6.2.5 Placement for Adoption

Parallel planning should be considered at the earliest opportunity, including whether to seek the Panel’s advice about the Parallel Plan and the need for an inter agency placement.

In relation to an unborn child or a child relinquished for adoption by the parents and not yet looked after, the initial agreement to an adoption plan must be given at a Permanence Planning Meeting.  This will subsequently be confirmed in the child’s Care Plan, once the child becomes Looked After.  Legal advice will be sought so that a decision can be made as to whether a Placement Order should be sought for the child or whether it may be appropriate to go ahead on the basis of Parental Consent to the Adoptive Placement.

As soon as adoption is the Permanence Plan for the child, the child’s social worker must:

• Contact the Panel Administrator for a date to be arranged for presentation of the case to the Adoption Panel. The Panel date must be a maximum of 2 months from the date when the adoption plan was agreed at the child's Looked After Review.  Where this timescale is not met, the Adoption Panel should record the reason.
• Continue to provide counselling for the child - see Section 3, Preparation of Child for Adoption
• Liaise with the Adoption Team Manager in order that a family finder be identified for the child

The birth family’s social worker should give both birth parents a copy of the Explanatory Memorandum, which provides information about adoption and its life-long implications, and the birth parents should be asked to sign Confirmation of Receipt, a copy of which should be kept on the child’s Adoption Case Record and a further copy should be handed to the parents.

If either or both of the birth parents refuse to accept or do not receive the Explanatory Memorandum, this should be recorded, including the reasons, on the child’s case file and Adoption Case Record.  Where the parents’ address is known, the child’s social worker should personally deliver or arrange for delivery by hand of a copy of the Explanatory Memorandum to the address and record this on the Adoption Case Record.  Their lack of cooperation should not be a reason to delay implementation of the plan. See also Section 4, Counselling and Support for Parents.

Using all the information obtained in relation to the above, the child’s social worker must prepare the Child’s Permanence Report.  The Child’s Permanence Report must be written by a qualified social worker with suitable experience (see Section 5 of Adoption Panel Procedure).  It must be written having regard to its functions, namely to provide comprehensive information to the Panel, to provide information for the matching process, to give information to prospective adopters about the child and to provide for the child an accurate and compassionate but fair picture of the birth family and the events which led to the adoption plan.

The following areas must be included or addressed in the Report:

• Profile of the child, i.e. information about the child’s family history, personality, nationality, racial origin, religious persuasion, legal status and relationship with his/her birth family - this will be used for family finding for the child and should include the child's placement needs - see also paragraph 7.2
• The child's wishes in relation to the adoption plan and his or her preferred method of communication
• A chronology of significant events in the child’s life since birth (including the actions and decisions of the local authority)
• A family tree
• The preparation work with the child, both undertaken and planned, 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.
• The wishes and feelings of the child, which should be ascertained in a timely manner and in an age-appropriate way. In doing this it is important that the child understands that the outcome will not be determined purely by what they say.
• A report of the child’s educational history and current needs, including the Personal Education Plan (PEP)
• Any other relevant information arising from any specialist reports on the child
• An assessment of the child’s emotional and behavioural development and related needs, together with any racial, religious and cultural needs
• An assessment of the child’s needs for post-placement and post-adoption contact, including with siblings, and the child’s and birth relatives’ needs for adoption support services and a proposed Contact Plan - see Section 6, Adoption and Contact
• 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

NB The Child's Permanence Report is an important part of the explanation for the adopted person if he or she seeks access to information as to their own history.

The report must be read, signed and dated by the social worker's team manager, who is responsible for the quality and content of the report.

A copy of the Report or the relevant sections of the Report should be provided to the parents and the child where appropriate.  The parents should be asked to sign the Report and provide any written comments they wish to make.

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 the child is suitable to be placed for adoption, the child’s social worker must present the following reports:

1. The Child’s Permanence Report signed by the child’s social worker, the team manager and the parents (if willing), together with the parents’ written comments (if any).
2. The child’s original birth certificate
3. The Annex to BAAF Form C, D or YP (completed by the carer)
4. A proposed Adoption Support Plan for each child and the birth family.
5. 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.

The Medical Adviser will also prepare the Adoption Medical Report.

The Local Authority will also advise about parental consent and the option of seeking a Placement Order.

The child’s social worker will send copies of the relevant reports to the Panel Administrator at least 2 weeks before the relevant date of the Adoption Panel. 

The child’s social worker together with his or her team manager will attend the Panel meeting during consideration of the matter. 

(N.B. Where the social worker is seeking a recommendation in relation to a proposed placement of the child with particular prospective adopters at the same time, the procedure set out in Section 8, Linking / Matching with Adoptive Parents must also be followed.)

The Panel will consider the written reports and any additional information presented verbally.  The Panel will make a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker.  Where the Panel recommends that the child should be placed for adoption, it must 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 and advice 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.

After the Adoption Panel

After the Adoption Panel, the Panel Administrator will send the written recommendation and advice, together with the reports considered by the Panel, and the draft Panel minutes to the Agency Decision Maker, who will make a decision based on these documents within 7 working days.  The decision will be recorded in writing, with reasons. The decision will include whether a Placement Order should be sought.

Where the Agency Decision Maker is minded to disagree with the Panel recommendation, he/she must first discuss the case with another senior officer with relevant experience, who must not be a Panel member.  This discussion must be recorded and placed on the child’s Adoption Case Record.

The Panel Administrator will communicate the decision to the child’s social worker, who will convey the decision orally to the parents within 2 working days. 

The Panel Administrator will write to the parents, for the Agency Decision Maker to sign, informing them of the decision. The letter will be sent by recorded delivery within 5 days, except where delivery by hand has been agreed as appropriate, in which case the letter will be forwarded to the social worker for delivery by hand.  The child’s social worker will also ensure that the child is informed of the decision in a timely and age-appropriate way.

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 parents, 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.

See the CAFCASS Protocol for Children Relinquished for Adoption.

The child’s social worker will ensure that Life Story Work with the child continues, either carried out directly by them or by another appropriately skilled worker, with the aim as far as possible that:

• The child has an understanding of what has happened in his or her life so far, 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 his or her birth family, which is kept safe 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 (or other appropriate information) 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. An interpreter should be arranged where necessary to ensure that there is effective communication with the child.

The social worker should specifically ensure that the quality of the child's current and past attachments and his/her ability to move on are assessed, and that the child’s wishes in relation to adoption, religious and cultural upbringing and contact with his or her birth family are ascertained.

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 child should have a Life Story Book ready by the time of the child's adoptive placement and the social worker will encourage the parents to write a letter for the child to have when they are older, 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. See Later Life Letters Guidance.

The birth family’s social worker must also seek to ascertain the parent’s views on the matters set out in Section 4.8 h) and k).  The purpose of the family having a social worker, who is independent of the child's social worker, is to ensure that the implications of adoption are fully discussed.  It also offers the parents support to provide information that the adopted child needs and the opportunity to express their views in relation to the plans for the child, and to be involved in planning for the child’s future wherever possible.

Where it is not appropriate for a local authority social worker to fulfil this "independent" role, e.g. where there is extreme hostility on the part of the parents towards the local authority, the child's social worker's manager may decide to refer the case to 'After Adoption Yorkshire' for the appointment of one of its social workers. If this is agreed, a referral can be made by telephone and then confirmed in writing.

The counselling and support will cover the following areas:

1. Explaining the key stages of the adoption process and likely time-scales
2. Explaining, where appropriate, the procedure for seeking a Placement Order
3. 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
4. Explaining the role of the Adoption Panel
5. Explaining the role of CAFCASS in witnessing consent or acting as the Children’s Guardian
6. 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 wish not to be contacted
7. Explaining how prospective adoptive parents are assessed, how particular prospective adopters are selected for the child, how the child is prepared and how the adopters and child are supported after the placement
8. 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 these issues should be recorded.
9. Dealing with grief and loss
10. Where there is parental consent to the adoption, explaining the process for giving their written consent to an adoptive placement or advance consent to the adoption (including the role of CAFCASS), their right to state that they do not wish to be informed of an adoption application, and that they have the right to withdraw their consent to an adoptive placement at any time up to the making of an adoption application, but the restriction of their rights to do so after an adoption application has been made.
11. Ascertaining the parents’ views on post-placement and post-adoption contact including whether they would wish to meet the adoptive family and if so, how they might prepare for this; and also explaining their rights to apply for a Contact Order under Section 26(2) and (3) of the Adoption and Children Act 2002
12. Providing information to the parents on national and local support groups, and other possible sources of help
13. 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

When the Panel Administrator is asked to place a child on the Adoption Panel agenda, she will send the child's social worker the following BAAF Forms - Consent Form, Form 1HA - C (2004), Form MB, Form PH (one for each parent) and Form C Annex (form appropriate to the child’s age).

Within 48 hours of an Adoption Panel date being received from the Panel Administrator, the child’s social worker should write to the Medical Adviser informing him or her of the Panel date so that the Medical Adviser can request the child's medical records in preparation for the child's Adoption Medical and Developmental Check.  (In some cases, the Medical Adviser may consider that there is already sufficient up-to-date health information on the child and a further medical examination is not required.)

This procedure needs to be started without delay as the Adoption Medical and Developmental Check, if required, must take place before the child’s plan for adoption is considered at the Adoption Panel. 

When an adoption plan is decided for a child at a Looked After Review, the existing contact arrangements will need to be reviewed in the light of the new plan, as these may have been designed to support reunification of the child to the birth family. There should be no presumption for or against contact. Any contact arrangements should be focused on and shaped around the individual's child's needs which will change over time.

The child’s social worker must undertake an assessment as to the best interests of the child to support any contact proposals. This assessment will take account of the views of the child, the parents, the foster carers and any other significant family members, e.g. grandparents.  It should address evidence of attachment and the quality of relationships, as well as give consideration to issues of safety and confidentiality. The nature and frequency of contact will be influenced by any need to maintain attachments and/or long-term identity issues.

If a child is to be placed transracially, specialist provision will need to be made available to the adoptive family to ensure links are maintained with significant birth family members or kinship networks in their communities, so that the child can grow up feeling connected to his or her roots and knowing about his or her origins.

Post-placement and post-adoption contact may take the following forms:

1. Adoptive parents providing non-identifying information about the child to the birth family – or vice versa - through letter-box contact organised and maintained by the Post 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 Post Adoption Service (two way indirect contact)
3. Direct face-to-face contact between the child and the birth family, which may be facilitated and supervised by the Post Adoption Service, where such continuing support is appropriate.

All children with adoption plans are considered through Family Finding Meetings overseen by the Adoption Team Manager. Social workers for the relevant children and their team managers may be involved in these meetings.

Where there are no suitable in-house resources available, the Adoption Team will make referrals to the Regional Consortium and/or the Adoption Register and/or coordinate the advertising of the child. These activities may take place concurrently to meet the required timescales.

The Adoption Team will monitor the progress of the plans for each child.

To assist the Family Finding process, the child’s social worker will send the Child's Permanence Report to the Adoption Team. This will include:

• the child's identity needs particularly for a child who is minority ethnic, dual heritage or disabled,
• the child's relationship and contact (present and likely future) with birth family/significant others and the child's feelings towards them,
• the child's history of attachment (including with current carers) and current/potential ability to attach,
• the level at which the child is functioning emotionally and socially,
• the child's behaviours (both rewarding and challenging) and those which may persist,
• the child's learning ability and any educational needs,
• the child's health and any medical needs,
• any other current or anticipated therapeutic needs,
• the child's wishes and feelings about adoption,
• the child's preparation for adoption and any lessons learned from any previous disruption
• the child's needs arising from the child's legal status
• the child's likely needs for adoption support - see Adoption Support Services Procedure.

In relation to any prospective adopters, the following criteria will need to be considered:

• whether the child's needs suggest a preference for a particular family structure
• the racial and cultural match and the ability to offer the child positive messages about his or her heritage
• the acceptance of the child's history and significant attachments
• the acceptance of the child's ability to attach and the potential to enhance this
• the acceptance of any learning disabilities - actual or potential
• the ability to enhance the life skills and self esteem of a disabled child
• the realistic awareness of the child's emotional, social and intellectual development
• the potential to manage the child's behaviour including what is difficult, unexpected or persistent
• the adopters' own needs to parent being met by the child
• the ability to accept the child's feelings for the birth family and address them over the years to come
• an appreciation of the principle of openness in adoption and an ability to work positively on Contact Plans
• an ability to accept 'unknowns' in the child's history, e.g. lack of information about the birth father
• an understanding and acceptance of the legal process of adoption
• suitable family work patterns
• their safe geographical location
• the suitability of the family home to meet the needs of the child(ren) being placed for adoption. Where a child has specific needs or there is a sibling group which may require aids, adaptations or extension to the home, now or in the future, for those needs to be safely met it must be formally determined that the property is suitable for such aids and adaptations. It must also be determined how those aids and adaptations will be funded (e.g. the availability of Disabled Facilities Grant). The adopters must accept that any further expense in relation to adaptations or extension of the home will be their responsibility, although the Agency may consider a contribution (see 6.1.13 capital programme assistance to carers). Without this understanding and agreement the placement will not be approved.
• an absence of smoking or pets if the medical advice indicates that this is important
• their likely need for adoption support - see Adoption Support Services Procedure.

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, 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.

Team work is crucial in the matching process.

The child's social worker will advise on the child's history, life experiences in the birth family and current needs, as set out in the written assessment report described in 7.2.

The prospective adopters' social worker will advise on what the adopters can offer, having regard to the criteria set out in 7.3, and will support them through the process of introductions and placement.

The foster carer can describe what the child is like to live with and offer support and advice on behaviour management, and will provide a written descriptive portrait of the child, including daily routines, likes and dislikes etc., to be provided to prospective adopters as part of the placement planning process - see Section 9, Planning the Placement.

The family placement social worker attached to the foster carers will support the foster carer in preparing the written portrait of the child and in moving the child on.

When the Adoption Team are commissioned to find an adoptive home, consideration will first be given to any potentially suitable in-house approved families (including families going through the assessment process). The Adoption Team will send the Prospective Adopter's Reports for any such families to the child's social worker and the Child's Permanence Report to the social workers for the selected families.

When the child's social worker receives the report(s), s/he should immediately discuss the case with the Adoption Team. The child's social worker and his/her team manager must then consider the information carefully, raise any queries or concerns with the Adoption Team and select the most suitable match within 21 days of receipt of the report(s). The child’s social worker may involve the child and/or the birth family and/or the carers in this process if considered appropriate, for example through the sharing of non-identifying information about potential families with them.  Prospective Adopter’s Reports will not be shared with anyone other than social workers and team managers involved.

The Prospective Adopter's Reports must be stored securely and the reports on any families not considered suitable must be returned immediately to the Adoption Team.

A decision not to proceed with any of the families offered must be endorsed by the Child’s Team Manager.

If both the child's social worker and the prospective adopters' social worker consider there is a potential match, the prospective adopter's social worker will share the Child's Permanence Report and Medical Report with the prospective adopters.

If the prospective adoptive family is interested in considering the link further, a meeting will take place between the prospective adopters, their social worker and the child's social worker. The child's social worker's team manager and the foster carer may also attend if appropriate. The purpose of the meeting is:

• to enable the child's social worker to explain the child's background and needs, including the child's legal status, any proposed post-placement contact and any proposed adoption support
• to enable the child's social worker to form a view as to the prospective adopters' potential to meet the child's needs
• to enable the prospective adopters to ask any questions about the child and to form a view about their potential to meet the child's needs, including any proposed post-placement contact and adoption support - see Adoption Support Services Procedure. 

At the end of the meeting, the child's social worker should explain what happens next in the process of identifying a family and the timescale in which a decision will be made.

The child's social worker and the prospective adopters' social worker will then meet to discuss their views of the meeting and the potential match as soon as possible. If a follow up visit is required, this must take place within 2 weeks of the first visit unless there are exceptional circumstances. The child's social worker will discuss the outcome with the prospective adopters' social worker, who will then inform the prospective adopters. The child's social worker must provide clear reasons why the adopters are considered suitable or unsuitable.

Where adopters are selected, the process set out in paragraph 7.13 and the following paragraphs should be followed.

Where there are no potentially suitable families available in-house, the Adoption Team will explore other options through the Regional Consortium and/or the Adoption Register and/or through featuring the child in appropriate publications or internet sites or contacting other adoption agencies outside the Consortium, as agreed with the Adoption Team Manager.  Where such options are pursued, the child's social worker and the Adoption Team must:

• check that either the parents (for an Accommodated child) and/or the child’s social worker’s team manager have signed the Consent to Publicity Form and/or the Court’s leave has been granted where Court proceedings are ongoing
• arrange for appropriate photographs to be taken of the child for publicity purposes
• agree which publications are to be used for publicity purposes, and draw up suitable profiles, in conjunction with the child’s social worker, for the feature

Where the search for a family for the child extends to other agencies, the Adoption Team will follow through any expressions of interest and potential matches with the social workers for the prospective adoptive families.  If a child has been featured in ‘Be My Parent’ etc., the expressions of interest may come from the prospective adopters themselves, but discussions will be held in the first instance with the prospective adopter’s social worker.  If the expression of interest is from the Regional Consortium, the discussion will be with the social worker for the prospective adopters.  If there appears to be a potential match, the Adoption Team will provide the relevant prospective adopter’s social worker with a copy of the Child’s Permanence Report and arrange to receive their Prospective Adopter’s Report.  The Adoption Team will discuss the Prospective Adopter’s Report(s) with the child’s social worker and draw up a short list of no more than three potential prospective adoptive families for the child.

If both the child's social worker and the prospective adopters' social worker consider there is a potential match, a meeting will be set up and the same procedure followed as for in-house approved adopters as set out in paragraph 7.6.

Where foster carers express an interest in adopting a child they are looking after, and there is an adoption plan for the child, they should be asked to put their request in writing to the Service Manager for the child. On receipt of the letter the Service Manager will inform the child's social worker and his/her team manager, and the social worker attached to the foster carers and the Fostering Team Manager and Adoption Team Manager, and convene a meeting to consider whether such an application to adopt should be supported. In addition to confirming that the general eligibility criteria for adopters are met - see Section 11 of Assessment and Approval of Prospective Adopters Procedure - the meeting should also consider the following issues:

• the wishes of the child
• the quality of the attachment between the child and the family
• the length of time the child has been in the placement
• the risks to the child's wellbeing of moving the child from the current placement and/or risk of birth family knowing the child’s whereabouts if they remain in their current placement
• the likelihood of finding an adoptive family otherwise
• the foster family's basic understanding of the differences between fostering and adoption
• the effect of the proposed adoption on the fostering career of the would-be applicants
• the adoption support package (including financial support) they would require

The Service Manager, who will chair the meeting, should also confirm at this meeting that the foster carers have seen a copy of the Core Assessment and the child's Adoption Medical Report. All relevant information about the child's background and past experiences must be shared with the foster carers, to ensure that they are making an informed decision.

The minutes of the meeting should set out the advantages and disadvantages for the child(ren) of supporting the foster carers' application and the foster carers' vulnerabilities.

The Service Manager will write to the foster carers to inform them whether or not their adoption application would be supported. The letter should give clear reasons for the decision.

The formal decision to support the foster carers' application must be made on the recommendation of a Looked After Review, endorsed by the child's social worker's manager, taking account of the child's previous Care Plans, the child's wishes and feelings and the views of the foster carers. By this stage it would be usual for the Adoption Panel to have recommended the adoption plan for the child.

The reasons for supporting the foster carers' application to adopt should be recorded. If there are any contra-indicators related to health, age, lifestyle, criminal convictions or other significant issues, these should be discussed with the Adoption Team Manager.

If the Looked After Review concludes that the foster carers appear to be able to meet the child’s essential needs, the child's social worker should make a formal referral to the Adoption Team and the case will be allocated for an assessment of the foster carers as adopters to proceed (see Assessment and Approval of Prospective Adopters Procedure). This will not be undertaken by the foster carers` family placement social worker. See also Foster Carers who Wish to Adopt the Children they are Fostering Guidance.

The referral to the Adoption Team should be accompanied by the following information (which should be shared with the foster carers):

• the minutes of the meeting chaired by the Children's Service Manager which supported the foster carers' application
• the minutes of the most recent foster carer review - see Review of Foster Carers Procedure
• the original fostering assessment
• a report from the social worker attached to the foster carers which indicates the strengths and vulnerabilities of the carers. This should include a proposal about whether the foster carers will continue to foster if they become adopters for the child or children in question.
• the length of time the child has been in the placement

If the outcome of the Looked After Review is that the foster carers are unlikely to meet the child’s essential needs, the recruitment of adopters as set out in the preceding and following paragraphs of this chapter will apply.  The fostering social worker attached to the foster carers will provide support and counselling to the foster carers as appropriate.

If the foster carers decide to proceed with an application to adopt the child without the agreement of the agency, the procedure set out in Non-Agency Adoptions Procedure will apply.

Consideration must be given to what further meetings or visits are needed before the Panel date.

The prospective adopters must be given full information on the child, including the Child’s Permanence Report, the child’s social worker's written detailed assessment of the child's needs (see paragraph 7.2), the foster carer's portrait of the child (see paragraph 7.4), a full description of the birth family including any siblings and the reasons for any decision to place the child separately, the child’s medical history (including the birth details), the current school reports and the child’s Personal Education Plan.  The items provided should be clearly recorded and the prospective adopters should be asked to sign confirmation of receipt of this information.

A meeting between the prospective adopters and the current carers is essential.

It may also be necessary for the prospective adopters to meet the Medical Adviser and/or other professionals involved with the child to ensure the prospective adopters have all the details they need to make an informed decision.

The areas to be further discussed with the prospective adopters by the child's social worker and the prospective adopter's social worker must include:

• the proposed Adoption Support Plan - see also Adoption Support Services Procedure
• any proposed contact arrangements
• the proposals for and any restrictions on the prospective adopter’s and birth parents' exercise of Parental Responsibility after the placement

The child’s social worker, in conjunction with the prospective adopter’s social worker will then prepare the Adoption Placement Report incorporating the Adoption Support Plan - see Adoption Support Services Procedure. 

This should give 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. For further information, please see Adoption Support Services Procedure.

The Adoption Placement Report must be written by a qualified social worker with suitable experience (see Section 5 of Adoption Panel Procedure).

The Adoption Placement Report will include:

• the reasons for proposing the placement
• the views of the child
• the proposed contact arrangements and proposed arrangement for the exercise of Parental Responsibility by the prospective adopters and the birth parents, including how to deal with unauthorised or unmediated contact through online social networking sites.
• the prospective adopter’s views about the proposed placement, contact arrangements (including meeting the birth parents) and any proposed restrictions on their exercise of Parental Responsibility after the placement
• support to be provided to the prospective adopters to:
  • promote the child's educational achievements
  • participation in leisure activities
  • help the child develop positive relationships
  • manage any challenging behaviour which the child may display, The support plan will also include arrangements for contact.

Presentation to the Adoption Panel

The child’s social worker must present the following reports to the Adoption Panel:

• The Child’s Permanence Report (with an update which is no more than 6 months old)
• The child's Medical Report (with an update which is no more than 6 months old)
• The Prospective Adopter’s Report, updated as necessary, on the identified prospective adopters and a recent medical (in the last 2 years or sooner if there are any new issues)
• The Adoption Placement Report
• The proposed Adoption Support Plan.
• Any written comments of the prospective adopters on the Adoption Placement Report

After the Panel has considered the reports and made a written recommendation, the minute and reports considered by the Panel will be sent to the Agency Decision Maker who will make a decision based on this information within 7 working days of the Panel meeting.  The decision will be recorded in writing.  If the Panel has given advice in relation to adoption support, proposed contact and/or the exercise of Parental Responsibility by the prospective adopters and/or the birth parents, the Agency Decision Maker may express a view on such advice.

Where the Agency Decision Maker is minded to disagree with the Panel recommendation, he/she must first discuss the case with another senior officer with relevant experience, who must not be a Panel member.  This discussion must be recorded and placed on the child’s and the prospective adopter’s Adoption Case Record.

Before the Placement Planning Meeting, the child's social worker, his/her team manager and the fostering social worker attached to the foster carers will consider the level of any hospitality allowance to be offered to the foster carers for the period of introductions taking place in their home and any expenses incurred in transporting the child to the adoptive home during introductions. The foster carer should be advised of what has been agreed prior to the meeting. Payment will be from the Child Care Team budget.

In addition, prior to the Placement Planning Meeting, the prospective adopters' social worker should seek the approval of the Adoption Team Manager to the reimbursement of expenses (travelling, accommodation and meals) to be incurred by the prospective adopters during introductions. The prospective adopters should be advised what has been agreed prior to the meeting. Payment will be from the Adoption budget.

See also Introductions to Permanent Families Guidance.

The purpose of the first Placement Planning Meeting is to draw up a proposed Adoption Placement Plan. Where siblings are to be placed together there should be a separate Adoption Placement Plan for each child.

This will set out the steps required leading up to the child’s placement with the prospective adopters, including the first meeting between the child and the prospective adoptive family and who will be present (see paragraph 9.7), the holding of a Life Appreciation Day where appropriate, the preparation of the child for the placement (see Section 3, Preparation of Child for Adoption), the programme of and detailed arrangements for the child’s introduction to the placement (dates, times, venues, transport and accommodation), the reimbursement of any expenses of the introduction programme (see 9.3 above), any other financial assistance to enable the placement to occur and, where appropriate, a meeting between the birth parents and the prospective adopters.

The Adoption Placement Plan should include

• Whether the placement is to be made under a Placement Order or with parental consent
• The proposed date of the placement, who will be present when the placement takes place
• 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
• Whether and how the exercise of Parental Responsibility by the prospective adopters and/or the birth parents is to be restricted, 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 arrangements for the monitoring and supervision of the placement (including contact details of key support staff during office hours and out of hours),
• The date when the life story book and any Later Life letters will be passed to the prospective adopters (usually within 10 working days of the adoption ceremony, i.e. the ceremony to celebrate the making of the adoption order),
• The date and arrangements for the first Adoption Review,
• Any post-placement contact between the child and members of his or her birth family and/or the child and the foster carers, and
• Clarification of who will make the necessary notifications of the placement (see Section 10, The Placement).

It will also set out the steps required leading up to the child's placement with the prospective adopters, including the first meeting between the child and the prospective adoptive family, the programme of and detailed arrangements for their introductions (dates, times, venues, transport and accommodation), the reimbursement of any expenses of the introductions, any other financial assistance to enable the placement to occur and, where appropriate, a meeting between the parents and the prospective adopters.

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.

The Adoption Placement Plan will also address when the prospective adopters will be supplied with the outstanding relevant written information and documentation about the child and who will provide it (for a full list of information to be supplied - see Section 10, The Placement).

Those attending Placement Planning Meetings will be the child’s social worker, the prospective adopters and their social worker, the foster carers, the foster carers' supervising social worker and any other worker engaged in direct work with the child. In some circumstances, it may be appropriate for an older child may to attend and should be invited to the meeting. Otherwise, the child’s social worker must ascertain the child’s views and report these to the meeting.

Birth relatives should not attend this meeting.

At the end of the meeting, all participants should sign the agreed Adoption Placement Plan as a correct record. The prospective adopters should have their own copy. The foster carers must have the timetable for introductions.

Copies should not be circulated to birth relatives.

A copy of the Adoption Placement Plan will be available on RAISE.

All those who participate in Placement Planning Meetings must be clear about their respective roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the Adoption Placement Plan, and what should happen in the event of difficulties.  Changes to the Adoption Placement Plan can only be made with the agreement of the child's social worker's Team Manager and the Adoption Team Manager and must be notified to the prospective adopters in writing.

The child’s social worker is expected to be in regular and frequent contact with the child, foster carers and prospective adopter(s) during the period of the introductions and all involved should share information with each other on a regular basis, at the frequency identified at the Placement Planning Meetings.  The prospective adopter’s social worker should be in close and regular contact with the prospective adopters to assess their engagement with the introductions.

At the mid-point of the introductions, a second Placement Planning Meeting will be held, at which the following areas will be addressed:

The progress of the introductions - has the necessary action identified at the previous meeting been taken, and the plan been followed? - If not, why not?

1. The views of each participant as to the above
2. The identification of the positives
3. The identification of any difficulties
4. The development of the next stage of the plan
5. The finalisation of the arrangements for the placement.

The following must be in place before the placement can go ahead:

• the decision by the Agency Decision Maker to approve the placement has been made
• Authority to Place for Adoption has been obtained - either through a Placement Order or Parental Consent to Adoptive Placement
• the plan of introductions has been successfully completed
• the Adoption Placement Plan has been completed and signed by all parties

Prior to the placement, the child’s social worker must ensure that all the following information/items have been provided to the prospective adopters:

1. The CPR on the child
2. Authority to consent to medical and dental treatment
3. The child’s ‘Red Book’ and NHS Card
4. Any letters, photographs or mementos from the birth family, including a Later in Life Letter from the birth parent if possible, and the Life Story Book
5. The child’s passport (if applicable)
6. A certified copy of the child’s birth certificate and any relevant Court Orders
7. A written plan of the contact arrangements pre and post adoption with the birth parents and any previous carers
8. The Adoption Support Plan, including a named adoption support social worker
9. The Adoption Placement Plan including arrangements for support and visits by the child’s social worker and their own social worker
10. The child's trust fund
11. Any other relevant information, including specialist reports (subject to the author’s consent)

The prospective adopters should be asked to sign confirmation of receipt.  Where the information/items are provided at different times, the prospective adopters must sign and date confirmation of receipt on each occasion.

12.6.1

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

1. The child’s file reference number
2. The child’s name
3. The child’s date of birth
4. The gender of the child
5. The reasons why the decision has been made that adoption outside the UK may be suitable for the child
6. The date of any Placement Order

12.6.11

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.

12.6.13

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 Department for Education, 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 Department for Education will enter the necessary agreement with the overseas authority.

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

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