Procedure for Visiting and Supporting Approved Adopters Awaiting Placement and Reviews

• Adopters will receive a formal letter confirming their approval and also an Adopters Information Pack;
• Admin will put the adopters basic details on Adoption 22 and NAR;
• Supervising social workers will visit the Adopters to complete the Matching Plan Agreement (CoramBAAF form) which will include details of proposed contact whilst waiting for a match;
• Supervising social workers should keep adopters informed of any matching possibilities. Any possible links should be recorded on Liquidlogic in case notes;
• Adopters should be encouraged to attend the Adoption Psychology Groups;
• After 3 months if there are no possible in-house links or sooner if it is thought an in-house link is not going to be achieved or the adopters have not referred themselves, the Supervising Social Worker will refer the Adopters to Adoption 22 and to the NAR;
• Adopters will be invited to attend Adoption Exchange Days, Profiling Evenings and Activity Days as appropriate.

A Review of the approval of the prospective adopter’s suitability will take place within one year after approval and afterwards at intervals of not more than a year:

• Supervising Social Workers should visit the adopters and outline the purpose of the review and should note any relevant changes of circumstances. There should also be some preliminary discussions regarding the adopters thoughts about matching considerations and age and gender age and gender;
• Supervising Social Workers will complete the first half of the review document and forward to the Chair of the Review.

The Review will be chaired by an Independent person (Team Manager or Independent Reviewing Officer).

The review should discuss how the applicant/s are coping with the waiting period and advise the adopters about any unsuccessful matches they have been considered for and an explanation as to why this was the outcome.

A discussion should take place about the adopters’ original matching considerations and whether there have been any changes in the applicant’s thoughts about these.

Any significant change of the adopters’ circumstances should be discussed and noted.

Discussion should also take place about any age or gender restriction. Clearly any change of age or gender would need to be fully discussed and the reasons for the change fully recorded.

Minutes of the Review will be taken. The adopters will given a copy and a copy will be kept on their file.

• Supervising Social Worker will record any changes to matching considerations, age or gender restriction on Liquidlogic and amend the adopters details on Adoption 22 and NAR.

If adopters have not had a child placed with them in 12 months – the SSW will do an Annual Home Check.

The second review will be held – following the procedure as above:

• Applicants will be required to complete new DBS disclosures and medicals; and
• The PAR should be updated and amended as necessary - including Annual Home Check and taken back to panel.

See Placement for Adoption Procedure, Monitoring and Supervision of Adoptive Placements.

The first statutory visit by social workers should be made within one week of placement and thereafter weekly until the first Statutory Review.

These visits are usually shared between the child’s social worker and the adopters’ supervising social worker and dates of these visits should be confirmed at the Placement Planning Meeting prior to the Introductions taking place. Both workers should record their visits and share this information with each other.

Supervising Social Workers will attend the child’s first Statutory Review and then visit at a minimum once every six weeks with a telephone call in between. Following the second Statutory Review minimum visiting will be once every three months.