Adoption - general details
What is adoption and how does it differ from fostering?
Adoption is a legal process by which all the legal rights and responsibilities are transferred from birth parents to adopters, the child receives a new birth certificate, and usually takes on the surname of the adopters.
Adoption therefore provides a permanent substitute family for a child for whom it is unsafe or impossible to be cared for by his/her own family.
Fostering is a temporary arrangement in which a child lives with approved carers until s/he is able to return home.
Very occasionally a fostering arrangement is made with the possibility of adoption by that family in mind should a return to the birth family not be possible.
Current demand for adopters in Croydon
We currently need adults who can consider the adoption of a suitable child from within our care system who 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 will 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 or may presently have no children at home
- Unemployed or employed people but with availability during the day
What counts is 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 what - like all parenting - is a rewarding yet sometimes difficult and stressful job for life
Croydon does not operate rigid policies about such issues as age or income.
However, it is important for prospective adopters to be able to support the Department's agreed Care Plan.
We do want to ensure that those children who are 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 those 'looked after' by Social Services is to try and rehabilitate them with their own family, and only a small minority are adopted.
Even then, we work hard to involve birth parents in planning for their child's future and try to get their formal agreement to adoption.
When birth parents do not agree with the plan for adoption, where appropriate, the court may be asked to consider dispensing with their consent.
Adoptive parents are given all available information about a child and there is usually some form of contact between child and birth family even after an adoption order is granted.
This might be only an annual exchange of information through the adoption team, or could be face-to-face contact if this is in the child's best interests.
The adoption process
We are always pleased to hear from those who have read all the information provided in the pack and wish to explore further the possibility of becoming an adopter.
There are four stages to the process.
Some people move through all the stages and become 'approved prospective adopters'. Others decide along the way that adoption is not right for them or that they should postpone their application for a while.
Stage 1: information meetings
Every two months or so, we hold information meetings (mostly on Saturdays) where a small number of interested individuals or couples meet some of our staff and you will learn more about the sort of children you might meet and situations that may arise if you were an approved Croydon prospective adopter.
Stage 2: screening visit
The next stage of the process is that we will invite you to our office for an individual interview with two of our social workers. Its purpose is to check that you have a clear understanding of what adoption involves.
Stage 3: preparation groups
Those who still wish to make an application to become prospective adopters will now be invited to a series of preparation groups. These sessions provide basic training and a further opportunity for discussion of how individuals and couples think they would meet the challenges of adoption. Usually a birth mother and an experienced adopter attend at least one of these sessions.
Stage 4: formal assessment
If you now want to go ahead and become an adopter for Croydon, you need to submit a completed application form. You will then be 'allocated for assessment'.
This means that we will make checks with the police and your local authority and get medical and personal references. One of our social workers will complete with you a full assessment of your potential as a carer.
This will usually require about eight to ten visits and can take between three and six months. It involves in-depth exploration of many personal issues.
All the information gathered is collated in a report which is shared with you for comment, and then presented to Croydon's Adoption Panel.
The role of the Adoption Panel
The Panel has the responsibility for making recommendations to the Director of Social Services about the suitability of all applicants and what adoptive placement would best suit them. The Director's decision is communicated to applicants as soon as possible (normally within four weeks) following the Panel's consideration of the application.
The panel also has a duty to agree and recommend to the director the 'matching' of a particular child with the approved adoptive family which is thought to be the most suitable. This may have been determined by discussions with you, provision of information about particular children, or other individual factors.
Introductions and placement
Once formal matching has been agreed, a carefully managed process of introduction can begin. How this is undertaken and the time it takes will vary according to the age of the child and her/his circumstances.
Regular planning meetings will be held to monitor progress and agree on a placement date.
Once the child is placed with you, the adoption team social worker will continue to offer you support, and the child's social worker will visit the child at regular intervals.
Application for adoption order
The timing of an application to adopt depends primarily on how long it takes you and the child 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 cover initial expenses incurred when a child is first placed and sometimes a regular 'adoption allowance' is payable. Our social worker can explain who may be eligible.
Following a successful application to adopt, we will try to respond to any request you may make for further advice or information, and we offer a programme of post-placement training for carers.
Timing of each stage
Although the exact timings will depend on unpredictable matters such as the number of enquiries during a particular period, personal issues which arise during an assessment etc, we know that those prepared to consider adoption of a looked-after child are special people, and we have clear standards which we work hard to achieve for their recruitment.
We try to achieve:
Preliminary Response - dispatch of the information pack within 48 hours of your letter or phone call
Stage 1 - an offer of an information meeting within two months of your telling us you remain interested
Stage 2 - a screening visit within two weeks of your attendance at an information meeting
Stage 3 - scheduling of a preparation group is 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 (or nine at the most) 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.
