6.4.8 Initial Visits to Prospective Adoptive Applicants

Introduction
The Purpose of Initial Visits
Possible Outcomes of Initial Visits
Content of Initial Visits
Child Specific Visits

1. Introduction

The preparation of adopters is time consuming and therefore costly. The aim of this guidance is to maximise consistency in initial assessments of potential applicants.

Initial Visits are the first important steps and enquirers who would have difficulties with the task and can be counselled out or can withdraw early in the process.

There is no interview process that would be suitable for every enquirer but an overall aim is to enable the enquirer to be relaxed and honest.

2. The Purpose of Initial Visits

To find out what resource is being offered
To make a preliminary assessment of the enquirer’s suitability to adopt - see Section 12, Criteria for Prospective Adopters - Assessment and Approval of Prospective Adopters Procedure
To give information to enable enquirers to come to their own view
To describe the tasks and expectations to be covered if an application is made
To communicate the approach of the Adoption Team; that the service is child-focused and that we aim to work in an open and transparent way with adoptive applicants

3. Possible Outcomes of Initial Visits

The possible outcomes of an Initial Visit are:

An agreement between the enquirer and the social worker that an interest in adoption will be pursued.
As above, but with a particular child in mind – see Section 5, Child Specific Visits
An agreement between the enquirer and the social worker that an interest in adoption will not be pursued – this may be temporary i.e. for a specific timescale or a final decision
A decision by the social worker, endorsed by the Adoption Team Manager, not to pursue an expression of interest in adoption from an enquirer

4. Content of Initial Visits

For the most part, enquirers cannot hear your views until they have told you theirs so a fairly unstructured style may be helpful.

Enquirers will feel it easier to relax if they do not feel interrogated by an “Are you good enough?” approach.

At this stage the aim should be to gain a broad understanding of what enquirers may be able to offer as adoptive parents rather than undertaking an in-depth detailed assessment of the areas outlined below.

4.1 General Information Gathering

A brief description of the family members and others in the household – their racial and cultural background, language and religion, their occupations and education, their interests, outlook and personalities
Basic health and details of any disability
Information about previous partners and children (of whatever age) who live elsewhere
Initial impressions of the relationships and family dynamics
A brief description of the lifestyle of the family, including their level of activity, their organisation and support received or given outside the family.

4.2 Motivation and Feelings

Enquirers may be very clear of their motivation, or may have limited awareness at this stage of the exact nature of their needs and how adoption might meet these. Initial observations about their motivation should be tentative but the worker should try to get a sense of what is drawing the enquirer towards adoption and how well they appreciate the differences between parenting a birth child and an adopted child. Are there specific care tasks that appeal to them or they would feel unable to consider? Does this need to be explored further if their application is pursued?

Timing and triggers - what has prompted the enquiry at this time?

Fertility and/or family size are often issues in the enquirer’s life. If infertility and/or fertility treatment are factors, the worker should assess whether or not enquirers are ready to consider adoption. All fertility investigations must be complete before any application to adopt is received and at least 6 months should have elapsed since the last treatment. Experiences of loss and/or good experiences are central here.

Is the enquirer able to express feelings and recognise them in him or herself and others?

4.3 Equality issues

Enquirers need to know that we operate in an organisation that supports equality of opportunity and diversity, and that the service is child-centred and that attention is given to needs arising from ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, cultural background, religion and disability.

Some of the preparation and assessment will be to increase their awareness through information and discussion. They need to be open to this being a valuable part of their preparation.

4.4 Knowledge and Awareness

The worker needs to ascertain:

The extent of the enquirer’s knowledge about adoption through people they know, personal experience and reading
The enquirer’s experience of children through parenting and contact with other children
The enquirer’s awareness of children’s needs and how children may behave
The enquirer’s awareness of the gains and losses of adoption for their family
The enquirer’s awareness of the circumstances of children who are looked after away from home

4.5 Information giving on Adoption

The worker should provide information as to the following:

Characteristics of children that are being placed by Wakefield
The circumstances of children and families which result in children needing permanence through adoption
The adoption task and the nature and availability of adoption support services
The position on smoking - see BAAF Practice Note in Relation to Smoking Protocol – and any other prevailing good practice advice/guidance
A brief description of financial support available to adopters, stressing the criteria for eligible children (see Adoption Support Services Procedure for further information)
The process of becoming an adoptive parent through participation in a Preparation Course, home study/assessment and for example attendance at a Children's Centre (or similar) if considered appropriate to gain experience of caring for children of the same age as the children who may be adopted. The process includes statutory checks, the obtaining of personal medical information, references including from the current employer and visits to personal referees and seeks to ensure that adoptive families are safe carers for children. Enquirers should be made aware of the confidentiality of third party information, e.g. information from referees.

Enquirers should be given the opportunity to declare any criminal convictions or cautions which relate to themselves or any members of their family/household.

It should be explained that, wherever possible, we will want to contact previous partners and adult children as part of the assessment.

Where the enquirer has school age children, it should also be explained that the children’s school will be contacted as part of the assessment.

4.6 Initial Assessment

The social worker needs to use all the information gained during the Initial Visit to decide if the enquirer has the potential to meet the requirements or baselines that will be expected of an adopter. It may not be possible to predict whether people will be able to develop to meet these requirements, but where they do not (and are likely not to) meet them will often be clear.

Key baselines for an approved adopter are:

The ability to care for and empathise with children
A recognition of the importance of the child’s identity
The ability to help the child function appropriately in the wider community, within a diverse and multi-cultural society
The ability to understand the impact of separation and loss
The ability to seek and use support of relevant family and friends, and to work with the Department and other agencies
Sufficient physical and emotional energy
A settled home with adequate physical space
Evidence of relationships that work over a period of time
Realistic expectations and shared motivation (for a couple)
Flexibility
An understanding of safe caring issues – how to protect children and themselves
The ability to look after other people’s children and an appreciation of the significance of the birth family to an adopted child
A willingness to consider contact with the birth family, if considered to be in the child’s best interests
An understanding of the life-long nature of adoption and the financial implications that it has, balanced with a positive attitude to accessing adoption support services as and when required.

5. Child Specific Visits

In certain circumstances enquirers may wish to apply to be considered as adopters for a specific child. This may be:

Where the enquirers are not already approved by an adoption agency but are responding to a child who is featured in a publication, e.g. Adoption Today. In such cases, a social worker from the Adoption Team may carry out the Initial Visit jointly with the child’s social worker. The child’s social worker should provide brief non-identifying information about the child at this stage
Where foster carers wish to make an application in relation to a child they are fostering
Where the enquirers are related to the child and may be caring for the child already, e.g. an aunt, uncle or grandparent. NB This does not apply to step parents who are covered by the Non-Agency Adoptions Procedure.

The areas to be covered in the Initial Visit in Section 2, The Purpose of Initial Visits and Section 3, Possible Outcomes of Initial Visits should not vary significantly from those which apply to a general enquirer. There may, however, need to be a slight shift of emphasis to take account of the circumstances.

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