3.10.1 Placement for Adoption

AMENDMENT

This chapter was amended in December 2011 to take account of the Adoption National Minimum Standards 2011 and Adoption Guidance 2011. In particular, Section 2, Preparation of the Child for Adoption has also been updated to include the requirement to provide information to the child prior to the placement about the prospective adoptive home and the proposed contact arrangements with the birth family. Section 6, Identification of Adoptive Parents has been amended to include explicitly the requirements on ethnicity and matching and the areas of support to be provided to the prospective adopters as set out in the National Minimum Standards.

Formal Approval of Adoption Plan for the Child
Preparation of Child for Adoption
Counselling and Support for Parents
Child's Adoption Medical
Post-Adoption Contact
Identification of Adoptive Parents
Approval of Matching of Adoptive Parents
Planning the Placement
The Placement
Children Approved for Adoption for Whom no Placement has been Identified
Adoptive Placements Abroad
Monitoring and Supervision of the Placement
The Adoption Application and Adoption Hearing
Disruption (Ending) of the Placement

1. Formal Approval of Adoption Plan for the Child

1.	An adoption plan in relation to a Looked After Child will be incorporated into the child's Care Plan, either as the primary plan or the Parallel Plan, as a way of achieving permanence for the child. Every Looked After child should have a plan for achieving permanence by the date of the child's second Looked After Review.
See the following procedures: Looked After Reviews Procedure Permanence Planning Guidance
2.	The initial agreement to an adoption plan for an unborn child or a child relinquished for adoption by the parents and not yet looked after, must be confirmed in the child's Care Plan, once the child becomes Looked After, and at the child's Looked After Review.
3.	At this stage, legal advice must be sought and the appropriate manager must approve the adoption plan.
4.	As soon as adoption becomes part of the Care Plan for a child, the child's social worker must notify the Adoption Panel administrative staff of the plan and ask for a date to be arranged for presentation of the case to the Adoption Panel. The date for the Adoption Panel must be a maximum of 2 months from the date when the adoption plan was ratified at the child's Looked After Review. Where this timescale is not met, the Adoption Panel should record the reason.
5.	As part of the above notification, the child's social worker must provide the Adoption Panel administrative staff with the child's full name, date of birth, ethnic origin, legal status and the date of the Looked After Review or other meeting at which the adoption plan was recommended.
6.	The child's social worker should obtain 2 certified copies of the child's full birth certificate. These will be required for future Court applications and for the prospective adopters.
7.	The child's social worker should give both birth parents the leaflet 'When your child is being adopted' and ask them to sign confirmation of receipt, which should be kept on the child's Adoption Case Record. If either or both of the birth parents refuse to accept or do not receive the memorandum, this should be recorded, including the reasons on the child's case file and adoption record.
8.	The child's social worker must seek the birth parents' consent to the disclosure of information on their medical history and obtain medical information in relation to the child to facilitate the Adoption Medical for the child - for detailed procedures, see Section 4, Child's Adoption Medical below.
9.	The child's social worker must ascertain and record the parents' views on the adoption plan, and must give them counselling about adoption. The social worker should also arrange independent support for both parents (including unmarried fathers). For detailed procedure, see Section 3, Counselling and Support for Parents below. These details should be recorded on the child's file and Adoption Case Record including whether the parent(s) accept or decline the counselling and support.
10.	Where one or both of the birth parents cannot be found, the child's social worker must make extensive enquiries as to their whereabouts, including contacting as appropriate such organisations as the Prisoner Location Service, Salvation Army or the Benefits Agency. Legal advice should be sought about the need to place advertisements in the local and national press. The efforts made should be fully recorded including on the child's Adoption Case Record.
11.	The child's social worker must contact the child's health visitor or school health for current information in relation to the child's health and development, for presentation to the Adoption Panel.
12.	The child's social worker must contact the child's school or the relevant local education authority for current information in relation to the child's educational needs, including the up-to-date position on progress made under the Personal Education Plan (PEP) and where relevant, the Statement of Special Educational Needs and Individual Education Plan.
13.	The child's social worker must ask the child's carer to complete a report on the child.
14.	The child's social worker must ensure that the adoption plan addresses the issue of post adoption contact with birth parents, siblings and any other significant family members. This will include a possible meeting between the parents and the adopters, and whether there may be ongoing direct contact or indirect contact via a letterbox system. Any proposals for post-adoption contact will take account of information already available and assessments already undertaken - see Section 5, Post-Adoption Contact below.
15.	The child's social worker must prepare a Child's Permanence Report for the child. The child's social worker must fulfil the qualifications and experience criteria set out in Section 5, Reports to the Panel, of Adoption Panel Procedure.
	The following areas must be included or addressed in the Report: Profile of the child, based on a report from the child's current carer as well as other information about the child's personality, nationality, racial origin, religious persuasion, legal status and relationship with his/her birth family; The child's wishes in relation to the adoption plan and his or her preferred method of communication; A Chronology of the child's life since birth; The preparation work, undertaken and planned, with the child and the views of the child in relation to the adoption plan and future contact with his or her birth family; The views of the Children's Guardian (where possible); The views of the birth family and significant others in relation to the adoption plan and contact, and their opportunity to receive and comment on the report before the report is presented to Adoption Panel; A report of the child's educational history and current needs, including the Personal Education Plan (PEP); Any other relevant specialist reports on the child; An assessment of the child's emotional and behavioural development; An assessment of the child's needs for post-adoption contact, including with siblings, and the child's and birth relatives' needs for adoption support services; An analysis of the options for the child's future care and the alternatives to adoption considered; Where the child has siblings, whether the decision is to place siblings separately or together and the rationale for the decision. A copy of the Report or relevant sections should be provided to the parents and child (depending on age and understanding).
16.	Presentation to the Adoption Panel: This must take place within 6 weeks of the completion of the Child's Permanence Report. To enable the Adoption Panel to consider whether adoption is in the best interests of the child, the child's social worker must present the following reports: The Child's Permanence Report, signed by the child's social worker, the manager, the parent (if willing) and the child (if appropriate); The child's health report and the health information relating to the parents (if the Medical Adviser so advises); Legal advice about parental consent and the option of seeking a Placement Order; Where experts' assessments are available (including where they have been filed in Court proceedings), their contents and recommendations - even if not supportive of the adoption plan - should be presented to the Panel. The full reports should be presented unless they are voluminous, in which case, as a minimum, those sections setting out the experts' opinion, conclusions and recommendations should be provided. A written summary of such reports should only be provided if all parties to the court proceedings agree in writing that the summary is fair and accurate. Copies of the full reports should be available for Panel members (at the panel meeting) and the Agency Decision Maker to consult if desired. Where the social worker is seeking a recommendation in relation to the matching of the child to a specific adoptive placement at the same time, the procedure set out in Section 7, Approval of Matching of Adoption Parents below must also be followed. The child's social worker will send the relevant reports to the Panel administrative staff 2 weeks before the relevant date of the Adoption Panel. The Panel administrative staff will require one full copy of each report. Copies of the reports should be held on the child's Adoption Case Record - see Paragraph 19 below. The child's social worker and supervisor will attend the Adoption Panel meeting during consideration of the matter. The Adoption Panel will consider the written reports and any additional information presented verbally. The Adoption Panel will make a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker regarding the adoption plan. Where the Panel recommends that the child should be placed for adoption it must also consider and may give advice as to future contact arrangements for the child and whether an application for a Placement Order should be made. The recommendation will be recorded in writing, together with reasons, in the Panel's minutes. A copy of the relevant minute must be held on the child's Adoption Case Record - see Paragraph 19 below.
17.	After the Adoption Panel After the Adoption Panel, all the reports considered by the Panel, together with the recommendations and any advice given will be passed to the Agency Decision Maker. S/he will give a decision based on the recommendations of the Panel within 7 working days. The decision will be recorded in writing together with reasons. Where the Agency Decision Maker is minded to disagree with the Panel recommendation, he/she must speak to a senior colleague with relevant experience, who is not a Panel member, before making a final decision. The discussion should be recorded and placed on the child's Adoption Case Record. The Adoption Panel administrative staff will advise the child's social worker, who will convey the decision orally to the child (depending on age and understanding) and the parents within 2 working days. The Adoption Panel administrative staff will send written notice of the decision, signed by the Agency Decision Maker, to the child (if appropriate depending on age and understanding) and to the parents within 5 working days. The method of delivery of the letter must be recorded. Where the decision differs from the Panel recommendation, a copy of the Panel recommendation will be sent with the written notice.
18.	The child's social worker must open an Adoption Case Record for the child once adoption has been identified as the permanence plan for the child at his or her Looked After Review or, where a child has been relinquished for adoption, as soon as the parent's request for adoption has been made. Where the plan relates to a group of siblings, there must be a separate Adoption Case Record for each child. The Adoption Case Record will contain all relevant information, including health information, on the child and his or her parents, including copies of relevant information from the child's case file. A list of required contents of the Adoption Case Record is contained in Adoption Case Records Procedure.
19.	Where a decision has been made to seek a Placement Order in relation to the child, the child's social worker should consult with Legal Services in order to prepare the Court application. See Court Reports in Adoption/Special Guardianship Guidance for a detailed list of contents for the report.
20.	Where the decision is to proceed on the basis of the parents' consent to the child's placement and/or the child's adoption, and the child is more than 6 weeks old, the child's social worker must arrange for a written request to be sent to CAFCASS to appoint an officer to witness the consent.
21.	The social worker should send to the CAFCASS office closest to the parents' address, a certified copy of the child's birth certificate, the name and address of the parent, a chronology of the actions and decisions made by the local authority and confirmation that the parents have received counselling and written information on the legal implications of giving consent to the placement/adoption. Where the child lives in Wales, the request should be forwarded to the Welsh National Assembly.
22.	On receipt of the parent's consent witnessed by the CAFCASS officer, the original must be placed on the child's Adoption Case Record (as it will be required for the future adoption application).

2. Preparation of Child for Adoption

1.	The child's social worker will obtain and follow a Life Pack in relation to the child and ensure that life history work with the child continues with the aim so far as possible that: The child has an understanding of the reasons for the adoption plan and what adoption will mean; The child has an opportunity to express his or her wishes and feelings about the future; and The child has information on the child's birth family, which is kept safe for them and provided to the adopters and the child at the appropriate time. As part of the above, the child will be given a Children's Guide to Adoption as soon as adoption is part of the child's Care Plan. Any information given to the child should be confirmed in writing and any discussions with the child should be fully recorded. The child's preferred method of communication should be known and there should be no assumption that a child is unable to communicate. Where a child's wishes are not acted upon, for example a child's wish to be placed with his or her siblings, this should be explained to the child, with reasons, and should be fully recorded. The social worker should specifically ensure that the child's wishes in relation to adoption, his/her religious and cultural upbringing and contact with his/her birth family are ascertained. An interpreter must be arranged if necessary to ensure that there is effective communication with the child. See Life Pack Guidance.
2.	The foster carers' fostering social worker will support the foster carers in playing their part in the preparation of the plan, including careful recording by the foster carers in the Daily Record of any changes in the child's behaviour.
3.	Once an adoptive placement has been identified and approved, the child's social worker is responsible for ensuring the child is properly prepared for the first meeting with the prospective adoptive family and is appropriately counselled during the period of introductions - see Section 8, Planning the Placement below. As part of the preparation of the child for the adoptive placement, information will be provided to ensure that s/he has a proper understanding about the accommodation and others living at the prospective adoptive home, the contact arrangements with the birth family and how to contact his or her social worker.
4.	The child's social worker will encourage the parents to write a 'Later Life' letter for the child, and to provide information to enable the social worker to write a 'Later Life' letter for the child (to give to the adopters) within 10 working days of adoption ceremony, i.e. the ceremony to celebrate the making of the adoption order.

3. Counselling and Support for Parents

1.	The child's social worker must provide counselling to both parents and provide them with the leaflet 'When your child is being adopted'. If either or both of the birth parents refuse to accept or do not receive the leaflet, this should be recorded, including the reasons, on the child's case file and Adoption Case Record.
2.	The counselling will cover the following areas: Explaining the key stages of the adoption process and likely time-scales; Explaining, where appropriate, the procedure for seeking a Placement Order; Explaining the parents' legal rights, including the right of the unmarried father to seek a Parental Responsibility Order or a Residence Order in relation to the child; Explaining the role of the Adoption Panel; Explaining the role of the CAFCASS officer and the Reporting Officer in witnessing parental consent or the Children's Guardian; Ascertaining the parents' views on the adoption plan, including the selection of the adoptive family, any specific ethnic, cultural or religious needs of the child, and any plan to separate a sibling group. Their views on the adoptive family should be recorded; Where the parents consent to the adoptive placement, explaining that they have the right to withdraw their consent at any time up to the making of an adoption application, but that their opportunity to oppose the adoption thereafter is limited; Ascertaining the parents' views on post-adoption contact including whether they would wish to meet the adoptive family and if so, how they might prepare for this; The parents should be encouraged to seek legal advice particularly where they are opposed to the adoption plan.
3.	The child's social worker must refer both birth parents to the Adoption Support Service to arrange for independent support as soon as adoption becomes the plan for the child. (A Pro-Forma referral Form is available for this purpose). This service is provided by independent agencies and gives an opportunity for birth parents and families to talk about their personal adoption situation with a support worker who is not part of the local authority.
4.	If the parents have any special needs these will be taken into account when arranging support.
5.	The specific needs of parents arising from their ethnic minority groups must also be taken into account. An interpreter must be arranged where English is not their preferred language.
6.	Both parents must be offered support irrespective of whether they have Parental Responsibility unless there are exceptional circumstances, in which case legal advice should be taken and the reasons for not arranging support recorded.
7.	It may also be appropriate for members of the extended family to receive support, where they have played a significant role in the child's life and the child's social worker should arrange this if appropriate.
8.	The support will cover the following areas: Explaining the key stages of the adoption process and likely time-scales; Explaining, where appropriate, the procedure for seeking a Placement Order; Explaining the way the Adoption Contact Register works and how an adopted adult may seek information about the birth family in the future or register a Veto and how a birth relative may register a wish not to be contacted; Explaining how prospective adoptive parents are assessed; Dealing with grief and loss; Ascertaining the parents' views on post-adoption contact including whether they would wish to meet the adoptive family and if so, how they might prepare for this; Providing information to the parents on national and local support groups, and other possible sources of help; Explaining how the parents may be able to provide information to be passed to adopters, for example, on the child's birth and early life, which may be of benefit to the child.
9.	The parents and their solicitors, if appropriate, must be sent copies of any written consents and/or recording of their views, including the section of the Child's Permanence Report, once completed, which relates to them - see Section 1, Formal Approval of Adoption Plan for the Child - Paragraph 16 above.
10.	Where the parents refuse or decline to accept counselling and/or support, the child's social worker must record the attempts made to persuade the parents and the reasons for their refusal in the child's file and Adoption Case Record.
11.	Where the parents seek to have an expected child adopted, the Referral and Assessment social worker should refer the case to the Adoption and Permanence Team and an adoption worker will work jointly on the pre-birth counselling. The social worker should cover all practical arrangements for the child after birth, including liaising with hospital staff, arranging a foster placement and arranging for the child to be Accommodated. The adoption worker will explain what adoption means and assist the parents to make an informed choice about the future of the child. If the parents choose to continue with the adoption plan after the birth of the child, normal adoption procedures apply with the exception of the timescales for the matching and placement of the child (which should occur within three months from the approval of the adoption plan - see Section 6, Identification of Adoptive Parents and Section 7, Approval of Matching of Adoptive Parents below).
12.	The social worker should arrange for photographs to be taken of the child and, if they agree, the parents and other significant people and places, for inclusion in the child's Life Pack.

4. Child's Adoption Medical

The adoption medical must take place before the child's plan for adoption is considered at Adoption Panel;
The child's social worker must seek the cooperation of both birth parents to provide written consent to the disclosure of medical information by completing Form A (Medical report on Birth Parent), including obtaining their consent to the Medical Adviser approaching their GP if necessary, as well as obtaining their written consent on Forms M (Obstetric report on mother) and B (Neo-natal Report on Child);
A separate Form A should be completed in relation to each parent;
The importance of the disclosure of medical information must be explained to parents but where the parents refuse to sign consent forms, the social worker must record the attempts made to engage the parents and the reasons for refusal in the child's file and Adoption Case Record;
The child's social worker should send Forms M (Obstetric report on mother) and B (Neo-natal Report on Child) for completion by a doctor at the hospital where the child was born, with a request that they be completed and returned to the social worker as soon as possible;
Once completed Forms A, M and B are available, they should be forwarded to the Medical Adviser's administrative staff who will arrange the child's adoption medical;
Unless the Medical Adviser considers that there is sufficient up to date health information on the child that a medical examination is not required, the child's social worker should attend the medical with the child and, usually, the child's foster carer;
The medical adviser will complete the appropriate section of the Child's Permanence Report.

5. Post-Adoption Contact

There is no general presumption for or against contact being part of an adoption plan, but in all cases, the child's social worker must undertake a written assessment as to the best interests of the child to support any contact proposals as part of an adoption plan, or reasons why no contact is recommended. This assessment will take account of the views of the child, the parents, the foster carers and any other significant family members, as well as evidence of attachment and the quality of relationships, based on observations of contact and the child's behaviour before, during and after contact. Safety issues also need to be considered as well as the likelihood of all parties sustaining any planned contact over the period of the child's childhood;

As well as post-adoption contact with birth parents, the assessment should also consider contact with siblings, whether living in a different adoptive placement, other Looked After placements or with birth relatives. Where the plan is likely to be for indirect contact with birth parents and relatives, the implications of arranging direct contact with siblings and the risks of identifying information being disclosed as a result must be taken into account;

This assessment must be included in the Child's Permanence Report;

For good practice guidance in relation to this issue, see Permanence Planning Guidance;
Where there is a sibling group, each child must be assessed separately and together as a group;
The assessment should determine whether post-adoption contact between the child and the parents and/or siblings would be in the child's best interests, and if so, what form it should take. The nature and frequency of contact will be influenced by the need to maintain attachments and /or long-term identity issues;
Post-adoption contact may take the following forms:
1. Adoptive parents providing non-identifying information about the child to the birth family through letter-box contact organised and maintained by the adoption service (one way indirect contact);
2. Adoptive parents and the birth family sharing non-identifying information about themselves through letter-box contact organised and maintained by the adoption service (two way indirect contact);
3. Direct letter box and/or telephone contact between the adoptive parents and the birth family;
4. Direct face-to-face contact between the child and the birth family, which may be organised and maintained by the adoption service, where such continuing support is appropriate;
Any proposed post-adoption contact should be in line with any Court Orders and clearly set out in a written agreement agreed prior to placement and signed by all parties prior to the adoption order being made. There is an agreed format for the written agreement, whether the contact is direct or indirect, and this is available from the Adoption and Permanence Team. The agreement should be used as a working tool by the child's social worker and all those involved in supporting the post-adoption contact;
Adopters and birth parents will need to be properly prepared for the contact and the adults involved facilitated to meet at least once before the contact so that they can discuss and, hopefully, agree how they wish contact to be arranged. The initial meeting should be arranged and coordinated by the relevant social workers;
Subsequent arrangements should be supported as appropriate; this should be addressed as part of the Adoption Support Plan;
Where post-adoption contact is considered to be in the child's interests, it should be part of the information shared with prospective adoptive parents during the matching process - see Section 6, Identification of Adoptive Parents below and also part of the planning of the placement - see Section 8, Planning the Placement below.

6. Identification of Adoptive Parents

The overall time-scale for matching a child with a prospective adoptive family is:

The match is to be recommended by the Adoption Panel within 6 months of the agency's formal decision that the child should be placed for adoption;
Except where a parent requests adoption for a child of less than six months of age, in which case the match is to be recommended by the Adoption Panel within 3 months of the agency's formal decision that the child should be placed for adoption.

As soon as adoption becomes part of the Care Plan for a child, whether as the primary plan or a Parallel Plan, the child's social worker must refer the child to the Adoption and Permanence Team for family finding;
Where the adoption plan is part of the Care Plan as a result of Parallel Planning, the timing of the family finding has to be guided by the progress and likely success of the child achieving permanence within the birth family. However, the identification of potential adoptive parents as part of a Parallel Plan is important wherever possible to avoid delay in achieving permanence, should the rehabilitation plan break down;
The Adoption and Permanence Team will convene and chair a Referral Meeting within 10 working days of receipt of the referral, (usually before the case is allocated to a family finding social worker and before the child has been presented to the Adoption Panel for consideration of the Adoption Plan). The purpose of the Referral Meeting is to discuss the child's placement needs and plan the appropriate family finding process. The child's social worker, his or her supervisor and the child's carer should attend;
The case will be allocated to a named social worker in the Adoption and Permanence Team, who will be the 'family finding social worker'. This will happen when the Adoption Plan has been agreed by the Agency Decision Maker. An exception is where the parents have requested adoption prior to the child's birth, when the case will be allocated as soon as possible after the child's birth and confirmation from the parents that they wish the adoption to go ahead;
The family finding social worker will conduct an in-house search to ascertain whether there are any approved prospective adopters capable of meeting the child's needs;
The child's social worker will be sent information (including the Prospective Adopter's Reports/Form F's) in relation to possible prospective adopters who may provide a suitable match for the child;
Where approved adopters appear suitable, the child's social worker, family finding social worker and the adoption worker(s) linked to the approved adopters will arrange to visit the adopters to discuss the child and provide a copy of the Child's Permanence Report. Further information, for example as to the child's health, education and any special needs, together with a photograph and/or a video, should be given. The discussion should also include and seek the prospective adopters' views on the proposed adoption support, proposed contact arrangements and any proposed restrictions on the prospective adopters' and birth parents' exercise of Parental Responsibility after the proposed placement has taken place;
Progress meetings will take place on a regular basis while efforts are made to identify a suitable adoptive family. The meetings will review the family finding strategy as necessary and consider, where appropriate, the need to refer to another agency or advertise for an adoptive family. It is therefore important that the child's social worker's supervisor attends, as it is the child's workers who have decision-making responsibility;
Where it is decided that advertising is necessary, consideration must be given to gaining the support of the birth parents. If Southwark Council does not share Parental Responsibility for the child, parental consent must be given for any advertising. If the child is subject to Care Proceedings but there is no Placement Order, legal advice must be obtained and the Court's agreement given to any advertising;
Responses to any advertisements will be considered at Progress Meetings;
Where potential adopters have been identified a Matching Meeting will be convened by a manager from the Adoption and Permanence Team, to determine whether a family can provide a suitable match. The child's social worker and supervisor must attend with the family finding social worker; carers can be included but consideration must be given to appropriate disclosure about the prospective family or families;
Once the Matching Meeting considers a prospective adoptive family suitable, the family finding social worker will notify the prospective adopters verbally and in writing;
The family finding social worker must arrange for the child's foster carers and, where there are serious health or educational problems, the Medical Adviser and/or teacher, to meet the prospective adopters to advise them about the child's needs and daily life;
The child's social worker and the prospective adopters' social worker should then prepare an Adoption Placement Report (following the prescribed format) and Adoption Support Plan giving details of the family recommended, evaluating how this family may meet the child's needs and setting out the proposed adoption support services to be offered to the child, adoptive family and birth family. This will include the support to be provided to the prospective adopters to promote the child's educational achievements and participation in leisure activities; to help the child develop positive relationships; and to manage any challenging behaviour which the child may display, The support plan will also include arrangements for contact including how to deal with unauthorised or unmediated contact through online social networking sites. For further information, please see Adoption Support Services;

Where the placement is with adopters approved by another agency - an Inter-Agency Placement - the Southwark family finding social worker will be responsible for co-ordinating and ensuring the Adoption Placement Report is completed by the appropriate workers. The author of the report must fulfil the qualifications and experience criteria set out in Section 5, Reports to the Panel, of Adoption Panel Procedure;
The child's social worker, the family finding social worker and their respective managers should sign the Adoption Placement Report. A copy of the Report should then be provided to the prospective adopters and they should be asked to send any comments in writing within 10 working days;
The child's social worker should contact the Adoption Panel administrative staff to arrange a date for the Adoption Panel to consider the matching;
Where a prospective family has been visited but is not the preferred family, the family finding social worker should advise the family or their social worker verbally and in writing of this decision, together with reasons, as soon as possible;
The child's social worker will keep the parents and child informed of progress;
Ethnicity must not be placed above everything else when identifying potential adopters for children;
It is unacceptable for a child to be denied adoptive parents solely on the grounds that the child and prospective adopter do not share the same racial or cultural background;
If a prospective adopter can meet most of the child's needs, but, for example they do not share the child's racial or cultural background, the core issue is what qualities, experiences and attributes the prospective adopter can draw on and their level of understanding of the discrimination and racism the child may be confronted with when growing up.

7. Approval of Matching of Adoptive Parents

The overall time-scale for matching a child with a prospective adoptive family is:

	The match is to be recommended by the Adoption Panel within 6 months of the agency's formal decision that the child should be placed for adoption; Except where a parent requests adoption for a child of less than six months of age, in which case the match is to be recommended by the Adoption Panel within 3 months of the agency's formal decision that the child should be placed for adoption. Where these timescales are not met, the Adoption Panel should record the reasons.
1.	Presentation to the Adoption Panel: The child's social worker must present the following reports to the Adoption Panel: Child's Permanence Report (updated as necessary); Prospective Adopter's Report on the identified prospective adopters; The Adoption Placement Report; The views of the Children's Guardian, if known.
2.	The child's social worker will send a copy of the relevant reports to the Adoption Panel administrative staff 2 weeks before the date of the Adoption Panel.
3.	Unless the Child's Permanence Report and/or the Prospective Adopter's Report are being presented at the same time, the Panel administrative staff will arrange for the Panel minutes in relation to the approvals of the adoption plan and the prospective adopters to be circulated to Panel members, with the reports.
4.	Copies of the reports should be held on the child's Adoption Case Record.
5.	The child's social worker and their manager, the family finding social worker and the social worker linked to the adopters will attend the Adoption Panel during consideration of the matter.
6.	The Panel will consider the written reports and any additional information presented verbally, and make a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker regarding the proposed placement. Where a placement is recommended, the Panel must also consider and may give advice on the proposed adoption support, proposed contact and the exercise of Parental Responsibility by the birth parents and the prospective adopters and whether/how this should be restricted.
7.	The recommendation and any advice given will be recorded in writing, together with reasons, in the Panel's minutes. A copy of the relevant minute must be held on the child's Adoption Case Record.
8.	The child's social worker will convey the Panel's recommendation orally to he child and the parents within 24 hours.
9.	The prospective adopters' adoption worker will convey the Panel's recommendation orally to the prospective adopters within 24 hours.
10.	After the Adoption Panel has considered the reports, made a recommendation and given any advice, the written recommendation and advice, and copies of all the reports considered by the Panel, will be sent to the Agency Decision Maker who will make a decision based on the Panel's recommendation within 7 days. The decision will be recorded in writing. Where the Agency Decision Maker is minded to disagree with the Panel recommendation, he/she must speak to a senior colleague with relevant experience, who is not a Panel member, before making a final decision. The discussion should be recorded and placed on the child's Adoption Case Record.
11.	The child's social worker will convey the decision orally to the child (depending on age and understanding) and the parents within 2 working days.
12.	The prospective adopters' adoption worker will convey the decision orally to the prospective adopters within 2 working days.
13.	The administrative staff of the adoption service will send written notice of the decision, signed by the Agency Decision Maker, to the child (depending on age and understanding), the parents and the prospective adopters within 7 working days. The method of delivery of the letter must be recorded. Where the decision differs from the Panel recommendation, a copy of the Panel recommendation must be sent with the written notice.
14.	The Adoption Panel administrative staff will send confirmation about the matching decision to the Adoption Register.

8. Planning the Placement

1.	The relevant manager of the adoption service will convene and chair a Placement Planning Meeting to take place as soon as practicable after the matching has been approved, but at the latest within 14 days (unless the legal situation precludes this).
2.	Those attending the Placement Planning Meeting will be the child's social worker, his/her supervisor, the family finding social worker, the prospective adopters and their social worker, and the foster carers and their supervising social worker. If the placement is with another agency, a senior representative of that agency will also be invited.
3.	The purpose of the meeting is to draw up an Adoption Placement Plan setting out the steps required leading up to the child's placement with the prospective adopters.
4.	The Adoption Placement Plan will address the following: Name of child and date of birth; Name of prospective adoptive family; Child's legal status and whether the placement is under a Placement Order or with parental consent; The child's first meeting with the prospective adopters; The detailed arrangements for the child's introduction (dates, times, venues, transport and accommodation); A meeting between the birth parents and the prospective adopters (if appropriate); When the prospective adopters will be supplied with all remaining relevant written information about the child, the form this will take and who will provide it (including the Later Life letters and the child's Life Story Pack) (usually within 10 working days of the adoption ceremony, i.e. the ceremony to celebrate the making of the adoption order); The proposed date of the placement and who will be present; The Adoption Support Plan including the support to be provided to the prospective adopters to promote the child's educational achievements and participation in leisure activities; to help the child develop positive relationships; and to manage any challenging behaviour which the child may display; Any proposed restrictions on the exercise of Parental Responsibility by the birth parents or the prospective adopters after the placement (see paragraph 13 below in relation to the child's change of name), including the delegation of decision making to the prospective adopters about the child's health needs and under what circumstances consent to medical treatment needs to be obtained; The social worker's visits to the child after the placement; The arrangements for the first review - date, time and venue; Any post-placement contact between the child and members of the birth family (which take account of any Panel advice given and the view of the Agency Decision Maker) and/or former foster carers (see Paragraph 18 below); Clarification of who will make the necessary notifications of the placement (see Section 9, The Placement below). As part of the preparation of the child for the adoptive placement, information will be provided to ensure that s/he has a proper understanding about the accommodation and others living at the prospective adoptive home, the contact arrangements with the birth family and how to contact his or her social worker.
5.	The Chair will ensure that a copy of the Adoption Placement Plan is given to all participants at the end of the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter.
6.	In the case of a placement with prospective adopters approved by a different adoption agency, a financial agreement form will be completed and signed by the Designated Manager (Inter-Agency Placements). This form will set out the financial agreement between the agencies in relation to the placement. A copy of this financial agreement should be sent to the Social Services Department's Finance office to enable payment to be made, or in the case of another placing agency using Southwark approved adopters, to enable an invoice to be sent after the placement has been made.
7.	The Placement Planning Meeting should ensure that the workers involved are clear about their respective roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the adoption plan, and what should happen in the event of difficulties. The workers involved are expected to be in regular and frequent contact with the child, foster carer and prospective adopters during the period of the introductions and share information with each other also on a regular basis.
8.	The child's social worker will advise the parents of the plan whilst maintaining the confidentiality of the placement, as appropriate.
9.	A Review Meeting should take place mid-way through the introductory period. It will consider the progress of the introductions plan, taking feedback from all parties. This meeting will either confirm the date the child will be placed, extend the period of introductions and agree a further review meeting or agree to stop the introductory process.
10.	A format for the agenda for the Review of Introductions Meeting is available from the Adoption and Permanence Team and provides as follows: Name of child and date of birth; Name of family; Those present and apologies; Feedback from prospective adopters and foster carers; Feedback from child's social worker and fostering social worker; Review introductions plan and either agree move date or timetable further review meeting or decide to cease introductions; Consider contact with foster carer; Adopters receive and sign final Adoption Placement Plan (child's social worker to prepare); Adopters and agencies to receive or sign the financial agreement form; Clarify financial and practical arrangements - adopters grant/travel expenses/child benefit/legal fees/notifications to receiving authority; Adopters to receive 'Adopters' pack' - (see Section 9, The Placement - Paragraph 2 below); Identify future tasks - Later Life letter/life story/contact agreement.
11.	A meeting can be called by any of the parties if issues of concern arise. All planning meetings should have the same people invited and take place at a venue accessible to all parties.
12.	Where the child is to be adopted by his or her foster carers, there will be no need for a plan for introductions but the social worker should still draw up an Adoption Placement Plan to cover the areas as set out in Paragraph 4 and Paragraph 10 above and specify the date when the placement is to be regarded as an adoptive placement.
13.	The social worker must advise the prospective adopters and they should sign an undertaking not to change the child's name under any circumstances prior to the adoption order. In any case where there are exceptional circumstances and it may be appropriate for a change of name, this can only be initiated by the child's social worker and the Change of Name Procedure must be followed. See Change of Name Procedure.
14.	The prospective adopters must sign an agreement to inform the local authority in the event of the child's death.
15.	The prospective adopters and the child's social worker should sign the Adoption Placement Plan and copies should be distributed to them and the prospective adopters' social worker. A copy must be retained on the child's Adoption Case Record. The prospective adopters must be asked to confirm in writing that they wish the placement to proceed on the basis of the Adoption Placement Plan.
16.	Where contact is part of the adoption plan, the proposals must be drawn up in a written agreement to be signed by the birth parents and the prospective adoptive parents prior to the adoption order. An agreed format for the agreement, which is available from the Adoption and Permanence Team, will specify the form and timing of the contact and the arrangements for putting the contact in place. The agreement will also specify that the arrangements may change dependent upon the wishes of the child. The agreement should also include how the prospective adopters should deal with unauthorised or unmediated contact through online social networking sites. All parties must sign and retain a copy of the agreement.
17.	If the Adoption Placement Plan is amended, the prospective adopters must be informed in writing.
18.	If the Adoption Placement Plan is amended, the child/parents must be informed as appropriate. If the Adoption Placement Plan is terminated, the parents must be informed. In the case of an inter-agency placement, the Social Services Department's Finance office must also be notified of any amendment or termination.
19.	In the event of the placement ending, the manager of the Adoption Service should consider the best way to conduct a disruption meeting - see Section 14, Disruption (Ending) of Placement below.
20.	In this event, the child's social worker must re-start the process of identifying a suitable prospective adoptive family (depending on the outcome of the Disruption Meeting) or review the plan by reconvening an Adoption Review in relation to the child.

9. The Placement

1.	Once the matching of the child has been approved, the plan of introductions of the child to the adoptive family successfully completed the Adoption Placement Plan completed and signed by all parties, the written confirmation given by the prospective adopters that the placement can go ahead and the legal position allows it, the placement can go ahead.
2.	Prior to the placement, the child's social worker must ensure that an Adopters' Pack containing all the following written information about the child has been provided to the adopters, with a copy to the child (depending on the child's age and understanding): The Child's Permanence Report (as presented to the Adoption Panel considering the matching); Medical information including birth details (time, place, weight, term, type of delivery, with Forms M and B), Form C (if child under 5) or Form D (if child 5 or older) and any medical reports on the child; Authority to consent to medical and dental treatment; The child's 'Red Book' and NHS Card; The child's passport (if applicable); Carers' report including the child's daily routine, likes and dislikes, advice on behaviour management and factors indicating distress; Health report (prepared for Adoption Panel); Current school reports and PEP; Any letters, photographs or mementos from the birth family, and the Life Pack; The child's profile for family finding; A Statement of Particulars of financial support where applicable; Any available leaflets on Benefits and Tax; The Adoption Support Plan; The Adoption Placement Plan including arrangements for support and visits by the child's social worker and their own social worker; Any other relevant information, including specialist reports (subject to the author's consent). The prospective adopters should be asked to sign confirmation of receipt of the information.
3.	Also prior to the placement, the child's social worker must notify the present and new GP, the local Social Services Authority (if the adoptive family live outside the borough), the relevant Health Trust and, if the child is at nursery or of school age, the relevant local education authority. This notification is still required prior to the adoptive placement where the prospective adopters were previously the child's foster carers.
4.	The child's social worker should send the adoption medical report on the child to the child's new GP and the adopters.
5.	The child's social worker must also inform the Social Services Finance office so that, where appropriate, fostering allowances can cease and financial support to the adopters can start. In the case of an inter-agency placement, the family finding social worker must inform the Finance Department for Children's Looked After.
6.	The child's social worker must inform the parents of the date of the placement. No identifying information about the placement should be conveyed to birth parents or relatives.
7.	The child's social worker should ensure that the computer record system does not show the placement address but identifies that the child is placed for adoption.
8.	The child's social worker will inform the Adoption Panel administrative staff of the date of the placement as soon as it is made.

10. Children Approved for Adoption for Whom no Placement has been Identified

Each individual child will be the subject of regular progress meetings - see Section 6, Identification of Adoptive Parents above;
The Adoption Panel may request a progress report on an individual case where there are particular concerns about delay;
Where the agency has obtained authority to place a child (either through the making of a Placement Order or through parental consent having been witnessed by a CAFCASS officer) but no placement has been identified, there is a requirement to hold Adoption Reviews within 3 months. From the second such review (i.e. 9 months after the adoption decision), the reviews must consider whether adoption is still the appropriate plan - see Adoption Reviews Procedure;
The child's details should be passed to the Adoption Register if no locally identified match is being actively pursued at the latest by 3 months after the decision by the Agency Decision Maker that the child should be placed for adoption.

11. Adoptive Placements Abroad

Where an adoptive placement outside the UK appears to be a viable option, and consultation with the child (if old enough) supports this, the proposal must be considered at a child's Looked After Review before becoming part of the child's Care Plan.

The child may be considered for an adoptive placement with known prospective adopters in which case it will be for the adoption agency to satisfy itself that the prospective adopters are suitable to adopt the child. Otherwise, the child may be referred to the Department for Education (DfE) for a suitable linking to be identified, (see below).

In either circumstance, the case must be referred to the Adoption Panel in accordance with Section 1 of this procedure, seeking a formal recommendation that adoption outside the UK is in the best interests of the child. The Child's Permanence Report must include an assessment of the possibility of placing the child for adoption in the British Isles and consideration of whether adoption of the child by a person in a particular country would be in the best interests of the child.

The Agency Decision Maker must consider the recommendation and decide whether the child should be placed for adoption overseas. The notification to the child (if old enough) and the parents must include an explanation of the placement possibilities in the British Isles and abroad.

Where a decision is made to pursue the option of placement overseas, the child's social worker should consult with Legal Services in order to prepare the Court application for a Placement Order.

Where no Prospective Adopters have been Identified

Where such a decision is made, the child's social worker must notify the Department for Education of the following:

The child's file reference number;
The child's name;
The child's date of birth;
The gender of the child;
The reasons why the decision has been made that adoption outside the UK may be suitable for the child;
The date of the any Placement Order.

The DSCF maintains a list of children waiting for inter country adoption.

If a decision is made after the child's name is placed on the list that an overseas adoptive placement is no longer appropriate, the child's social worker must inform the DSCF so that the child's details are removed from the list.

Where the DSCF receive an application from a foreign country, it will check that the prospective adopters have been assessed as eligible and suitable, and that they meet the age and marital status of the UK law, and if so, consider whether there are children of the age and gender to match the prospective adopters' approval.

Where there are children on the list who appear, on the face of it, to match the prospective adopters, the DSCF will send the relevant papers on the prospective adopters to the local authority looking after the child.

Upon receipt of the papers, the child's social worker in conjunction with the adoption service, will consider whether the prospective adopters would meet the child's needs. Where necessary, additional information should be requested from the overseas authority via the DSCF.

Where it is decided that the prospective adopters are not suitable, the DSCF should be notified and the papers returned.

Where it is decided that the prospective adopters are suitable, the DSCF should be notified and the proposed match referred to the Adoption Panel for consideration in accordance with the usual procedure. Included in the papers to be presented to the Adoption Panel must be the report on the prospective adopters by the foreign authority.

The child's social worker must notify the DSCF of the decision made.

Where the decision is to proceed with the linking, the child's social worker must send the Child's Permanence Report, together with the Placement Order and a recent photograph of the child, to the DSCF for onward transmission to the overseas authority and the prospective adopters.

Where the prospective adopters decide to go ahead with the placement, they will be required to travel to meet the child.

The matching procedures will then apply as for any other potential placement.

Placement Planning Meetings should be convened in accordance with the usual procedure (see Section 9, The Placement above) to plan the prospective adopters' first meeting with the child, introductions and where the placement goes ahead, regular reports should be required from the relevant overseas authority after the placement.

If the prospective adopters still wish to go ahead and the Placement Planning Meeting confirms that the placement meets the child's needs, the child's social worker must inform the DSCF, who will contact the overseas authority to confirm that they are content for the placement to go ahead and that the child will be permitted to enter and reside permanently. In these circumstances, the DSCF will enter the necessary agreement with the overseas authority.

The child's social worker can then arrange for the placement to go ahead.

The prospective adopters will need to seek independent legal advice about the need to apply for a Convention Adoption Order in the UK (which will require the child to be with the adopters for at least 6 months prior to the application) or a Section 84 Order from the High Court granting them Parental Responsibility to take the child outside the UK for the purposes of adoption (which will require the child to be with the adopters for at least 10 weeks prior to the application). In either case, the Court will require a social worker's report - see Court Reports in Adoption/Special Guardianship Guidance for a detailed list of the contents.

The prospective adopters will need to arrange for the foreign authority to monitor the placement as required by the Adoption Planning Meeting.

Where Prospective Adopters have been Identified

It will be for the adoption service to satisfy itself that the prospective adopters are suitable to adopt the child. The assessment should usually be carried out in the prospective adopters' country and then sent to the adoption agency in the same way as for any other prospective adopter.

The matching procedures will then apply as for any other potential placement - see Section 7, Approval of Matching of Adoptive Parents, Section 8, Planning the Placement, Section 9, The Placement and Section 10, Children Approved for Adoption for Whom no Placement has been Identified above.

Placement Planning Meetings should be convened in accordance with the usual placement procedures (see Section 9, The Placement above) to plan the prospective adopters' first meeting with the child, introductions and where the placement goes ahead, regular reports should be required from the relevant overseas authority after the placement.

The prospective adopters will need to seek independent legal advice about the need to apply for a Section 84 Order from the High Court granting them Parental Responsibility to take the child outside the UK for the purposes of adoption (which will require the child to be with the adopters for at least 10 weeks prior to the application). Where such an application is made, the Court will require a social worker's report - see Court Reports in Adoption/Special Guardianship Guidance for a detailed list of the contents.

The child's social worker will need to arrange for the foreign authority to monitor the placement as required by the Adoption Planning Meeting.

12. Monitoring and Supervision of the Placement

1.	Arrangements for supervising the placement up to the first Adoption Review must be set out in the Adoption Placement Plan - see Section 8, Planning the Placement above. This will involve at a minimum: The child's social worker or adopters' social worker visiting the child within the first week and at least once every week until the first review held 4 weeks after the placement; The child's social worker or adopters' social worker visiting the child as agreed at the first and subsequent reviews; After this, the child's social worker or adopters' social worker visiting the child every six weeks or otherwise as determined at the reviews. The visits should continue until an Adoption Order has been made.
2.	The visiting social worker/s must fulfil the qualifications and experience criteria set out in Section 5, Reports to the Panel, of Adoption Panel Procedure. Between visits, the social workers involved must discuss progress in the placement and exchange and read each other's record of visits during the monitoring period.
3.	Where there are concerns that the placement is at risk of breaking down, an Adoption Review must be convened immediately - see Adoption Reviews Procedure.
4.	The child should be seen alone on each visit, whether the visit is undertaken by the child's social worker or the adopters' social worker, and his or her wishes and feelings recorded.
5.	The adopters' social worker may also need to see the adopters at a time when the child is not present.
6.	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 will continue to be reviewed up to the Adoption Order - see Adoption Reviews Procedure.

13. The Adoption Application and Adoption Hearing

Once an adoption application is lodged, the Court will request a Court Report within 6 weeks. The child's social worker, should prepare the report in conjunction with the prospective adopters' social worker or as agreed at Adoption Review meetings. The author of the report must fulfil the qualifications and experience criteria set out in Section 5, Reports to the Panel, of Adoption Panel Procedure;

See Court Reports in Adoption/Special Guardianship Guidance for a detailed list of the contents;
The child's social worker and the adopters' social worker should attend the adoption hearing;
If an Adoption Order is made, the child's social worker should advise the birth parents if they are not present at the hearing;
Once the Adoption Order is made, the child's Adoption Case Record should be closed and sent to the Business Resource Manager for Children's Looked After for safe storage. The contents should be checked by a manager before being sent to the adoption archive. The computer recording system should also record the Adoption Order;
Copies of any Post Adoption Agreement should be sent to the Adoption Support Service.

14. Disruption (Ending) of the Placement

Where an adoptive placement breaks down (from introductions onwards), a Disruption Meeting will be held to identify the reasons for the breakdown and to learn lessons from the events surrounding the breakdown;
The Disruption Meeting will be held no sooner than 28 and no later than 42 days after the placement breaks down, and will follow a set agenda;
A manager from the Adoption Service will convene and arrange for independent chairing of the meeting;
The prospective adopters, their social worker, the child's social worker, the child (if appropriate), the current carers and any other relevant people will be invited to the meeting. Where the child is too young or does not wish to attend, his or her wishes and feelings must be presented to the meeting. Where the prospective adopters are unable or unwilling to attend, they should be encouraged to submit their views in writing to the meeting. The manager must ensure that all those invited are aware of who else will be attending the meeting;
The chair will prepare and circulate minutes of the meeting to all those attending and ensure that the outcome of the meeting is reported to the Adoption Panel. The Adoption Panel should also receive copies of the Panel minutes recommending the adoption plan for the child, the prospective adopters' approval and the linking, to enable learning points to be shared;
The Adoption Panel may consider whether the plan for the child should be referred to an Adoption Review for further consideration (see Adoption Reviews Procedure), and/or whether the prospective adopters' approval or category of approval should be reconsidered, and these issues may need to be further investigated and reports be presented to a subsequent meeting.

End