Information and resources about adoption, adopter recruitment and assessment, and the placing of children in the UK.
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On this page:
> Policy and practice
> Adopter recruitment
> Adopter assessment
> Independent Review of Determinations
> Matching and Placing Children
> Adoption Consortia
> The Adoption Register for England and Wales
> Newspapers and website listings
> Placing babies
> Placing black and minority ethnic children
> Placing children with disabilities
> Placing sibling groups
> Adoption Support
> Financial Support
Policy and Practice
Several important reviews of adoption policy and practice have been undertaken in the last few years and a selection of these are listed below:
- TThe findings of the Performance and Innovation Unit's Review of Adoption, which reviews trends and problems and sets out the reasons for developing new legislation on adoption. Go to Prime Minister's Strategy Unit.
The Social Care Institute for Excellence Knowledge provides a good introduction and overview of the issues involved in adoption policy and practice. Visit their website for Reviews 2 here.
A useful document reviewing of issues and good practice written for round 2 of the Beacon Council Scheme in England. Go to http://www.bris.ac.uk
- The Scottish Adoption Policy Review Group Scotland has produced a report of considerations and recommendations from Phase I: http://www.scotland.gov.uk and set out issues for discussion in Phase II in 'Choices For Children In Fostering And Adoption: Discussion Paper On Legal Issues':
http://www.scotland.gov.uk
Adopter recruitment
There is a pressing need to recruit more adopters to provide families for the thousands of children waiting to be adopted from care. National campaigns and local advertising are successful in generating interest in adoption and breaking down false perceptions about who is able to adopt and the children waiting for families, although the majority of people expressing initial interest do not go on to adopt. There is also a need to recruit adopters who are able to meet the needs of children with disabilities or behavioural and emotional difficulties, and also to encourage people from black and minority ethnic communities to consider adoption.
- National Adoption Week is a national recruitment campaign co-ordinated by BAAF. The 2008 event will run from 10 to 16 November. During National Adoption Week adoption agencies hold events to highlight the urgent need for new adopters
.
- The Adoption Recruitment Toolkit produced by the Department of Health includes practical advice on recruiting and retaining carers, a video and leaflets for prospective adopters and artwork that can be used by local authorities and voluntary agencies.
Adopter assessment
Local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies are required by law to carry out a full assessment of applicants before approving them as adopters. The information to be collected and required checks, are detailed in the regulations and standards applicable to each country, shown on this page.
BAAF Form F is an assessment tool used by the majority of agencies in the UK with prospective foster carers or adopters. It covers all of the areas that must be considered during the assessment, preparation and training of carers, and also provides a standard way of collecting, analysing and presenting information.
Details of statutory and practice guidance for England relating to the Adoption and Children Act 2002 can be found here
Guidance on the use of BAAF Forms:
- Practice Note 40: Undertaking Competence Assessments Provides an introduction to the competence component of Form F.
- Practice Note 47: Using BAAF Health Assessment Forms. Guidance for all adoption and fostering workers and health professionals, which includes the new BAAF health assessment forms introduced in September 2004.
Further reading:
- Practice Note 30: Children and Smoking. Useful guidance to agencies stressing the need to balance the positive qualities of prospective adopters and foster carers who smoke against the adverse effects of smoking upon children.
- Practice Note 42: Placing Children with Dog-owning Families. Guidance on the question of dogs in foster and adoptive families looking at breeds, characteristics, the dog in the home and introducing the child.
- Practice Note 43: Checking Applicants to Foster or Adopt in Scotland Comprehensive guide to all essential checks including police, local authority, medical reports, references and factual information. Also covers specific issues such as financial security, health and safety, timing of checks and updates.
- Practice Note 44: Assessing Lesbian and Gay Foster Carers and Adopters Addresses questions and challenges that may arise during the assessment process or when panels and agencies are considering the assessment report.
- Practice Note 51: Reducing the risks of environmental tobacco smoke for looked after children and their carers. Updated guidance and recommendations for agencies that considers the significant health disadvantages of placing a child in a smoking household against the positive elements of any such placement
Electronic copies of practice notes are available free of charge to BAAF members in the members' area of the website.
Independent Review of Determinations
The Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) is a panel review process that prospective adopters can use when they have been given a qualifying determination or have had approval withdrawn by their adoption agency. The IRM became operational in England on 30 April 2004 and is operated by BAAF on behalf of the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.
The IRM website provide full details for prospective adopters and agencies.
Matching and Placing Children
After adopters have been approved the next step is to find a suitable match (or link) between adopters and children waiting to be adopted. This is a crucial stage of the adoption process and must take into account all of the child's needs and characteristics, and if possible the views of the child and those currently involved in their care. Close attention must be paid to the characteristics and parenting capacity of the potential adoptive parents.
Adoption Consortia
Initially a local authority or agency will try to find a suitable match with adopters in the local area to avoid the need for a change of school or losing touch with friends or family in the area. Local authorities have been encouraged to set up adoption consortia, so that information on prospective adopters can be shared, and matches found more quickly.
BAAF operates adoption consortia in Scotland and Wales. Many other consortia also operate independently throughout the UK.
The Adoption Register for England and Wales
The Adoption Register for England and Wales was launched in August 2001, and is a database designed to bring together information on children waiting to be adopted and approved adopters. Potential links between children and adopters on the database are identified and followed up. BAAF took stewardship of the Register on 1st December 2004.
- The Adoption Register websitehas information about the register for prospective adopters, and for agencies. Agencies can download the forms they need or refer families and children to the register online. Go to www.adoptionregister.org.uk
- See the interim report on the first six months of operation of the new register, under BAAF's stewardship: www.dfes.gov.uk/adoption/update300605.shtml
Newspapers and website listings
Another popular way of finding families is to feature children in newspapers and on websites with the hope that potential adoptive parents will express interest in adopting a particular child or group of siblings.
- Practice Note 48: Featuring Children in the Mainstream Media focuses on the key matters for consideration by child placement practitioners involved in profiling children for permanence in the wider – local and national – mainstream media.
- Practice Note 41: Profiling Children Sets out the principles and practice of how to feature children in the media to help them find new permanent families.
- Be My Parent is an online service featuring children waiting to be adopted
Placing babies
Although fewer babies and infants are adopted nowadays, due to changes in societal attitudes to unmarried women having babies, and more support for single parents, it is important that good practise is followed when the situation does arise.
Right from the start: best practice in adoption planning for babies and other children by Jennifer Cousins and Marjorie Morrison with Sushila de Sousa offers a comprehensive exploration of issues to be considered when planning adoptive placements for babies.
Also see out position statement about planning for babies.
Placing black and minority ethnic children
The placement of children from black and minority ethnic communities is an issue that often causes controversy, with ongoing debates around what is in the best interests of the child. It is BAAF's belief that adoption should meet the emotional, developmental and spiritual needs of children, including needs relating to their religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background.
Placing children with disabilities
Many children waiting to be placed for adoption have multiple special needs of a medical, developmental or emotional/behavioural nature. These will have implications for the identification of suitable placements, and for the preparation and support of adoptive parents.
- Every child is special - Placing disabled children for permanence is a new title in BAAF’s Good Practice Guide series
- Practice Note 34: The Placement of Children with Disabilities deals with permanent family placement of children with severe to profound disabilities.
- Opening Doors is BAAF's Disability Project that aims to identify and reduce the barriers that prevent disabled children from finding permanent families.
There are more BAAF Books in our section on placement of disabled children
Placing sibling groups
Sibling groups of two or more children are often taken into care, and their placement requires special consideration. Placing siblings together is often seen as the preferred option, although this is not always appropriate or possible, and can result in a longer wait for an adoptive family. If siblings are not placed together, the issue of ongoing contact must be taken into account.
Adoption Support
Local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies currently have a duty to provide post-placement support to adoptive parents as set out in the national standards. However, there is increasing emphasis on the need to provide support packages in order to ensure the stability and success of the adoptive placement.
England and Wales
The Adoption & Children Act 2002 introduced a requirement for local authorities to assess the need for post-adoption support and to provide the services required. The first phase of the new framework for adoption support services came into force in England on 31st October 2003 and will come into force in Wales on 1st October 2004.
Scotland
The issue of adoption support is also under review in Scotland.
The Adoption Policy Review Group included recommendations on post-adoption support services in their report of Phase I http://www.scotland.gov.uk. Issues for discussion are set out the Phase II report 'Choices For Children In Fostering And Adoption: Discussion Paper On Legal Issues' http://www.scotland.gov.uk
Further reading:
Post adoption centres
Financial Support
See the section on adoption allowances on the Financial information page.
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