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• working together 2010

Contents

1. Recruitment and Responding to Initial Enquiries
2. Information Evening
3. Initial Visit
4. Selection for the Preparation Groups
5. References and Statutory Checks
6. Preparation Groups
7. Home Study
8. Prospective Adopter’s Report
9. The Panels Recommendation and Advice
10. After the Panel
11. Review of Prospective Adopter’s Approval

1. Recruitment and Responding to Initial Enquiries

The adoption agency aims to recruit and assess prospective adopters who can meet most of the needs of children for whom adoption is the plan.

It is not part of the recruitment strategy of the adoption agency to turn away couples or single people because of their status, age or because they and the child do not share the same racial or cultural background as the children requiring adoptive placements.

Members of the public who make an initial enquiry by telephone should be contacted within one working day and offered a telephone discussion with a member of the Adoption Team.

These calls may be lengthy in order to be supportive and effective and it may be appropriate to make an appointment to have the discussion, in order to allow sufficient time.  A Referral Form should be completed recording the enquiry and action taken, and the following information recorded:

1. Full name, date of birth, address and telephone number;
2. Ethnic origin and religion;
3. Date of request;
4. Brief details of request for information including the source of interest;
5. Family members in household;
6. Previous experience of child care and details of any other approvals already given.

If it is a response to publicity for a specific child, the caller’s details should be recorded and a Referral Form completed, and this should immediately be passed to the worker with responsibility for family finding for the child concerned.  The family finding procedure should then be followed, as set out in Section 6, Placements for Adoption Procedure.

If this is a general enquiry to express interest in becoming an adoptive parent, a Referral Form should be completed and the following verbal information given:

• Details of the adoption recruitment policy;
• Details of the next Information Evening.

Within 5 working days, the following information should be posted to the caller:

• An Information Pack containing leaflets on adoption;
• The date and venue of the next Information Evening;
• Details regarding the eligibility criteria for adoptive applicants, as set out in Adoption and Permanency Panel Procedure;
• Profiles about the children currently waiting for adoptive families, as appropriate;
• Leaflets on Data Protection and Complaints.

An invitation to attend the Information Evening, with a reply slip and a map, should be sent 2 weeks before the event.  Where the Information Evening is likely to be held more than 2 months after the initial enquiry, the enquirer should be advised of the waiting time and if they would prefer or if the authority wish to follow up the enquiry immediately, an office appointment should be offered.

The object of the Information Evening or office appointment is to provide sufficient information to enable enquirers to make a preliminary decision about whether or not to pursue their interest in adoption.  Given that families are needed from a wide range of backgrounds, it is essential that the system is responsive to all sections of the community, particularly those who may regard themselves as being in a less powerful position in relation to adoption, than others. 

Calls should be handled in a respectful and facilitating way recognising that the caller may feel anxious about making the contact, and information should be given clearly and supportively.

Enquirers should not be turned away on the basis that their ethnicity and culture is not shared with those children waiting to be placed with adoptive parents or because of their age - there is no upper age restriction on applying to be adoptive parents.

2. Information Evening

Information Evenings will be held at least twice a year and are timed to facilitate the attendance of working people.

The object of the Information Evening is to provide detailed information about all aspects of adoption, and to answer any questions from potential applicants, so that they can decide whether or not to pursue an adoption application.

Information given will cover the following areas:

• What adoption means and the new placement framework;
• The reasons why children need adoptive families;
• The types and numbers of families needed;
• The application procedure;
• The eligibility criteria – as set out in Adoption and Permanency Panel Procedure;
• Preparation Groups, including dates;
• The selection procedure for accepting applications – see Section 4, Selection for the Preparation Groups.

The meeting will comprise a presentation, followed by a question and answer session.

At the close of the meeting, participants will be invited to take a Preliminary Information Form, and to complete and return it within 2 weeks if they wish to pursue an application.

3. Initial Visit

The Adoption Team will consider those who confirm they wish to proceed with their interest by returning the Preliminary Information Form and, depending on whether they meet the eligibility criteria, a decision will be made about the suitability of the prospective applicants and whether an initial visit should be undertaken.

Appointments will be made for two members of the Adoption Team to visit all those considered suitable within 4 weeks. 

The purpose of this visit is to discuss further the personal circumstances of the prospective applicants, and to look in detail at why they wish to adopt and the type of child they would wish to consider.

If any factors emerge which may have an adverse effect on an application, appropriate advice will be given.  Prospective applicants should be specifically asked to identify anything that they know may preclude them from adopting.

The visit also provides a further opportunity for the prospective applicant to seek additional information about any aspect of the adoption process.

A full list of items for discussion is provided on the Initial Visit Checklist.

Prospective applicants are requested to confirm their wish to apply to the borough within one week of the visit.

4. Selection for the Preparation Groups

A selection meeting will take place within the Adoption Team within two weeks of the final initial visit.

The decision about which families will be asked to participate in the Preparation Groups will be based on the needs of the children waiting for adopters, taking into account the resources currently available within the existing pool of approved adopters.

Prospective applicants who will not be invited to apply should be notified in writing of the decision, with reasons, and offered suggestions about how they might pursue their interest elsewhere, if appropriate.

A written invitation to apply should be sent to the selected prospective applicants, also informing them of the name of the social worker who will undertake their assessment.  This letter should enclose an Application Pack (including information and consent forms for references) and details of the dates and venue for the next Preparation Groups.

On receipt of the completed information and consent forms, and prior to the commencement of the Preparation Groups, the Team Administrator will be asked to set up a file and to take up the statutory and personal references.

An Adoption Case Record for prospective adopters should be set up as soon as a formal application has been received (including where it is a second or foster carer application, in which case copies of relevant information from other files should be placed on the new Adoption Case Record).

5. References and Statutory Checks

Prospective applicants will be asked to provide the names of two personal referees, who are adults and have known the applicant for at least two years.  The referees must not be related to the prospective applicant.  Referees should be people who know the applicants well in a personal capacity, and it is desirable that the referees have direct experience of caring for children, either in a personal or professional capacity.  Where there is a joint application, referees should know both applicants, or additional referees will be required.

A third reference from a member of the prospective applicant’s wider family should also be taken up.

A written reference must also be obtained from each applicant’s last/current employer.

Where the prospective applicant has made a previous application to foster or adopt, the relevant agency must be asked to confirm in writing the outcome of the application and provide a written reference.

The administrative staff in the Adoption Service will send requests for typed references.  When referees are approached to provide a reference they will be asked to provide agreement or otherwise to their reference being shared with the applicant.  If referees ask that the information is not shared with the applicant, then efforts should be made to respect their wishes.  However, prior to providing a reference, referees must be made aware that there may be circumstances where it is not possible to maintain confidentiality, as applicants have the right to request access under the Data Protection Act.  Information provided by referees where they have not given consent, should not be shared with applicants outside of an application under the Act.  In these circumstances legal advice should be sought.  Information from references should never be shared without informing the referee in advance that this is going to happen.

If an application to adopt is pursued, as well as providing a written reference, referees will also be interviewed during the second half of the assessment process.

At the start of the interview, the referee should be informed that the written report of the interview will not be shared with the applicants but that any issues arising during the interview may be discussed with them. 

Issues for discussion include the following:

• The applicant as a personality;
• The stability of the marital relationship;
• The referee’s impression of the applicant’s general physical and emotional well being;
• The referee’s opinion on the applicant’s ability to relate to children, and the basis of the opinion;
• The referee’s opinion on whether adoption is appropriate for the applicant;
• Any reservations the referee may have to express about any aspect of the application;
• Whether the referee wholeheartedly supports the application;
• What support the referee is able to offer the prospective adopters.

If an application to adopt is pursued, the worker carrying out the assessment must wherever possible contact the previous partners of the applicants where the relationship was significant and/or recent, and all children of the applicant living away from home, and arrange to interview, where appropriate.

In addition, as part of the assessment, where the applicant has school age children, the relevant school(s) will be contacted, with the permission of the applicant, for information regarding the applicant’s ability to promote the child’s education.

The following statutory checks will be taken up:

Criminal Records Bureau, NSPCC, Probation, Health Trust, Education Authority, Trading Standards and Consumer Affairs, Social Services database or the local authority for the area where the applicants live if outside the borough.

The applicants will also be asked to arrange for an adoption medical examination with their GP and the following forms will be sent to them:

• BAAF Form AH;
• Letter to GP;
• Scale of fees;
• Claim Form;
• Stamped addressed envelope for return of forms to the Adoption Team.

The GP’s report must have been written within the 6 months prior to the Adoption and Permanency Panel meeting considering the application. 

Where the applicant’s GP has expressed concerns or where clarification of the implications of any health issues is required, detailed advice must be sought from the Medical Adviser at an early stage and the implications fully discussed with the applicant and in the report.  It may be necessary for reports from other health professionals also to be obtained and presented to the Adoption and Permanency Panel.

Where there are concerns about an applicant’s circumstances, for example where there are concerns about their health or about the information obtained from referees or about the applicants’ attempt to cover up information about offences, the applicant may be advised not to proceed with the application.  This may be before or after an application form has been submitted. 

Where the concerns arise after an application has been submitted and the applicant still wishes to pursue their application, the assessing social worker must prepare a brief Prospective Adopter’s Report and present it to the Adoption and Permanency Panel, following the same procedure as where a full report is submitted (see Sections 8 to 11).

6. Preparation Groups

Preparation Groups are an integral part of the application process, and all applicants are expected to attend the course.  There will be a series of seven sessions, comprising 2 full days and 5 evening sessions.

The objectives of the course are:

• To raise awareness and understanding of the key issues which need to be addressed by all prospective adopters including information to enable them, to understand the purpose and importance for the child of maintaining contact with the birth family;
• To assist applicants in deciding whether or not adoption is right for them;
• To assist applicants to determine the type of resource they can offer to the children needing adoptive placements.

It should be made clear to all participants that the Groups are for preparation and training, not for assessment. 

The Group sessions should be conducted in accordance with the anti-discriminatory practice guidelines.  Leaders and other members of the Group must value the contribution of all participants.

The themes for Group sessions will include the following areas:

• Identity, loss and birth heritage;
• The experience and needs of children needing adoptive families;
• The process of adoption;
• Behaviour and development, including attachment issues;
• Contact after adoption;
• The linking and placement process.

Material will be presented using a variety of techniques appropriate for adult learning, including case studies, speakers, videos, group exercises and handouts.  Applicants will be encouraged to participate in a non-threatening way, learning from the course content and from one another.

During the course of the Group sessions, applicants will be asked to complete various tasks outside the Groups, including reading material on specific topics, and preparing written information about themselves which will assist in the home study.

Applicants will be asked to complete a written evaluation of the Preparation Groups at the end of the course.

7. Home Study

The home study will commence during the course of the Preparation Groups, each applicant household having an allocated worker from the Adoption Team.

The allocated worker must be a qualified social worker with a minimum of 3 years post-qualification experience of child care work, including direct experience of adoption work. 

Where the allocated worker does not meet the above requirements, he/she must be a qualified social worker or a social worker in training and be supervised by a social worker who does meet the requirements.  Where the allocated worker is not employed by the borough, he/she must meet the requirements and be supervised by a practitioner who also meets the requirements.

Applicants will be asked to complete the final signature page of the application form at the end of the Preparation Groups.

The overall aim of the home study is to build on the learning that has taken place within the Preparation Groups and, on a more personal level, to apply that learning to the individual applicant.

The home study should be presented to the applicant as an open process in which information and opinions are shared and feedback given.

The home study will comprise a series of interviews, the majority of which will take place in the applicant’s home.  Applicants should be interviewed both individually and with their partner, and any other members of the household will also be interviewed, including the children.

The written material prepared by the applicant during the Preparation Groups will be referred to and can be used as the basis of discussion during interviews.

The areas covered in interviews will follow the subject areas outlined in the Prospective Adopter’s Report:

• Individual profiles of all members of the household;
• Past and present relationships;
• Motivation to adopt/childlessness;
• Parenting capacity and experience with children;
• Support network;
• Expectations of the placement, including understanding of issues from the Preparation Groups;
• Attitudes to birth families and approach to openness in adoption.

It is important that information obtained during this process is independently verified as far as possible and backed up by evidence.

The assessment will consider the likely need for adoption support services of the prospective adopters and any member of their family – see Adoption Support Services Procedure. 

During the final home visit of the home study, which should be conducted by two social workers from the Adoption Team, the applicants should be reminded of the procedure from now on, including the membership of the Adoption and Permanency Panel.  If any member is known to the applicant, reference should be made to the Adoption and Permanency Panel’s Policy on this – see Adoption and Permanency Panel Procedure

The applicant should also be invited to attend the Panel in accordance with the Policy set out in the same Chapter.

If, during the course of the home study, any issues emerge which cast doubt upon the likelihood of the applicants being approved, such issues should be discussed openly with the applicant at the time, and the advice of the Adoption and Permanency Panel may be sought at any stage.

If such issues remain outstanding when the Prospective Adopter’s Report has been completed, a second opinion visit must be arranged – see Section 8, Prospective Adopters Report.

As part of the assessment:

• A family tree and Chronology of key events in the applicant's life must be compiled, showing his or her educational, employment, marital and/or relationship history and addresses for the previous 10 years; any gaps and/or unusual patterns should be explored;
• All information provided by the applicant must be independently verified where possible, by checking it against other sources such as referees.  See "Preparing and Assessing Prospective Adopters", Practice Guidance (Chapter 2);
• Where an applicant has been divorced or separated, factors contributing to the breakdown of the relationship must be verified.  This applies equally to significant relationships between couples who are not married;
• The adequacy and safety of the prospective adoptive home and transport will be assessed.

The time taken to complete the assessment and present the report to the Adoption Panel after a formal application has been received will generally be no more than eight months from the receipt of the application unless the need for additional work with the prospective adopters is identified or recommended by the Adoption Panel. Where the timescale is not met, the Adoption Panel should record the reason.

8. Prospective Adopter's Report

The information gathered during the home study, the Preparation Groups, and from statutory and personal references, will form the basis of the Prospective Adopter’s Report 

Reports should address anti-discriminatory practice issues.

The social worker’s assessment should contain a summary of the assessed strengths and weaknesses of the applicants, together with an opinion of the type of placement likely to be provided successfully.  Potential risk factors should be highlighted.

When the draft report is ready, the applicants should be visited and the report discussed with them.

When the Report is finalised, it should be passed to the team manager, Adoption and Permanency, for approval.

Where the team manager considers that there are outstanding issues of concern or matters which require further clarification, he/she must arrange for a suitably qualified and experienced social worker to carry out a further visit to the applicant and report back to him/her in relation to these issues, before the final report can be approved. The manager will check that the report is accurate, up to date and contains evidence-based information before it is presented to the Adoption Panel.

The final Prospective Adopter’s Report must then be sent to the applicants at least 10 working days before Panel.  Applicants should be asked to sign the report and return it to the Adoption Team.  The report should be accompanied by a letter explaining that this period of 10 working days exists during which written comments may be submitted for distribution to Panel members, along with the Prospective Adopter’s Report. 

This gives the applicant the opportunity to make any comments, for example, by expressing disagreement or support for the recommendations. 

The applicant should also be advised of their right to attend the meeting of the Adoption and Permanency Panel, which considers the application.  They should also be provided with written information about the Panel process, its membership, who will attend and their respective roles. 

It should be noted that 10 working days is the maximum period, and where applicants do not wish to make written representations, the application may proceed to Panel at the earliest opportunity following receipt of the signed report from the applicants. 

Applicants should not be shown any comments made by referees or any other third party information.

When the applicants return the report, it should be passed to the Panel and Permanency Panel Administrator, together with the supporting documentation, for distribution to members of the Panel and the date of the Panel meeting will be confirmed at this stage.  This date should be communicated to the applicants as soon as possible.

The supporting documentation is the report on the interviews with the referees and a report from the local authority where the applicants live if relevant.  The full health report on the applicants should also be presented to the Panel if the Medical Adviser considers this appropriate.

The application should be presented to the Adoption and Permanency Panel within 8 months of the formal application being made.

9. The Panels Recommendation and Advice

The adoption worker undertaking the assessment and his or her manager, where appropriate, together with the applicant(s) if they wish, will attend the Panel during consideration of the application. 

The decision to attend rests with the applicants and a decision not to attend on their part will not prejudice consideration of their application.

The Panel will consider the Prospective Adopter’s Report, the supporting documentation and any verbal information given during the meeting, and make a recommendation as to the suitability of the applicant(s) to adopt. 

Where approval is recommended, the Panel must also consider and may give advice as to the number, age range, sex, likely needs and background of the children the applicant(s) may be suitable to adopt.

The adoption worker will advise the applicant of the Panel recommendation and any advice given on the same day as the Panel meeting. 

10. After the Panel

The Agency Decision Maker will make a decision as to the approval of the applicant based on the reports presented to the Panel meeting and the Panel’s recommendation.  Where advice has been given by the Panel, the Agency Adoption Decision Maker may also express a view on such advice.

Where the Agency Adoption Decision Maker  is minded to disagree with the Panel recommendation, he or she should discuss this with a senior officer with the relevant experience and who is not a Panel member, and record this discussion, before arriving at a decision.  The record of the discussion should be placed on the prospective adopters’ Adoption Case Record.

The Agency Decision Maker must make a decision within 7 working days of the Panel meeting and must be recorded, together with reasons.

The adoption worker will advise the applicant of the decision within 2 working days of the decision. 

Written notice of the decision will be sent to the applicant by the Adoption and Permanency Panel Administrator (signed by the Agency Adoption Decision Maker) within 5 working days of the decision.

This letter will also confirm the name of the family’s worker, who will normally be the worker who completed the assessment.

Where the decision is different from the Panel’s recommendation, the applicant(s) will also be sent a copy of the relevant Panel recommendation, with the notification of the decision.

Applicants who are not approved will be informed of the Appeals Procedure, set out in Adoption and Permanency Panel Procedure.

Alternatively they will be advised of their right to seek an independent review of the decision by requesting a referral to the Independent Review Mechanism within 40 working days.

If no written notification or representations are received within this period, the decision to refuse the application can be confirmed.

If the applicant decides to refer the matter to an Independent Review, the relevant Panel reports, any new information obtained since the Panel meeting, a record of the decision made and reasons, a copy of the written notification of the decision and a copy of the Panel minute, if different, will be sent to the Independent Review within 10 working days of their written request. 

The procedure for the Independent Review is carried out by BAAF and the applicant will be invited to attend the Independent Review.

After considering the representations, the Independent Review may make a recommendation, which the Agency Decision Maker  will consider before a final decision is made.

Written notice of the final decision, together with reasons, must be sent to the applicant within 5 working days of the receipt of the Independent Review recommendation.

A copy of the report to the Panel, the Panel’s recommendation and the decision to refuse an application must be retained on the applicant’s Adoption Case Record.

11. Review of Prospective Adopter's Approval

Approved adopters should be made aware that their approval will be reviewed annually by a worker other than the social worker who carried out the assessment, or sooner if circumstances require it.  Where a change to their approval is considered appropriate, a Prospective Adopter’s Review Report will be submitted to the Adoption and Permanency Panel. 

If the approval is still considered suitable, the prospective adopters should be notified in writing and a copy of the reports, minutes, decision and notification placed on their Adoption Case Record. 

Prospective adopters' details may be passed to the Adoption Register immediately after their approval (if they consent) if it appears unlikely that there will be a placement with a child in their area or if no locally identified match is being actively pursued at the latest by 3 months.

In all cases, if an adoptive placement has not been made within two years of approval, their approval will at that point be reconsidered by the Panel, on the basis of Prospective Adopter’s Review Report, which sets out an updated assessment with all checks, references and medical reports being renewed.

If an adoptive placement has not been made within four years of approval, a further Prospective Adopter’s Review Report will be submitted to the Panel and, unless there are exceptional circumstances, a recommendation will be made that the approval be terminated. 

In all cases where a Prospective Adopter’s Review Report is prepared, the procedure will then be the same as for any new application.

End