Adoption - general details
What is adoption and how does it differ from fostering?
Adoption is a legal process by which all legal rights and responsibilities relating to a particular child are transferred from the birth parents to the adopters, the child receives a new birth certificate and usually takes on the surname of the adopters.
Adoption provides a permanent substitute family for a child who cannot be cared for, or safely cared for, by his or her own family.
Fostering is a temporary arrangement in which a child lives with an approved carer until he or she is able to return home. Very occasionally, the fostering arrangement can be made permanent should the child's return to the birth family not be possible.
Current demand for adopters in Croydon
We currently seeking adults interested in adopting a child from within the care system. The child may:
- be from one to twelve years of age
- be of any race or colour
- need to be placed with a sister or brother
- have special needs associated with a disability or as a result of abuse or neglect.
Some of these children may currently be living in foster homes, some in one of our children's homes. All need a family for life.
The sort of people we are seeking
Croydon welcomes interest from adults (at least 21 years old) of all social, ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds including:
- married couples with or without children of their own
- single and divorced people
- those who have retired early
- those who presently have no children at home
- people with availability during the day, employed or unemployed.
It is important that adoptive parents:
- are able to accept and work in a planned way with a child's birth family and social workers
- believe they have the love and commitment needed to manage a rewarding yet sometimes difficult and stressful job for life.
Croydon does not operate rigid policies concerning issues such as age or income. However, prospective adopters must be able to support the department's agreed care plan.
We want to ensure that children waiting for a family gain the benefit of fit and active adopters. Based on expert medical advice, we therefore prefer non-smokers and normally avoid placing the most vulnerable under five-year-olds with adults who smoke.
The role of birth families
Croydon's first priority for children 'looked after' by social services is to try and rehabilitate them with their own family. Should adoption prove preferable, we work hard to involve the birth parents in planning for their child's future and try to get their formal agreement to adoption.
Should adoption be warranted and the birth parents do not agree with the plan for adoption the court may consider dispensing with their consent.
Adoptive parents are given all available information about the child and some form of contact between child and birth family is attempted even after an adoption order is granted. This could be, for example, an annual exchange of information through the adoption team or periodic face-to-face contact.
The adoption process
We are always pleased to hear from individuals and couples who have read the Adoption Information Pack (see download below) and wish to explore further the possibility of becoming an adopter. There are four stages to the process.
Stage 1: information meetings
We hold information meetings every few months where interested individuals or couples can meet our staff and learn more about the children in need of adoption and the types of situations that can arise for approved Croydon adopters.
Stage 2: screening visit
Interested parties are interviewed by two of our social workers to check that they have a clear understanding of what adoption involves.
Stage 3: preparation groups
Those who still wish to become prospective adopters are invited to a series of preparation groups. These provide basic training and a further opportunity for discussion of how the individual or couple think they would meet the challenges of adoption. A birth mother and an experienced adopter usually attend at least one of these sessions.
Stage 4: formal assessment
Those who want to go ahead and become an adopter must submit an official application form. They will then be 'allocated for assessment'. This involves checks with the police and the local authority as well as medical and personal references. A social worker will complete a full assessment as to the applicant's potential as a carer.
The process usually requires eight to ten visits, can take between three and six months and involves an in-depth exploration of many personal issues.
The information gathered is collated in a report that is shared with the applicant for comment before being presented to Croydon's adoption panel.
The role of the adoption panel
The panel has the responsibility for considering each application and making recommendations to the executive director of children, young people and learners about the suitability of the applicants and the adoptive placement which would best suit them. The executive director's decision is normally communicated to applicants within four weeks.
The panel also agrees and recommends to the director the 'matching' of a particular child with the most suitable approved adoptive family.
Introductions and placement
Once formal matching has been agreed, a carefully managed process of introduction begins. How this is undertaken and the time ot takes will vary according to the age of the child and his/her circumstances.
Regular planning meetings will be held to monitor progress and agree on a placement date.
Once the child has been placed, the adoption team social worker will continue to offer support to the adoptive parents and the child's social worker will visit the child at regular intervals.
Application for an adoption order
The timing of an application to adopt depends primarily on how long it takes the child and adoptive parents to feel confident about this important step. For school-age children this is usually at least six months.
A 'settling in' grant is paid to the adopter to cover expenses incurred when a child is first placed and sometimes a regular 'adoption allowance' is also payable. Our social worker can explain who may be eligible for adoption allowance.
Following a successful application to adopt we will try to respond to all request for further advice or information. We also offer a programme of post-placement training for carers.
Timing of each stage
Although the exact timings depend on unpredictable matters such as the number of enquiries made during a particular period or personal issues that arise during an assessment, we have clear standards which we work hard to achieve. These are:
Preliminary response - dispatch of the information pack within 48 hours of request
Stage 1 - an offer of an information meeting within two months of expression of interest
Stage 2 - a screening visit within two weeks of attendance of an information meeting
Stage 3 - scheduling of a preparation group approximately every 16 weeks
Stage 4 - start of formal assessment within four to six weeks of a preparation group. Completion of formal assessments within six months (maximum nine months) and presentation to the panel within a further month.
Assuming you are approved as an adopter, the time which may elapse before a suitable child is identified depends on factors largely beyond the control of our service.
