South West London Adoption Consortium
Adoption Information Pack
There is a national shortage of adopters; the children waiting for adoption have a variety of different needs and we are looking for adopters who have many and varied skills to meet these needs.
This pack aims to: To ensure that you have written information about the adoption process. To receive guidance on further reading about adoption. To help you decide if adoption is right for you and if the South West London Adoption Consortium are the right adoption agencies for you to use.
Adoption with SWLA Consortium The adoption teams The South West London Adoption Consortium brings together four London Boroughs (Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Sutton) to work together in order to recruit, assess and approve adopters for children waiting both locally and nationally. In our role as adoption agencies, we provide a service for the children in our care who, for various reasons, are unable to live with their birth parents and need new permanent families. The most recent legislation, the Adoption and Children Act 2002, put the needs of children above everything else. The welfare of the child is always most important when an adoption agency or the courts are making any decisions about them. Decisions on matters such as placement for adoption, contact and adoption support will be driven by the child’s needs. All children needing new families have experienced loss, separation and trauma. To varying degrees, their early experiences will have affected their physical, emotional and cognitive growth and development. Many are insecure and have very low self esteem. Indeed, it is now recognised that even newborn babies who have been separated from their birth mothers are traumatized by this experience and need extra care and emotional support as they grow. Understandably therefore, adopted children not only need love and stability, they also need a higher level of nurturing, reassurance and patience than securely attached birth children.
Most of the children in the care of the South West London Adoption Consortium have been removed from their birth families because of serious concerns about their care. Many have suffered early neglect; some have experienced some form of abuse and are subject to Court Orders. Due to the national shortage of adopters in the UK, our priority with regard to the recruitment of potential adopters is assessing those who are able to meet needs of children waiting nationwide.
Adoption with SWLA Consortium Court proceedings are usually complex and although now less protracted, children may remain in temporary foster care for many months, before permission to place the child with adoptive parents is granted. Each year a relatively small number of these children need adoptive families. Although we occasionally place babies and younger children, the average age in Britain for children being placed with adopters is around four years old.
Across the UK prospective adopters are needed who could consider: Children from black and minority ethnic groups and children with different cultural and religious backgrounds. These children require an adoptive family who can reflect or promote and respect their heritage. Sibling groups - We always consider children’s individual needs and look at the quality of the sibling relationship. If appropriate we will always try to place brothers and sisters together in the same family. The ages and needs of siblings can be very different and the new family will have to cope with several stages of child development at once – quite a challenging task. Babies and young children who are below school age. There may be some developmental delay and health concerns. The birth parents of some of our children have misused drugs or alcohol and/or have serious mental health problems, which may affect the child. Older, school age children - Some of these children have experienced years of neglect and/or abuse and now need the security of a permanent adoptive home. Children with a disability - Children with a range of learning and physical disabilities need adoptive families. This group can include for example, children with cerebral palsy or children who have been subject to injury or foetal alcohol syndrome. Relinquished babies or children - Occasionally, birth parents have felt unable to care for their child and feel an adoptive family would provide the best possible care and security.
Who can adopt? We welcome enquiries from people of varying backgrounds, ethnicities and sexual orientation. A couple, either married, in a civil partnership or in a stable, long-term relationship, may apply to adopt jointly, and individuals may apply to adopt alone. There is no upper age limit, but by law applicants must be at least 21 years of age. Single applicants are welcome, and for joint applications, the agency must consider the stability and permanence of the relationship of all couples who wish to adopt. This applies whether the couple are married, have entered into a civil partnership or are of the same or of different sex and living together. The strength and quality of the relationship is more important than length of time together, but we would need to feel that it is an enduring one. It is unusual to consider heterosexual couples who have not undergone medical investigation into their infertility or inability to have a birth child. Our experience suggests that it is important for all heterosexual couples to have either completed treatment six months prior to considering adoption or have made a decision not to proceed with assisted conception. Prospective adopters who have chosen not to have a family of their own by birth will be considered, but their circumstances will need to be explored thoroughly during the adoption process. Prospective adopters with birth children or adopted children will be considered but research suggests that where children are already part of a family, placing a child of a similar age does not lead to a successful placement. Because of the extra needs of adopted children, we recommend an age gap of at least two years and that the child placed for adoption are usually younger than any children already in the family. The health of prospective adopters is considered during the assessment process. If you have any medical concerns we suggest that you discuss the implications in relation to adoption with your GP. A couple or individual wishing to adopt a child must meet the eligibility criteria in this area and all applicants undergo a full medical as part of an adoption assessment. We are unlikely to consider applicants who smoke for children under the age of five because of the known dangers of smoke inhalation to young and vulnerable children. In all placements, health factors relating to the child will be given special attention and the particular risks that might arise if placed with smokers must be considered. The views of our medical adviser will always be sought. This policy is based on the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) Practice Note 30 "Smoking and Children." The financial circumstances of applicants are also considered as part of an adoption assessment. Having a low income will not prevent you from adopting but it is expected that prospective adopters would be able to provide for any child placed, although in some circumstances some financial support may be available.
The Adoption Process Seeking information As potential adopters you may approach the National Gateway for Adoption or any adoption agency for general information about adoption You may then approach a local adoption agency for more detailed information about adoption and this must be provided within 10 working days The SWLA Consortium hold regular adoption information meetings which we encourage all enquirers to attend
Finding out if we are the right agency for you Following attending one of our adoption information meetings, if you are interested in registering your interest we will arrange a phone call to discuss your circumstances on an individual basis and if appropriate arrange to come and visit you in your home After the home visit you are able to submit your registration of interest
Registration of interest We will notify you within five working days upon receipt of your registration of interest if we are able to accept it or not If we accept your registration you will move into ‘stage one’
Stage one, The Pre-Assessment Process, 0 - 2 months: This stage is adopter led and is for you to explore the extent of your interest and parenting capacity before making a firmer decision whether to proceed to stage two. Stage one begins when your chosen agency accepts your registration of interest. If you proceed with a member of the South West London Adoption Consortium, we would send you a stage one information pack and arrange a home visit. During the home visit we would draw up a ‘Prospective Adopter Stage One Plan’ with you which sets out the responsibilities and expectations of yourself and us. The plan will also identify your preparation and training needs. During this preparation stage all prescribed checks (police & health) and references will be completed. At the end of stage one we will decide together whether it is appropriate for you to proceed to stage two. Timescale: No more than two months from point of acceptance.
Adoption Process
Cont.
Stage one, Pre-Assessment Decision Where stage one takes longer than two months an agency may delay making their decision but they are required to detail the reasons for extending the timescale along with providing supporting evidence If an agency decides you are not suitable to adopt they must inform you of their decision and provide a clear written explanation of their reasons If you disagree with the decision you are able to make a formal complaint using the agency’s own complaints procedure. The Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) is not available to decisions made in stage one If your chosen agency decides that you are suitable to adopt they must notify you of their decision and explain that you must notify them within six months if you wish to proceed to stage two
Taking a break You are able to take a maximum six month break between stage one and two (agencies are also able to recommend that you take a break). If the break is longer than six months, you will be required to re-start stage one.
Stage Two, The Assessment Process, 2 - 6 months: This stage only begins when you have notified us that you wish to proceed with the assessment process There needs to be a meeting or pre-planned phone call between you and your allocated social worker at the start of stage two. You will receive intensive training in this period and you will also complete the in-depth assessment - ‘Prospective Adopter’s Report’ (PAR) An ‘Assessment Plan’ needs to be created which details the assessment process, dates for visits, training and any further information required Stage two ends with the Adoption Panel’s and Agency Decision Maker’s assessment about whether you are suitable to adopt a looked after child If the decision is not suitable, you are able to request a review by the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) www.independentreviewmechanism.org.uk/adoption If stage two takes longer than four months an agency may delay making their decision but are required to detail the reasons for extending the timescale along with providing supporting evidence
Further Information If you decide you want to learn more about adopting through SWLA Consortium we will invite you to one of our adoption information meetings and provide you with more detailed information about: -
training and preparation suggested reading the Prospective Adopter’s Report (PAR) going to the adoption panel for approval matching and placing a child contact with birth families and adoption support services adopters’ stories why children become looked after SWLA Consortium children who have been adopted children around the UK waiting for adoptive families myths about adoption.
What now? If you wish to learn more about adopting through the SWLA Consortium please contact us by telephone: Telephone: 0300 123 8085 Or please contact the borough you have had contact with: Kingston and Richmond: Telephone: 020 8547 6042 / 020 8891 7754 Email:
[email protected] Merton: Telephone: 020 8545 4688 Email:
[email protected] Sutton: Telephone: 07515 137 782 Email:
[email protected] Other Agencies To find out more about adoption or find other agencies contact the National Gateway for Adoption: www.first4adoption.org.uk / 0300 222 0022
Suggested Reading The British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) list all of their books relating to adoption in a catalogue which you can view on their website: www.baaf.org.uk. Adoption UK also offers a range of books relating to adoption, and their book list is available on their website: www.adoptionuk.org.uk. You should also be able to obtain books through your local library. In addition to the above you will also find most adoption publications available through Amazon.
In the early stages of your reading about adoption, the following books are good sources to start with. They are not listed in any order of preference.
Archer, C “Parenting the Child Who Hurts: first steps - tiddlers to toddlers” Jessica Kingsley 1999 Archer, C “Parenting the Child Who Hurts: next steps - tykes to teens” Jessica Kingsley 1999 Cairns, K “Attachment, Trauma and Resilience: therapeutic caring for children” BAAF 2002 Chennells, P “Adoption a Child” BAAF 1998 Eldridge, S “Twenty Things Adoptive Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew”. Dell Books, NY, USA 1999. James, M “An Adoption Diary” BAAF 2007 Massiah, H “Looking After our Own: Stories of Black and Asian Adopters” BAAF 2005 Morris, A “The Adoption Experience” Jessica Kingsley 2004 Phillips, Z “Mother Me” BAAF 2008 Sunderland, M “The Experience of Parenting” Dorling Kindersley 2006
Kingston, Richmond, Merton and Sutton boroughs all operate an equal opportunities policy in relation to its employees and all its services. We undertake a monitoring exercise on all prospective adoptive parents who approach any of the boroughs about adoption, to ensure that the service is administered fairly. This is why details are asked for concerning gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity and any disabilities when an initial enquiry is made. If you would like to make a comment or complaint about our service you may do so through each boroughs website.
Kingston: http://www.kingston.gov.uk/info/200232/contact_us/462/ complaints_and_feedback Richmond: http://www.richmond.gov.uk/complaints_procedure Merton: http://www.merton.gov.uk/council/complaints.htm Sutton: https://www.sutton.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=15242
If you have difficulty reading this document because of a disability or because English is not your first language, we can help you. Please call Kingston’s helpline on 020 8547 5757 or ask someone to call on your behalf.
