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Contents

1. Recruitment and Responding to Requests for Information
2. Information Meetings
3. Initial Visits
4. Preparation Groups
5. Applications and Checks
6. References
7. Health
8. Home Study
9. Presentation to the Adoption Panel
10. After the Adoption Panel's Recommendation
11. Representations/Independent Review Mechanism Procedure
12. Review of Approval

1. Recruitment and Responding to Requests for Information

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.

In relation to every request received, a record will be kept containing the following information:

1. Full name, address and telephone number;
2. Date of request;
3. Brief details of request for information including the source of interest.

All requests for information made by telephone or letter will be acknowledged and an Adoption Information Pack sent within five working days. Where the request for information is in relation to a specific child who has been advertised, the enquirer should be referred to the named family-finding adoption worker.

The Adoption Information Pack includes information about the nature and implications of adoption, the assessment process, the checks required in relation to the applicant and members of the household, and the likely time-scale involved. The information will also relate to the preparation and support services available to adopters (made available before, during and after the adoption), the opportunity to talk to other adopters and some information about children locally and nationally needing families.

The information also explains the need to prioritise assessments of applicants most likely to meet the needs of children awaiting placements.

There are eligibility criteria for prospective applicants, which include geographical constraints on where prospective adopters live.  Enquirers who do not meet the geographical criteria should be advised to refer to the local authority or other agency for their area.

Where an Adoption Information Pack is sent, this will be recorded. Such enquiries will be followed up and enquirers invited to confirm their interest in adoption.

All the recorded information in relation to the request will be retained for a minimum period of 2 years.

NB 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 Meetings

At least four Information Meetings will be arranged each year. These will be advertised locally and all enquirers will be given details of the next meeting. The purpose of these meetings is to provide additional information about the adoption process in Southwark and the children needing adoption. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet and talk with experienced adopters.

3. Initial Visits

An adoption worker will be allocated to offer an appointment for a home visit to those who confirm they wish to proceed with their interest and who essentially meet basic eligibility criteria. The home visit will take place within 10 working days of allocation.

The purpose of the first home visit is to provide additional information about the adoption process, to gain information about the prospective applicants and their interest in adoption, to offer preliminary advice about the eligibility of the prospective applicants to adopt and to make a preliminary assessment as to whether to offer a full assessment to the prospective applicant. An Initial Visit Record should be completed in relation to each visit.

Prospective applicants will be advised that they do not meet the eligibility criteria and/or not to pursue an application where they have recently faced significant challenges within their family, such as serious illness, pregnancy, separation or bereavement, or where there appear to be unresolved fertility issues or other significant life issues affecting their preparedness for adoption. 

4. Preparation Groups

The attendance of prospective applicants at a course of preparation groups will form part of the assessment of their suitability as prospective adopters.

The Adoption Service will set up a series of preparation groups, which will provide a rolling programme of preparation. In cooperation with other agencies in the South London Adoption Consortium, groups can be offered at various times to ensure convenience for applicants with differing personal needs and commitments.

Preparation groups will usually be planned to enable prospective applicants to have as much notice as practically possible of their date and venue.

Written invitations will also be sent out and replies coordinated by an identified worker so that any decisions to postpone can be made and groups rescheduled promptly.

Preparation groups provide an opportunity for the Adoption Service to find out more about the prospective applicants and have a clearer idea of their strengths, areas for further work and any concerns, which need to be clarified as part of the assessment process, including information to enable them, to understand the purpose and importance for the child of maintaining contact with the birth family.

The preparation groups are also aimed at self-assessment in that they enable prospective applicants to find out more about adoption and help them discover their own strengths and weaknesses. Prospective applicants may be invited to these groups without a commitment on their own or the agency's part to progress to an Application to Adopt. The preparation groups give people a very full picture of the demands of adoption and their own suitability to become adopters. Prospective applicants attending the groups will be asked to complete evaluation forms.

Prospective applicants are expected to attend all the preparation groups offered before being considered for approval as prospective adopters. If they miss only two sessions and have shown a good understanding of the issues covered in the other sessions it may be possible, if the manager agrees, for this material to be covered in the remaining home assessment.

Foster carers applying to adopt a child already in their care should attend a selection of the preparation groups as appears appropriate.

Applicants who have already adopted through the agency will be invited to attend preparation groups but will not be required to attend.

Applicants not already started on a home study will be invited to formally write to the agency to request a home study at the end of the preparation group.

Those running the preparation groups will arrange a time for debriefing shortly after the groups take place and information from the meetings, including the applicants' evaluation forms, will be shared and form part of the assessment or the prospective applicants' record if they do not request a home study. If the group facilitators have concerns about the applicants' suitability to adopt they will discuss these during a home visit after a request to proceed to a home study has been received.

A report by the facilitators of the preparation groups will be included in the Prospective Adopter's Report presented to the Adoption Panel.

5. Applications and Checks

Once a decision has been made to proceed to accept an Application to Adopt and offer an assessment to a prospective applicant, a social worker will be allocated to undertake the home study. The social worker must meet the qualifications and experience criteria set out in Adoption Panel Procedure. An Adoption Case Record will also be opened for the prospective applicant (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).

The social worker will then book a date for the home study to be presented to the Adoption Panel. The Adoption Panel should make its recommendation eight months after receipt of the prospective adopter's written application form. Assessments may take longer to complete if, for example, the applicant requires counselling, in which case the reasons for the delay should be recorded on the prospective applicant's Adoption Case Record.

The allocated social worker must arrange for an application form to be sent to the prospective applicants within 5 working days of the allocation.

The applicants will be asked to complete a Criminal Records Bureau Form and to confirm their identity in accordance with the requirements set out on the Form. The allocated worker will check the details of the identification against the information on the Criminal Records Bureau Form.

Where the applicants are applying to adopt for a second or third time, the checks must be repeated unless the previous checks were completed within the last 2 years.

All applicants should also be asked to complete and return to the Adoption Service a Reference Form, including their current address and all addresses where they and adult members of the household have lived for the last 10 years, to enable further checks to be made with OFSTED, the relevant health trust, local Children's Services Department and their personal referees to ascertain their suitability to adopt.

See also, Section 6, References below. 

The allocated worker must ensure that the necessary information and all the necessary consents for checks to be made are given by all members of the household and frequent visitors aged 18 and over.

The checks on the applicant and all members of the household and frequent visitors aged 18 or over are actioned by the administrative staff in the Adoption Service who will write to the Criminal Records Bureau (for enhanced checks) and record the date when the requests for checks were sent and replies received.

The replies to the checks should be placed in the confidential section of the applicant's Adoption Case Record.

Where the applicant lives in the area of another local authority, checks are addressed to the agencies for the relevant area, and will include the Children's Services Department for that area.

The allocated social worker will commence the assessment as soon as the application form is returned unless there are clear reasons why checks should be completed first, for example specific health concerns.

As part of the assessment, applicants are expected to participate in preparation groups.  This will normally be before the Application to Adopt has been made.  There may be exceptions to this, such as applicants for a specific child whose application has been accepted before the preparation groups. They will still be expected to attend the Preparation Groups, see Section 4, Preparation Groups above.

6. References

Applicants will be asked to complete a Reference Form, providing the names of three personal referees, who are adults and have known the applicant for at least two years.  Not more than one of these referees may be related to the prospective applicant. Referees must have known the prospective applicant during different periods of his or her life. Where prospective applicants are married, referees should know both applicants, or additional referees will be required.

It is Southwark's policy to request at least one family reference.

A written reference must also be obtained from the applicant's current and any previous employer where the applicant is or has been employed to work with children in any capacity.

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. If a written reference cannot be obtained i.e. due to literacy or language, this should be recorded on the case record.

All references received will be treated as confidential and will not be disclosed to the prospective applicant without the written consent of the referee.

As part of the assessment process, referees will be asked to provide a written reference and will also be interviewed personally. The allocated worker's manager must sign to confirm that he or she considers the references are satisfactory.

If an application to adopt is pursued, the worker carrying out the assessment (see Section 8, Home Study below) will contact the previous partners of the applicants, where the partner jointly parented or cared for a child with the prospective adopter, unless there are exceptional reasons for not doing so. Where there were no children jointly parented or cared for during the relationship, the previous partner will not generally be approached unless there is a specific reason for doing so.

The assessing social worker will also contact all adult children of the applicant living away from home.

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.

7. Health

All applicants must have a full medical examination and agree to a written report (using Form AH, unless an AH was completed within the last 2 years in which case Form AH2 should be used) being obtained from the GP on their health and any other relevant health issues. 

The administrative staff in the adoption service will write to prospective applicants informing them of this. The administrative officer will also write to the GP informing him or her of this requirement. The GP will be specifically requested to complete Form AH having reviewed the applicant's full medical history and address any matter relevant to the applicant's parenting or caring capacity. The applicants are expected to meet the cost of the medical, except foster carers applying to adopt children placed with them, who will have their medical expenses met.

The applicants should have been seen in the three months prior to the medical report having been completed, and the report must have been written within the 6 months prior to the Adoption Panel meeting considering the application. 

When Form AH is received by the adoption service, a copy will be sent to the Medical Adviser to the Adoption Panel and the Medical Adviser's written views should be obtained and referred to in the report on 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 Panel.

8. Home Study

An adoption worker will be allocated to carry out a home study of the applicant. The social worker must meet the qualifications and experience criteria set out in Adoption Panel Procedure. The home study will usually consist of a minimum of 6 home visits. Each applicant and all the children of the family must be seen separately on at least one occasion. 

The time taken to complete the assessment and present the report to the Adoption Panel will generally be no more than 8 months from the date their written application is received unless the need for additional work with the prospective adopters is identified or recommended by the Adoption Panel or unless the application is made by foster carers wishing to adopt a child in their care, in which case the assessment should be completed within 12 weeks and presented to Adoption Panel within four months. Where the timescale is not met, the Adoption Panel should record the reason. 

The assessment will take into account the replies to checks, references and the preparation groups.

Personal referees will be interviewed and further references taken up as appropriate as set out in section 6 above. Where the applicants are applying to adopt for a second or third time, the referees must be re-interviewed.

Where the checks disclose information as a result of which a person is a Disqualified Person, the applicant will be informed that the application cannot proceed, together with the reason.

If the information leading to this decision relates to a previous conviction of a member of the applicant's household, the details of the offence can only be disclosed to the applicant with the consent of the relevant person; without such consent, the applicant can only be informed that the reason relates to information obtained from the checks but no details can be given.

Where there are concerns about an applicant's circumstances or their not having the necessary qualities, for example where there are concerns about their health (see Section 7, Health above), or about the information obtained from referees (see Section 6, References above) or about the applicants' attempt to cover up information about offences, the applicant may be advised not to proceed with the application. 

In any such case, where the applicants are not willing to withdraw, a brief report on the application should be presented to the Adoption Panel and the procedure to be followed should be the same as if the report was a full report on the Prospective Adopters. On considering the brief report, the Adoption Panel may make a recommendation that further assessment is required in which case a full Prospective Adopter's Report should be completed.

All assessments will follow the format of the Southwark Prospective Adopter's Report. As part of the assessment:

• A Chronology of key events in the applicant's life must be compiled, showing his or her educational, employment, marital and relationship history and addresses for the previous 10 years; any gaps and/or unusual patterns should be explored;
• The applicants' nationality and Domicile and Habitual Residence should be checked;
• All information provided by the applicant must be independently verified where possible;
• Where an applicant has been divorced or separated, the decree absolute should be seen and factors contributing to the breakdown of the relationship must be verified. (The latter applies equally to significant relationships between couples who are not married.);
• A Health and Safety Checklist should be completed, including the adequacy and safety of the prospective adoptive home and transport.

Where the applicant is a single person, the social worker should interview those identified as main supporters to the applicant.

The social worker should be aware of the cultural background of the applicants and, wherever possible, seek advice from colleagues who are from the same ethnic background to assist the assessment.

The assessment should cover the applicants' willingness to notify the adoption agency if the adopted child dies during childhood or soon afterwards, their views on post-adoption contact and their willingness to pass on information to birth parents about the progress of the adopted child. These issues should be specifically reported on to the Adoption Panel.

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

As part of this, the family's finances and how well they manage the family budget will be discussed and explored i.e. do they live within their means or do they have substantial debts. A financial statement will be required.

An assessment of possible adoption support needs should be included in the Prospective Adopter's Report.

The completed Prospective Adopter's Report, which should contain a report on the outcome of the assessment (including from the preparation groups) and recommendations of the adoption worker carrying out the assessment, should be signed by the social worker and his or her manager. 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.

Where the manager considers that there are any issues which require clarification or there are any outstanding issues of concern in the Report, he/she should arrange for another adoption social worker (who also must meet the qualifications and experience criteria set out in Adoption Panel Procedure) to visit and provide a second opinion on any such issues before the Report is finalised.

The Report, once signed by the manager, should be shared with and signed by the applicant. This gives the applicant the opportunity to make any comments, for example, by expressing disagreement or support for the recommendations.

Where the adopters are applying for a second or third time, the original Prospective Adopter's Report or BAAF Form F Part 2 should be presented, together with the relevant Adoption Panel minutes, with an updated Prospective Adopter's Report  outlining the changes since the first report was written including information about adoptive placements already made. 

The applicant will be given 10 working days in which to make any written observations and comments on the contents of the reports or asked to sign a disclaimer stating they do not wish to take 10 days to comment.

The applicant should also be advised of their right to attend the meeting of the Adoption Panel, which considers the application. They should be provided with information about the Adoption Panel process.

Applicants may withdraw from the assessment process at any time before it is completed.

This may be of their own volition or where they have been advised during the course of the assessment process that the application would be inappropriate.

In the latter case, where the applicants have been advised but are not willing to withdraw, a brief Prospective Adopter's Report on the application should be presented to the Adoption Panel and the procedure to be followed should be the same as if the report was a full report on the Prospective Adopters. On considering the brief report, the Adoption Panel may make a recommendation that further assessment is required in which case a full Prospective Adopter's Report should be completed.

In addition, a case may be referred to the Adoption Panel for advice or consultation where issues arise upon which the assessing social worker requires the Adoption Panel's guidance.

9. Presentation to the Adoption Panel

All the relevant information (incorporating the Prospective Adopter's Report, the applicant's comments, references, a full report on visits to the referees, full information about all the statutory checks and the Medical Adviser's report) should be sent to the Adoption Panel administrative staff 2 weeks and 2 days before the date of the Adoption Panel, which will consider the application. 

The Prospective Adopter's Report should be presented to Panel within 6 weeks of its completion.

At the Panel meeting, the information will be presented by the adoption worker responsible for the assessment or a substitute with adequate knowledge of the applicant and the assessment.

The applicants will also be invited to attend if they so wish. 

Whether or not the applicants attend Adoption Panel, their views and wishes must be presented fairly and accurately within the documentation before the Panel and verbally. They should also have a copy of all the reports, except the written references and any additional information from the referee.

The Panel will consider the written report together with all the supporting documentation and any additional information presented verbally, and make a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker regarding the outcome of the assessment. Where the Panel recommends that the applicants are suitable, the Panel must also consider and may advise on the number of children the applicants may be suitable to adopt, their age range, likely needs and background.

The recommendation and any advice given will be recorded in writing. Reasons for the recommendations and any conditions will also be recorded in the Panel's minutes.

Where the applicants attend the Panel meeting, the Panel Chair will inform them at the meeting of the Panel recommendation.

Where the applicants do not attend the Panel meeting, the adoption worker undertaking the assessment will advise the applicant of the Panel recommendation within 24 hours of the Panel meeting.  This will be by telephone or, where appropriate, a home visit.

10. After the Adoption Panel's Recommendation

After the Adoption Panel has considered the report and made a written recommendation and given advice, the reports and the full and final minute will be sent to the Agency Decision Maker who will make a decision as to the approval of the applicant based on the Panel's recommendation. The decision must be made within 7 working days of the receipt of the final minutes and must be recorded, together with reasons.

Where the Agency Decision Maker is minded to disagree with the Panel recommendation, he or she should discuss the case with a senior colleague with relevant experience who is not a Panel member, and record this discussion, before making a final decision. A copy of the record of the discussion should be placed on the child's Adoption Case Record.

The applicants will be advised orally of the decision within 2 working days. 

Written notice of the decision, signed by the Agency Decision Maker, will be sent to the applicant by the staff of the Adoption Service within 5 working days of the decision. Where the decision differs from the recommendation of the Adoption Panel, the written Panel recommendation will be sent with the written notice.

Where the decision differs from the recommendation of the Adoption Panel, the reasons for the Panel recommendation as well as the reasons for the decision will be given.

All successful applicants will be allocated an adoption worker whose task is to support the adopters through the period of waiting for a placement, consider any potential matches and discuss any such matches with the approved adopters before any formal meetings take place. 

The social worker will place the approved adopters on the list of the South London Adoption Consortium unless an agency match is being considered. This list is updated and circulated every month.  If no match is identified within 3 months, the social worker will place the adopters' names on the Adoption Register.

11. Representations/Independent Review Mechanism Procedure

If a decision is made to refuse an application for approval, the applicant will be advised that if he or she wishes to challenge the decision, representations should be submitted within 40 working days either directly to the agency or they may request a referral to the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM). 

If there is no written notification that representations have been made within this period, the decision to refuse the application can be confirmed.

If written representations to the agency are made within the period, the Agency Decision Maker will review the Panel's recommendation in the light of any new information in the representations, or will decide to refer the matter to the Adoption Panel for further consideration before a final decision is made. Written notice of the final decision, together with reasons, must be sent to the applicant within 7 working days of the Adoption Panel consideration or the decision.

When a referral to the IRM is made, the relevant Panel reports, any new information received since the Panel meeting, a record of the decision made and reasons, a copy of the written notification and a copy of the recommendation (if different) will be sent to the IRM within 10 working days of their request. An Independent Review Panel will consider the case and make a recommendation to the adoption agency, which the Agency Decision Maker will consider before make a final decision. Written notice of the final decision, together with reasons, must be sent to the applicant within 7 working days of the receipt of the Independent Review Panel's recommendation.

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

12. Review of Approval

Where applicants have been approved as prospective adopters but no placement has been made, the adoption Link Worker (or another social worker from the adoption service if the link worker carried out the original assessment) will review the approval annually.

After each review, if the approval is still considered suitable, the prospective adopters should be notified of the outcome and a copy of the review record placed on their Adoption Case Record. Care should be taken to ensure that all references and checks are still valid and do not need to be updated.

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.

If the prospective adopters are considered no longer suitable, the reviewing social worker should prepare a Prospective Adopter's Review Report for the Adoption Panel, the prospective adopters should be given a copy and asked for their comments within 10 working days. Thereafter the same procedure should be followed as set out in Sections 8, 9 and 10 above.

Where a child has been placed and the placement disrupted, further assessment of the prospective adopters may be required as part of the review - see also Section 14, Disruption (Ending) of the Placement of Placement for Adoption Procedure.

Where, as a result of the review, the Panel recommend that the approval be terminated, the Representations Procedure will apply - see Section 10, After the Adoption Panel's Recommendation above.

End