• home
• keywords & contacts
• guidance/practice
• contact us
• search
• full contents

Contents

1. Aims of the Adoption Service
2. Principles of the Adoption Service

1. Aims of the Adoption Service

1. To provide a high quality service for children and young people who are unable to live with their birth family and whose need for a permanent substitute family is best met through adoption.
2. To provide adoptive placements that offer a positive choice as part of a range of services for children and young people who are Looked After.
3. To recruit a range of adoptive families to ensure that a child's right to or need for adoption is not compromised by reason of his or her age, race, ethnicity, disability, gender, religion or birth family relationships.
4. To welcome applicants who wish to become adoptive parents without prejudice, respond to them promptly and give them clear information about recruitment, assessment and approval. They will be treated fairly, openly and with respect throughout the adoption process.
5. To consider applicants who wish to become adoptive parents in terms of their capacity to look after children in a safe and responsible way that meets their developmental needs. People will not be automatically excluded on the grounds of age (unless under the age of 21 years), health or other factors, except where they are a Disqualified Person (Adopter) in the case of certain criminal convictions
6. To link children for whom the agency has responsibility, with prospective adoptive families who best meet their needs
7. To support the social worker for children placed with prospective adopters prior to the granting of the Adoption Order
8. To support adopters prior to the granting of the Adoption Order
9. To report to the Court in relation to all adoption and associated applications
10. To provide information to the Department for Education and generally, to assist those who wish to adopt a child from overseas
11. To offer post-adoption counselling for adopted adults wishing to have further information about their birth family
12. To provide an adoption support service for all children placed by the agency, birth families, adopters and their families who live in the county as required by legislation and regulations

2. Principles of the Adoption Service

The following principles underpin the work of the Adoption Agency and should be read in the context of the Council’s main principles of family and child care policy.

• Children are entitled to grow up as part of a loving family which can meet their needs during childhood and beyond
• It is best for children, wherever possible, to be brought up by their own birth family
• When this is not possible, timely permanence plans will be made
• Adoption is a service for children. The child's welfare, safety and needs will be at the centre of the adoption process
• The child’s wishes and feelings will be actively sought and fully taken into account at all stages
• Delays in adoption can have a severe impact on the health and development of children and should be avoided wherever possible
• Children’s ethnic origin, cultural background, religion and language will be fully recognised and positively valued and promoted when decisions are made
• The particular needs of disabled children will be fully recognised and taken into account when decisions are made
• The role of adoptive parents in offering a permanent family to a child who cannot live with his or her birth family will be valued and respected
• Adoption has life-long implications for all involved and requires life-long commitment from many organisations, professions, and individuals who have to work together to meet the needs for services of those affected by adoption. People affected by adoption will receive an assessment of their needs
• Wakefield MDC Adoption Agency will not assess Wakefield MDC employees who wish to apply to adopt. These employees will be re-directed to other adoption agencies.

End