Placement for Adoption

Every Looked After Child must have a Permanence Plan by the date of their second Looked After Review.

When an adoption plan is being considered in relation to a Looked After Child, consideration should be given to inviting a representative of the Adoption Service to the relevant meeting.

In relation to a Relinquished Child, an early planning meeting should be arranged to which a representative of the Adoption Service must be invited. Where adoption is considered to be the preferred option for a relinquished child, it should begin family finding immediately in order to achieve early placement following the decision.

Family finding should begin as soon as adoption is under consideration, and before the Agency Decision Maker decides that the child should be placed for adoption or a Placement Order is made.

In the case of siblings, an early decision should be taken as to whether it is in the best interests of each child to be placed together or separately, and the impact on each child of that decision. The decision should be based on a balanced assessment of the individual needs of each child in the group, and the likely or possible consequences of each option on each child. Factors that may need to be considered will include: the nature of the sibling group (do the siblings know each other / how are they related); whether the children have formed an attachment; the health needs of each child; and each child’s view (noting that a child’s views and perceptions will change over time).

Section 22C of the Children Act 1989 (amended by the Children and Families Act 2014)) imposes upon local authorities a duty that where:

• They are considering adoption for a child (this can be at an early stage, and can be before a decision has been made by the Agency Decision Maker that the child should be place for adoption); or
• They are satisfied that the child ought to be placed for adoption, but do not yet have authority to place the child for adoption (either by way of parental consent or by way of Placement Order);
• Then the local authority MUST consider placing the child with:
  • (Firstly) a relative, friend or Connected Person who is also a local authority foster carer; or
  • Where they decide that a placement with such a person is not the most appropriate placement for the child, they must consider placing the child with a local authority foster carer who has been approved as a prospective adopter (a ‘dually approved carer’).

Section 9 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017 amends Section 1(4)(f) of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 added into the list of considerations whenever a court or adoption agency is coming to a decision relating to the adoption of a child, and now includes the child’s relationship with any person who is a prospective adopter with whom the child is placed, as well as the relationships which the child has with their relatives and with any other persons the court or agency considers to be relevant.

See Early Permanence: Fostering for Adoption, Concurrent Planning and Temporary Approval as Foster Carers of Approved Prospective Adopters Procedure.

1. Not all cases must be referred to the Adoption Panel. Cases where the criteria apply for the local authority to apply for a Placement Order, i.e. the child is the subject of a Care Order or the Threshold Criteria for a Care Order are satisfied or where there is no parent or guardian, will not be referred to the Adoption Panel for a recommendation, but will be referred directly to the Agency Decision Maker (Adoption) for a decision. All other cases (i.e. where the parents have given consent and there is no application for a Placement Order) will continue to be referred to the Adoption Panel for a recommendation, which the Agency Decision Maker (Adoption) will take into account when making a decision.

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

   • Arrange a date for the case to be referred to the Adoption Panel (where the parents have given consent and there is no application for a Placement Order) / Agency Decision Maker (Adoption) (in all other cases);
     
     This date must be a maximum of 2 months from the date when the adoption plan was ratified at the child's Looked After Review. Where this timescale is not met, the reason should be recorded;
   • Continue to provide counselling for the child - see Section 3, Preparation of Child for Adoption.
2. The child's social worker opens an Adoption Case Record for the child once adoption has been identified as the permanence plan for the child at their Looked After Review or, where a child has been relinquished for adoption, as soon as the parent's request for adoption has been made. Where the plan relates to a group of siblings, there must be a separate Adoption Case Record for each child.
3. If not already obtained, the child's social worker should obtain 2 certified copies of the child's full birth certificate. These will be required for future Court applications and for the prospective adopters.

4. The child's social worker should give both birth parents written information on adoption and ask them 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 information, this should be recorded, with reasons, on the child's case record 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 information to the address and record this on the Adoption Case Record. See also Section 4, Counselling and Support for Parents.
5. If not already obtained, the child's social worker must seek the birth parents' consent to the disclosure of information on their medical history to facilitate the Adoption Medical for the child - for detailed procedures, see Section 5, Child's Adoption Medical.
6. The child's social worker must discuss with the parents their views on the adoption plan, and arrange the necessary counselling and support for both of the birth parents and any other significant relatives - see Section 4, Counselling and Support for Parents. If either or both of the parents decline or refuse counselling and/or support, then this should be recorded, including the reasons, in the child's electronic record and Adoption Case Record.
7. Where one or both of the birth parents cannot be found, the child's social worker must make extensive enquiries as to their whereabouts. The social worker should write to the parent's last known address and contact the Department for Works and Pensions and other agencies (including the Council Tax Register, the Passport Office and the housing authority) as appropriate. Consideration should also be given to the need to place advertisements in the local and national press and legal advice should be sought as to any additional steps that should be taken.
8. The child's social worker must contact the child's health visitor or school health for current information in relation to the child's health and development.
9. The child's social worker must contact the child's school or the relevant local education service for current information in relation to the child's educational needs.
10. The child's social worker must ask the child's carer to complete a report on the child. (This will be required for the Child's Permanence Report - see paragraph 2.13).

11. The child's social worker must ensure that the adoption plan addresses the issue of post-placement and post-adoption contact. This will include a possible meeting between the parents and the adopters, and whether there may be ongoing direct contact or indirect contact via a letterbox system - see Section 6, Post-placement Contact.

    If the child has siblings, the child’s social worker to undertake a together or apart assessment and this must be completed prior to the case being considered by the Agency Decision Maker and the plan must analyse the relationship between each child in the sibling group and, if the decision is to place siblings separately, address the issue of post-placement and post-adoption contact between them.

12. The child's social worker must also carry out an assessment of the likely needs for adoption support services in relation to the child (including the likely need for financial support), the birth parents and any other person with a significant relationship to the child. For the detailed procedures, see Adoption Support Procedure.

13. 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 the social worker who knows the child best, who must also be a qualified social worker with suitable experience (see Adoption Panel Procedure).

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

    • Profile of the child, based on a report from the child's current carer as well as other information about the child's personality, nationality, racial origin, religious persuasion, legal status and relationship with their birth family;
    • A summary, written by the agency’s medical adviser, of the state of the child’s health, health history and any need for health care which might arise in the future (Regulation 17 Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005);
    • The child's wishes in relation to the adoption plan and their preferred method of communication;
    • A chronology of the child's life since birth;
    • The preparation work, undertaken and planned, with the child and the views of the child in relation to the adoption plan and future contact with their 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/Agency Decision Maker;
    • A report of the child's educational history and current needs, including the Personal Education Plan (PEP);
    • Any other relevant specialist reports on the child;
    • An assessment of the child's emotional and behavioural development;
    • 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;
    • A Chronology of the decisions and actions taken by the agency with respect to the child;
    • An analysis of the options for the child's future care and the alternatives to adoption considered. This must be a balanced view and where experts' assessments are available, their contents and recommendations - even if not supportive of the adoption plan - should be included;
    • Where the child has siblings, whether the decision is to place siblings separately or together and the rationale for the decision;
    • Any other information which the agency considers relevant.

    Those parts of the Report that contain factual information about the birth family should be shared with the relevant family members to enable them to confirm their accuracy and agree to it being passed on to a child in due course. Any such agreement should be clearly recorded on the child’s case record. Each of the child’s parents should be shown those parts of the Report which set out their views and wishes, and given the opportunity, if they so wish, to express these in their own words. Where appropriate, the relevant sections of the Report should also be provided to the child. When shared the parents should be asked to sign the Report to confirm they have seen it and have had the opportunity to provide any written comments they wish to make.

The child's social worker will ensure that Life Story Work with the child continues with the aim as far as possible that:

• The child has an understanding of the reasons for the adoption plan and what adoption will mean;
• The child has an opportunity to express their wishes and feelings about the future; and
• The child has information on their 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 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 child's wishes in relation to adoption, religious and cultural upbringing and contact with their birth family are ascertained.

Where a child's wishes are not acted upon, for example a child's wish to be placed with their siblings, this should be explained to the child, with reasons, and should be fully recorded.

The foster carers' supervising social worker will support the foster carers in playing their part in the implementation of the plan, including careful recording by the foster carers of any changes in the child's behaviour. 

Once an adoptive placement has been identified and approved, the child's social worker is responsible for ensuring the child is properly prepared for the first meeting with the prospective adoptive family and is appropriately counselled during the period of introductions - see Section 9, Planning the Placement.

As part of the preparation of the child for the adoptive placement, information will be provided to ensure that they have 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 their social worker.

The child's social worker will encourage the parents to write a 'Later Life' letter for the child, 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.

1. As soon as the adoption plan becomes part of the child's Care Plan, the child's social worker should write to the Medical Adviser regarding an adoption medical for the child. The Medical Adviser should be asked for advice on whether a full developmental medical is required and if so, who should conduct the medical and whether any tests or opinions are required (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).

   Note that Regulation 15 Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005 provides that arrangements must be made for the child to be examined by a registered medical practitioner and for a report on the child's health to be obtained on the state of the child's health, any treatment which the child is receiving, any need for health care and the matters listed in Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Regulations:

   1. Name, date of birth, sex, weight and height;
   2. A neo-natal report on the child, including:
      1. Details of birth and any complications;
      2. The results of a physical examination and screening tests;
      3. Details of any treatment given;
      4. Details of any problem in management and feeding;
      5. Any other relevant information which may assist the adoption panel and the adoption agency; and
      6. The name and address of any registered medical practitioner who may be able to provide further information about any of the above matters.
   3. A full health history of the child, including:
      1. Details of any serious illness, disability, accident, hospital admission or attendance at an out-patient department, and in each case any treatment given;
      2. Details and dates of immunisations;
      3. A physical and developmental assessment according to age, including an assessment of vision and hearing and of neurological, speech and language development and any evidence of emotional disorder;
      4. For a child over five years of age, the school health history (if available);
      5. How their physical and mental health and medical history have affected their physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development; and
      6. Any other relevant information which may assist the adoption panel and the adoption agency.

   A Child's Health Report must be obtained unless:

   1. The Medical Adviser has given advice that such an examination and report is unnecessary; or
   2. The child is of sufficient understanding to make an informed decision and refuses to submit to the examination or other tests.
2. The child's social worker should send the Forms B and M (requesting an obstetric report on the mother and neo-natal report on the child) to safeguarding midwifery team (if one exists at the hospital where the child was born) or the Hospital Administrator with a request that the Form be completed and returned to the social worker. Where the child was born at home, the Form should be sent to the mother's GP.
3. The child should have had a medical before the child's plan for adoption is considered by the Adoption Panel/Agency Decision Maker, (unless the Medical Adviser has advised it unnecessary - see paragraph 1). The Medical Adviser must be in a position to advise the Panel/Agency Decision Maker of the child's health needs.
4. The child's social worker must seek the cooperation of both birth parents to provide written consent to the disclosure of medical information if this has not already been provided, including obtaining their consent to the Medical Adviser approaching their GP if necessary, as well as obtaining their written consent to the obstetric report on the mother and neo-natal report on the child. Where the local authority has Parental Responsibility for a child under an Interim Care Order, the team manager can consent to the completion of the Form B. Only the birth mother can consent to the Form M. Parental Health (PH) forms should also be completed by the parents with the social worker present. Where the parents decline to complete these forms this should be recorded on the child’s record.
5. The importance of the disclosure of medical information must be explained to the parents but where the parents refuse to sign consent forms, the social worker must complete as much as possible on the relevant forms, record the attempts made to engage the parents and the reasons for refusal in the child's file and Adoption Case Record, and inform the Medical Adviser of the position.
6. The child's social worker should send the relevant age-appropriate CoramBAAF Form for completion after the medical.
7. The foster carer should attend the medical with the child and, if appropriate, the child's social worker should also attend.
8. The information on the child's medical report must be kept up to date if a placement is not immediately forthcoming. This must be done twice yearly for a child aged below 2 and annually for a child of 2 and above. The Medical Adviser may, however, make specific recommendations in relation to particular children.

1. The child's social worker must undertake a written assessment as to the best interests of the child to support any contact proposals as part of an adoption plan, or reasons why no contact is recommended. This assessment will take account of the views of the child, the parents, the foster carers and any other significant family members, as well as evidence of attachment and the quality of relationships, based on observations of contact and the child's behaviour before, during and after contact.
2. Where there is a sibling group, each child must be assessed separately and together as a group.
3. The assessment should determine whether post-placement and post-adoption contact between the child and the parents and/or siblings would be in the child's best interests, and if so, what form it should take. The nature and frequency of contact will be influenced by the need to maintain attachments and/or long-term identity issues.

4. 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 through letter-box contact organised and maintained by the 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 adoption service (two way indirect contact);
   3. Direct letter box and/or telephone contact between the adoptive parents and the birth family;
   4. Direct face-to-face contact between the child and the birth family, which may be organised and maintained by the adoption service, where such continuing support is appropriate.
5. Any proposed post-placement and post-adoption contact should be in line with any Court Orders.
6. Where post-placement and post-adoption contact is considered to be in the child's interests, it should be part of the information shared with prospective adoptive parents during the matching process - see Section 7, Identification of Adoptive Parents (including Inter Agency Placements) and also part of the planning of the placement - see Section 9, Planning the Placement.

When making an Adoption Order, or at any time afterwards, the court may (upon application or on its own initiative) make an order for contact with, or an order prohibiting contact with, the person(s) named in the order. Such orders have effect until the child’s 18th birthday, unless revoked sooner.

An order for contact requires the adopter to allow the child to visit, stay with or otherwise have contact with, the person named in the order.

The following people may be named in an order:

• The child;
• The Agency;
• Any person who (but for the child’s adoption) would be related to the child by blood (including half-blood), marriage or civil partnership;
• Any former guardian of the child;
• Any person who had Parental Responsibility for the child immediately before the making of the Adoption Order;
• Any person with whom the child has lived for a period of at least one year (this period need not be continuous, but must be within the last 5 years);
• Any person who had a previous order for contact under Children Act 1989, which order ceased to have effect upon the agency being authorised to place the child for adoption;
• Any person who had a Child Arrangements Order (previously Residence Order) immediately before the agency was authorised to place the child for adoption;
• Any person who had care of the child under the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court immediately before the agency was authorised to place the child for adoption.

The adopters or the child may apply without the leave of the court, whilst any other person, including the child’s birth parents and other birth relatives, e.g. grandparents or siblings, would need the court’s leave to apply.

In deciding whether to grant leave to apply, the court must consider:

• Any risk there might be of the proposed application disrupting the child’s life to such an extent that they would be harmed by it (within the meaning of the 1989 Act);
• The applicant’s connection with the child; and
• Any representations made to the court by the child and/or the adopter/prospective adopter.

Orders may contain directions about how they are to take effect, or may be made subject to such conditions as the court thinks appropriate.

The court will issue a timetable and directions with the aim of resolving the application without delay.

Applications prohibiting contact are unlikely to be necessary in the majority of cases and are only likely to be appropriate to stop unwanted, unsolicited and potentially harmful contact with the child, or to prevent such contact happening.

The circumstances in which a birth parent, relative or other person are most likely to seek the court’s leave to apply for an order for contact after adoption are where an agreement for some form of continuing contact had been made, but was not adhered to.

Application can be made to the court to vary or revoke such orders, by the child, adopter or person named in the order.

See also Early Permanence: Fostering for Adoption, Concurrent Planning and Temporary Approval as Foster Carers of Approved Prospective Adopters Procedure.

The adoption agency has a duty to identify prospective adopters as soon as reasonably practicable. (Family finding is only used in Norfolk where local matches are not found).

Family finding should begin as soon as adoption is under consideration, and before the Agency Decision Maker decides that the child should be placed for adoption or a Placement Order is made.

Careful matching contributes to the stability of placements. In determining whether a prospective adopter may be suitable to adopt the child, an assessment must be made of the ability of the prospective adopter to meet the needs of the child throughout childhood. Assessments that identify adopters as suitable for a child will be informed by a clear understanding of that child’s needs and of the skills necessary to help and support them. The agency will ensure that full information is shared with adopters prior to a placement so that appropriate care can be provided.

1. Consideration must be given as to whether there are suitable carers available under the Early Permanence: Fostering for Adoption, Concurrent Planning and Temporary Approval as Foster Carers of Approved Prospective Adopters Procedure.

The overall time-scale for matching a child with a prospective adoptive family is:

• The match is to be identified, recommended by the Adoption Panel and approved within 6 months of the agency's formal approval that the child is suitable to be placed for adoption, except in the following cases;
• Where a parent requests adoption for a child of less than six months of age, the match is to be identified, recommended by the Adoption Panel and approved within 3 months of the agency's formal approval that the child is suitable to be placed for adoption.

1. Following the identification of the family finder (see paragraph 2.1), the timing of the start of the family finding will depend on the legal position and be agreed between the child's social worker and the family finder.

2. The child's social worker and the family finder will address the following issues:

   1. The preparation of the child's profile and to identify any other information about the child, which is needed in order to identify a suitable family;
   2. To consider who should undertake the preparation of the child, and to determine how the child may be involved in and express views about the process of finding a family;
   3. To discuss parental involvement in the placement process (and parental consent to advertising, if applicable);
   4. To agree that the social worker will keep Legal Services informed of developments and seek the Court's leave to advertising where Court proceedings are ongoing;
   5. To consider whether or not the child's current carer would be appropriate as a prospective permanent placement - if so, see paragraph 7.12;
   6. To plan the family finding work, giving consideration to the availability of in-house approved families, the opportunity of an inter-agency placement, and advertising for families in the national, local and ethnic media. To agree time-scales for the family finding work including the holding of progress meetings.
      
      The child's social worker, current foster carer and the family finder will complete the child's profile, identifying the child's needs in relation to a new family, including ethnicity, culture, religion, language, contact with birth family and existing networks, education, health, other special needs and location, and the qualities required in the adoptive family, based on the child's identified placement needs. The profile should identify which needs are essential and which preferred. (Note: If the prospective adopter can meet most of the child’s needs, the social worker must not delay placing a child with the prospective adopter because they are single, older than other adopters or does not share the child’s racial or cultural background.)
      
      Where the profile indicates the child should not be placed locally, there should also be a written risk assessment to support this conclusion.

3. The family finder will consider whether there are any potentially suitable in-house approved families (including families going through the assessment process) by sharing the child's profile with the Adoption Service and reading copies of any available Prospective Adopter's Reports.

   Where foster carers express an interest in adopting a child placed with them, see paragraph 7.12.
4. Where there are potentially suitable in-house approved families indicating an interest, the family's adoption link worker will visit to clarify whether they wish to be considered. In complex cases, the child's social worker will accompany the link worker to enable specific issues to be discussed.
5. Where suitable in-house approved adoptive families are available, the family finder will arrange a Matching Meeting involving the child's social worker, the social worker's manager and the adoption link workers for the potential families. The Adoption Service Manager or their nominee will chair the meeting.

6. The purpose of the meeting is to consider the available in-house approved potential families, and decide which appears the best able to meet the child's needs. The meeting should also consider:

   • The preparation of the child, the present carers and the prospective adopters for the proposed placement, including the sharing of information with the prospective adopters;
   • The preparation of the birth family and the information to be given;
   • The allocation of preparatory tasks for the introductory work;
   • The proposed Adoption Support Plan and any proposed contact arrangements;
   • The designated roles and responsibilities for completing the Adoption Placement Report and the proposed Adoption Support Plan.
7. The relevant adoption link workers for the family/families concerned will inform the selected family and the unsuccessful families of the decision, together with reasons, on the same day as the meeting. They will also offer follow up discussions as required.

8. 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, for example 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, at both an individual and institutional level. A prospective adopter can be matched with a child with whom they do not share the same ethnicity, if they can respect, reflect or actively develop a child's racial identity from the point they are matched and as they develop throughout their childhood. The prospective adopter needs to demonstrate that they fully understand that having a child from a different ethnic group will present a number of challenges, not least that there may be visible differences that can affect a child's self-esteem and increase their possible feelings of difference. For example, the child may have to deal with questions from their peers about why they are 'different' to their family.

   By virtue of the Children and Families Act 2014, adoption agencies no longer have to give due consideration to a child's religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background when matching a child and prospective adopters.

   When a child has developed a sense of their culture or religion, and where they have already begun to speak a language other than English, it is important to find prospective adopters who, while not necessarily sharing any of these, are willing and able to help the child develop these important elements of their future identity.

   Where a child is very young, particularly when still in infancy, it is important not to make assumptions about religion, culture or language and these should not be imposed on a very young child. A sense of one's culture is developed over time and it should not be assumed that an infant possesses a cultural, linguistic or religious background. These issues can be explored with the child as they grow up and a sensitive prospective adopter will encourage the child, if they wish to do so, to probe these aspects of their birth parents' background. All prospective adopters should help children placed with them to understand and appreciate their background and, particularly in the case of older children, their religion, linguistic or cultural background, for example, celebrating cultural or religious festivals. Prospective adopters should be able to access support, education and training to strengthen their skills together with their knowledge and understanding of the child's birth heritage, to help the child develop a healthy racial and adoptive identity.
9. The family finder will provide the selected prospective adopters with full information on the child, including the Child's Permanence Report, the child's profile, 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 carer's report on the child, the current school reports and the child's PEP. The items provided should be clearly recorded and the prospective adopters should be asked to sign confirmation of receipt of this information.
10. The family finder should also arrange to meet the prospective adopters, with the child's social worker (and carer if appropriate), to give any further information to them and ensure they have a clear picture of the child and understand fully the implications of the information they have received. In appropriate cases, the prospective adopters should have the opportunity to meet other specialists involved with the child, for example the Medical Adviser.
11. If there are no suitable in-house prospective or approved adoptive carers who can meet the child's identified essential needs, the adoption worker must explore inter-agency options.

12. Where foster carers express an interest in adopting a child they are looking after, and there is an adoption plan for the child, the family finder will talk to them about the implications of adoption and will convene a Matching Meeting involving the child's social worker, their line manager and the foster carers' supervising social worker (with their line manager where appropriate). The chair of the meeting will be the Adoption Service Manager or his/her nominee. If the outcome of the meeting is that the foster carers appear to be able to meet the child's essential needs, the case will be allocated for an assessment of the foster carers as adopters to proceed (see Recruitment, Assessment and Approvals of Prospective Adopters Procedure).

    If they are approved as adopters, the requirements set out in Section 8, Approval of Matching of Adoptive Parents as to the approval of the matching and in Section 10, The Placement as to the provision of information and notification of the placement must be followed.

    If the outcome of the meeting is that the foster carers are not able 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 foster carers' supervising worker 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 will apply.

The overall time-scale for matching a child with a prospective adoptive family is:

• The match is to be recommended by the Adoption Panel within 6 months of the agency's formal approval that the child should be placed for adoption, except in the following cases;
• Where a parent requests adoption for a child of less than six months of age, the match is to be recommended by the Adoption Panel within 3 months of the agency's formal approval that the child should be placed for adoption.

Where these timescales are not met, the Adoption Panel should record the reasons.

Children will be introduced to their prospective adopters sensitively and with careful and considered planning that promotes attachment. Once the matching has been approved and the legal position allows it, the family finder will convene a Placement Planning Meeting to draw up an Adoption Placement Plan, confirming the details of the introductions, placement and post-placement work. The Adoption Service Manager or their nominee will chair the meeting.

For inter agency placements, a separate meeting will also be required, involving the Adoption Service Manager or their nominee, to complete CoramBAAF Form IA which details the contract between the agencies and the adoptive family in relation to the placement.

The purpose of the first Placement Planning Meeting is to draw up a proposed Adoption Placement Plan. The Adoption Placement Plan should include:

• Whether the placement is to be made under a Placement Order or with parental consent;
• The arrangements for preparing the child and the prospective adopter for the placement (see below);
• 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 to what extent, 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 dates on which 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 they have 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 their social worker.

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

The child's social worker must ascertain the child's views and report these to the meetings.

Those attending Placement Planning Meetings will be the child's social worker, their manager as appropriate, the foster carers, the foster carers' supervising social worker, the family finder, representatives of the health trust (where appropriate), the prospective adopters and their link worker, and any other worker engaged in direct work with the child.

The child's first meeting with the prospective adopters should be on the child's familiar territory (unless the child is older and requests otherwise) and a social worker should be present. The child’s transition will follow the five key principles of the Moving to Adoption programme:

1. A positive relationship between the foster carers and the adopters is helpful to the child;
2. The timescale for the move should meet the needs of the child;
3. There needs to be overlap between the child’s current and new relationships, to enable trust to build gradually;
4. The child’s feelings should be held in mind and responded to sensitively;
5. Some continuity of environment and relationships will support the child in building trust.

The family finder will be responsible for coordinating Placement Planning Meetings. However, all workers involved must be clear about their respective roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the 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 family finder or the Chair of the meeting 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 carer and prospective adopter during the period of the introductions and all involved share information with each other on a regular basis, at the frequency identified at the Placement Planning Meetings. The Adoption Placement Plan will then be reviewed at an agreed date - see paragraph 9.10 below. The Plan will identify the named workers and when they will have contact with the child.

The child's social worker will advise the parents of the plan whilst maintaining the confidentiality of the placement (unless the parent has stated that they do not wish to be kept informed.)

At the mid-point of the transition, a mid-way review will be held, at which the following areas will be addressed:

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

A further meeting can be called by any of the parties if issues of concern arise.

All Placement Planning Meetings should have the same people invited and take place at a venue accessible to all parties.

Where the child is to be adopted by their foster carers, whilst there will be no need for a plan for introductions, the social worker should still convene a Placement Planning Meeting, in order to draw up the Adoption Placement Plan to cover the areas other than introductions as set out above and to specify the date when the placement is to be regarded as an adoptive placement.

A copy of the final Adoption Placement Plan, signed by the child's social worker, should be given to the prospective adopters, their link worker and the child's Independent Reviewing Officer. The prospective adopters must confirm in writing that they wish the placement to proceed and that they agree to the Adoption Placement Plan. A copy must be retained on the child's Adoption Case Record.

Where contact is part of the adoption plan, the proposals must be drawn up in written agreements to be signed by the birth parents and the prospective adoptive parents. The agreements must specify the form and timing of the contact and the arrangements for putting the contact in place. The agreements must also specify that the arrangements may change dependent upon the wishes of the child. The agreement should also include how the prospective adopters should deal with unauthorised or unmediated contact through online social networking sites. All parties must sign and retain copies of the agreement. The parent's copy should not reveal any identifying information about the placement. See also Section 6, Post-placement Contact.

Where the Adoption Placement Plan is terminated, the parents must be informed (unless the parent has stated that they do not wish to be kept informed).

If the Adoption Placement Plan is terminated, the Adoption Service Manager should consider the best way to conduct a disruption meeting - see Disruption of Adoptive Placements Procedure.

Where children are not settling into their adoptive placements, leaders and managers will take steps to ensure that the plan is reviewed with adopters to consider the best steps to take next. In the event of the placement's termination, direct work will be undertaken with the child to make sense of the reasons why the placement broke down and to prepare the child for any future placement.

In this event, the child's social worker and family finder must re-start the process of identifying a suitable prospective adoptive family or amend the plan for the child (depending on the outcome of the Disruption Meeting).

Once the matching of the child has been approved, the adoption agency has authority to place the child (either through a Placement Order or Parental Consent), the move to adoption has been successfully completed and the Adoption Placement Plan has been completed and signed by all parties, the placement can go ahead. A social worker must be present when the placement takes place.

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. Authority to consent to medical and dental treatment;
2. The parent-held Child Health Record;
3. 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;
4. The child's birth certificate;
5. The child's passport (if applicable);
6. A copy of the Care Order (if applicable), Placement Order (if applicable) and any other Court Orders that exist;
7. A copy of the Parental Consent to the Placement and Advance Consent to Adoption (if applicable);
8. A written plan of the contact arrangements pre and post adoption with the birth parents and any previous carers;
9. The Adoption Support Plan, including a named post-adoption social worker;
10. The Adoption Placement Plan including arrangements for support and visits by the child's social worker and their own social worker;
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.

Prior to the placement, notification must be sent by the worker identified in the Adoption Placement Plan to the present and new GP, the local authority (where the adoptive family live outside the borough), the relevant Health Trust and, if the child is at nursery or of school age, the relevant local education authority (with information about the child's education history and whether the child has special needs). These notifications are still required where the prospective adopters were previously the child's foster carers.

Prior to the placement, the Medical Adviser should be requested to send a medical report on the child to the child's new GP and, in appropriate cases, to meet the adopters to discuss medical issues.

Where the child's foster carers are the prospective adopters, the adoption service must confirm in writing to them the date from which the placement becomes an adoptive placement.

The child's social worker must inform the parents of the date of the placement, unless the parents have stated that they do not wish to be kept informed. No identifying information about the placement should be conveyed to birth parents or relatives. (See Section 4.2, Procedural Fairness)

The child's social worker should ensure the date of the placement is recorded, so that the records identifies that the child is placed for adoption but does not show the placement address.

The family finder will inform the Panel Administrator of the date of the placement as soon as it is made and inform the relevant finance officer where the Adoption Support Plan includes financial support so that payments can start.

The child will be the subject of regular Adoption Reviews, chaired by an Independent Reviewing Officer - see Adoption Reviews Procedure.

In all cases, where a child has been approved for adoption but not placed within 6 months, the child's social worker must present a further report to the Adoption Panel identifying the length of the delay, the reasons and the steps being taken to address any difficulties, including consideration of a review of the adoption plan and/or a possible change to long-term fostering/separation of siblings.

The Adoption Panel may request an earlier progress report on an individual case when first considering the child.

The outcome of any reviews by the Adoption Panel should be notified to the child (if old enough), the birth parents (in appropriate cases) and any other relevant person. Children’s family finding progress is monitored in the following ways: LAC reviews, monthly social work supervision, monthly adoption performance board, AdoptEast tracking and PPM. The Agency Decision Maker also reviews children’s plans when there have been further assessments during proceedings. Family finding continues until a decision to cease is made usually within a LAC review. Following this paperwork evidencing reasons for proposed change of plan and family finding activity should be provided to the ADM within one month of the LAC review. If ADM agrees change of plan then social worker will seek to convene a legal planning meeting for revocation of Placement order within two months.

Where an adoptive placement outside the UK appears to be a viable option, and consultation with the child (if old enough) supports this, the proposal must be considered at a child's Looked After Review before becoming part of the child's Care Plan.

The child may be considered for an adoptive placement with known prospective adopters in which case it will be for the adoption agency to satisfy itself that the prospective adopters are suitable to adopt the child. Otherwise, the child may be referred to the Department for Education for a suitable linking to be identified, (see below).

In either circumstance, the case must be referred to the Adoption Panel in accordance with Section 1 of this procedure, seeking a formal recommendation that adoption outside the UK is in the best interests of the child. The Child's Permanence Report must include an assessment of the possibility of placing the child for adoption in the British Isles and consideration of whether adoption of the child by a person in a particular country would be in the best interests of the child.

The Agency Decision Maker must consider the recommendation and decide whether the child should be placed for adoption overseas. The notification to the child (if old enough) and the parents must include an explanation of the placement possibilities in the British Isles and abroad.

Where a decision is made to pursue the option of placement overseas, the child's social worker should consult with Legal Services about the legal process, and seek the approval of the Designated Manager (Placement Orders) to an application for a Placement Order.