all xx


----------



## Wyxie (Apr 10, 2013)

With our LA the invites are sent out the day they decide the schedule, which is one week before panel, so we got ours a few days before hand.  Both our matching panel invites (different LA) arrived a few days after panel, which says it all really.


----------



## Arrows (Nov 9, 2008)

just a few days before and we wondered the same thing at the time -don't panic!


----------



## EverHopefulmum (Sep 23, 2009)

Hi everyone,


Thanks for your responses, it put my mind at rest................ & i just got the invite through this morning - OMG!!!! It's official


I thought i was nervous before, but now seeing it in black & white i'm absolutely wetting myself. Not sure how my nerves are going to cope for the next week till 25th. I keep telling myself to keep calm & that it will all be fine, but then what if it's not fine and i've convinced myself it will be - I won't be prepared in anyway. 


Won't go into details but right at the last minute our SW had us too-ing & fro-ing over the date of panel due to an issue in HS (well non issue in our opinion, but thats a different matter) & she made us feel really unsure if we would get approved. Then when i said to her "what if we get a no" and she really jumped down my throat about why did i lack confidence in myself.......Well the short answer was because of her, but obviously couldn't say that. Now i know the odds are stacked in our favour as over 90% of people get approved, but feel like we will be in the minority that doesn't. 


Do you think its better to think it will be fine so as not to be stressed in advance, but run the risk of a major, major, major shock when the day comes, or vice versa?


Everhopeful x


----------



## crazyroychick (Aug 21, 2012)

I strongly believe the decision is already made before you go panel unless your SW has told you anything that may be a problem to you getting approved, best of luck xx


----------



## roonie (Oct 20, 2010)

Hi all just a msg to everhopefull mum to say thinking of you as your panel date is so close, we go on the 4 December and I can't think about anything else so goodness knows how you feel!!! Xxx


----------



## EverHopefulmum (Sep 23, 2009)

Hi roonie, thanks for asking. Panel this Monday, how has this happened?


To be honest I'm absolutely [email protected] myself, just want Monday over....keep yo yo-ing from being dreadfully pessimistic to wildly optimistic. Just don't know what to expect, or how to prepare.


Good luck on the 4th, my fingers are crossed for you 


Everhopefulmum xx


----------



## crazyroychick (Aug 21, 2012)

Good luck for Monday xx


----------



## EverHopefulmum (Sep 23, 2009)

Thanks crazyroychick, have you got your ratification yet?

Just one sleep to go......that is if I can get any sleep tonight!!!!

Everhopefulmum x


----------



## crazyroychick (Aug 21, 2012)

Nah, heard nothing from new SW either, ours going off sick indefinitely but they said we would meet her before the panel! Xx

Surprisingly enough I slept like a baby the night before the panel, never thought I would! X

Can't wait to hear the good news xx


----------



## EverHopefulmum (Sep 23, 2009)

Leaving for panel in half an hour.......OMG!!!!! Wish me luck, I'm so scared its ridiculous


----------



## AoC (Oct 28, 2008)

You will be FINE!  I'm excited for you!  Waiting for the decision in another room was the most scared I've ever been (they got caught up on an irrelevant issue and kept us waiting!) but the feeling afterwards was the BEST EVER!


----------



## crazyroychick (Aug 21, 2012)

Massive congrats, hope you get a quick match xx


----------



## EverHopefulmum (Sep 23, 2009)

Crazyroychick: Thanks so much.....only just sinking in. Good luck with you're new social worker when you actually get to speak to her x


----------



## crazyroychick (Aug 21, 2012)

Lol, still nothing! I don't expect a quick match but would nice to at least know who our SW is now, feel as though she can't be considering us anytime soon if she hasn't even met us x


----------



## roonie (Oct 20, 2010)

Hey everyone  congrats to you everhopeful, I am so so so pleased for you! We had a meeting last night with our SW it was positive - ish, they never truely seem to make anyone feel positive do they!  I asked her if she was pleased with the report and she just said "hmmmmm yes" very quietly!  Not very confidence boosting!  Anyway I hate to ask the obvious but what was panel like?  What did they ask?  How did you feel?  Whoop whoop so excited for you! xxxx


----------



## EverHopefulmum (Sep 23, 2009)

Hi Roonie,


I would definitely say panel was the best experience we have had in the entire process.


Our SW always seemed so negative & never even said goodluck, or I'm sure it will be fine. Our invite letter told us he would be in touch about meeting before the panel time but it didn't happen. When i contacted him he was all "why have you got questions"....grr no i just want to be treated like a human being, not a case number.


Anyway on the day we arrived and the receptionist was so rude, she looked at us like we where something she trod in....not a good start, as if i wasn't nervous enough. However, when we entered the waiting area a smiling man approached us and said "mr & mrs xxx, i'm the panel chair its so good to meet you. I've so enjoyed reading about you & i must say i'm so impressed with your application" it was literally the nicest thing anyone has said to us on this whole journey. It put our minds at rest straight away - hard to say no after that introduction right? Not that we wanted to get ahead of ourselves...Anyway, he explained how the process would work with him speaking to our SW first (that only lasted about 10 minutes which really surprised us as we had been lead to believe this would take a minimum 30 mins), then coming to tell us in advance the questions before taking us in.


We had 10 people on panel, although i think the decision had already been made as 4 of them never really looked up the whole time - i think they just wanted to get to lunch time! 


The questions were...
What did you think of the process


Talk about your volunteering experience


& how will you prepare for the changes a child will bring & what skills/attributes will you use to cope.


The first one i had kind of prepared for & agreed in advance with hubby was one i would field, a little bit critical but not too much honesty. But i really thought when it came to it nothing would come out of my mouth....but it did & they all nodded along, so i seemed to be hitting the right level.


hubby & i both did the bit on volunteering, and tried to pull out some good examples of the kind of things they would like.


Re changes, hubby took the lead on & focused on uncertainty, flexibility, support network & routine.


Seemed like ages, but in reality it was 10 minutes max. They then said to go back to the waiting area while they decided, but our bums had literally just touched the seat when they came out and said it was a unanimous yes & a five minute speech about how great we were as a couple and in our preparation & how we would make great parents. So amazing to hear & just what we needed! I always thought i would cry when i heard, but that didn't happen until i phoned my mum and she sounded more scared than i did.....apparently she had been physically sick with worry.


All in all a lovely day, in retrospect nothing to be worried about. But then everyone told me that and i didn't believe them!!!!


----------



## AoC (Oct 28, 2008)

That's fantastic!  So glad it was so positive.  I'm just sorry your SW hasn't been supportive and positive.    Wish all SWers were like ours.


----------



## -x-Lolly-x- (Feb 3, 2012)

What a lovely post!! I'm so glad it went so brilliantly! Many many congratulations!!! xxx


----------



## roonie (Oct 20, 2010)

Wow it sounds like such a special day, thanks for taking the time to post lovely it's SO helpful to hear about other panel experiences, and double wow on the potential link!!!!! really hope ours goes as well....7 sleeps aaaaaaaah. My husband is never nervous about anything really and today he called me while I was working to say how much its on his mind bless him. Enjoy this time of celebration and keep us posted on the link xxxxxx


----------

