View LCP Procedures View LCP Procedures

3.10.5 Monitoring and Supervision of Adoptive Placements
  1. Arrangements for supervising the placement must be made at the Placement Planning Meeting and be part of the Adoption Placement Plan.

    See Section 8, Placements for Adoption Procedure

    This will involve at a minimum:
    1. The child’s social worker visiting the child within the first week of the placement and thereafter weekly until the first review.
    2. The Adopter’s social worker visiting the placement within two weeks of the placement.
    3. Following the first review of the placement, the child’s social worker will visit the placement 4-6 weekly or at the frequency determined at the child’s reviews.
    4. The Adopter’s social worker will also visit 4-6 weekly or more frequently as required. The visits should continue until an Adoption Order has been made.
  2. The visiting social 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 visiting 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 visiting worker is not employed by the borough, he/she must meet the requirements and be supervised by a practitioner who also meets the requirements.
  3. All visits must be recorded and the records must be placed on the child’s Adoption Case Record.
  4. Between visits, the social workers involved must discuss progress in the placement and read each other’s record of visits during the monitoring period.
  5. Where there are concerns that the placement is at risk of breaking down, a review meeting must be convened immediately by the child’s social worker – see Adoption Reviews Procedure.
  6. The child should be seen alone at all visits undertaken by the child’s social worker and his or her wishes and feelings recorded.
  7. The child’s social worker will arrange for the child to continue to have medical assessments in line with his or her Health Care Plan and that the Health Care Plan continues to be reviewed up to the Adoption Order in accordance with the procedures for Looked After Children.  See Health Care Assessments and Health Care Plans Procedure.
  8. The procedures to be followed where a placement disrupts are set out in Ending (Disruption) of Adoptive Placements Procedure

End