Public Adoption Information Event

1. Public Adoption Information Event

2. What is Adoption? • Adoption is a way of providing a permanent family for children who can no longer be brought up by their own parents • When you adopt, you legally take on all the rights and responsibilities for a child • Adoption is a lifelong commitment through the good times and the bad

3. Who Can Adopt? • All kinds of people make successful adoptive parents. It doesn’t matter whether you are married or single, in or out of work, nor does your race, religion or sexuality • You must be over 21 and able to provide a permanent, safe, stable and caring home for a child to adulthood and beyond • You will need plenty of patience, humour, energy and have an understanding of children’s needs • You need to be domiciled for 2 years in the country • Intercountry and Step-parent adopters must apply through their home local authority • You must be determined to give a child the sort of support they need to make a real difference to their lives

4. Who Needs Adopting? • In the past many people have only considered adopting babies or very young children • There are some young children that need adopting, but almost no relinquished babies • Most children are over 4, sibling groups, children with disabilities and children from minority ethnic groups - particularly dual heritage and African Caribbean children. These children wait the longest for an adoptive family to be found

5. Why Children need Adopting? • Many of the children needing adoptive parents have suffered from abuse or neglect. Some have parents with drug/ alcohol problems or mental health problems • Many children are part of legal proceedings that conclude the child should be adopted, these proceedings can often take a year or more. • Before children are placed for adoption outside their birth family all options within the family are consider by social services. • At present we have a number of children aged from a few months to nine years old who needing adoptive homes. • Whenever possible we place children with adopters of the same ethnicity

6. The Process • Make an enquiry • Attend an adoption information session, initial (counselling) visit, report to adoption manager, manager agrees, • Preparation training and checks started: CRB, NSPCC, local authority and medicals • Social worker allocated to complete assessment • Employer and possibly ex-partner references sought • Personal referees asked for written comments and interviewed • Prospective adopters report (and your comments about it) sent to panel members for consideration • Adoption panel considers your application - you may attend • Panel recommend prospective adopters • Agency Decision Maker approves the decision

7. Preparation Training • The preparation training is a mandatory course that all potential adopters must attend, as this forms part of the assessment process • It is a modular course, with 6 afternoon/ evening sessions run over several weeks. It will add to your knowledge of adoption and better prepare adopters for the assessment process

8. Assessment • The assessment will involve approximately six to ten visits at your home from a social worker to discuss issues such as: • Your own experiences of parenting, what sort of children you would like to adopt, attitudes towards discipline and challenging behaviour, your relationship with partner and family, your support network and your capacity to parent an adopted child • The mandatory checks that need to be completed include: • Criminal Record Bureau check (CRB), Local Authority check and a medical (N.B. issues related to smokers) • If you have an ex-partner or spouse and birth children they will need to be interviewed. A reference form will be sent to your employer and we may need to speak to them also

9. Panel • The adoption panel is a group of professionals and independent representatives from the community who have been trained to determine the needs for those involved in adoption • The panel’s composition is up to ten people and includes chair person, vice chairperson, two social workers, councillor and medical advisor

10. Post Approval • For three months after approval you will be considered for Merton children only • After three months you can look at children from the South West London Adoption Consortium and from other local authorities nationally also • Matching you to a child/ren. This is again approved by Panel • Placement of child/ren in a planned and supportive way • Ongoing monitoring and support of the placement • You can apply for an Adoption Order after 12 weeks of the child being placed with you

11. How Long Will It Take? • From the time that you make your application, until the time you go to the Adoption Panel for approval should take about eight months, but may be longer if there are complexities • It is impossible to say how long before you will be matched to child/ren – this depends on adopters willingness to be flexible, timing and luck!

12. Post Adoption Support • You have the right to be assessed for post adoption support • Merton will allocate you a social worker • Adoptive families can now get more support than ever before. This might be advice, information and counselling, psychological or therapeutic support and help with accessing benefits or services • Some adoptive parents may be entitled to an adoption allowance (subject to a financial assessment) that will help meet the needs of a child or allow brothers & sisters to stay together

13. Post Adoption Contact • Letter box contact is typical in most circumstances • Direct (face-to-face) contact is rarer but will be suggested if it is thought to be in the children’s best interests • Sometimes contact with siblings and grandparents maybe considered • Contact with birth parents is recommended less often • Assistance is available for children and their birth and adoptive families to review and reconsider the contact needs of children as they develop

14. Current Needs • Merton tries to recruit adopters to meet the needs of the children that Merton care for • It is hard to predict this need as it is subject to change over time, however at present we are recruiting adopters for: • Children from ethnic minorities, particularly boys • Children with disabilities • Sibling groups • Children aged four plus

15. Children From Other Areas • Adoption agencies share adopters • Your name can be placed on National Adoption Register after three months • If you have not been matched within a year of approval your case will be reviewed • Other sources that may be useful in the search for a child include: • Be My Parent, Adoption UK, London Kids, the Adoption Register and other publications

16. Intercountry Adoption (ICA) • Similar assessment and process but you must show ability to meet children’s racial, cultural and religious needs from chosen country • Domestic adopters can apply anywhere - ICA apply to local authority they live in • Difference is that you pay for assessment and other costs e.g. airfares, legal fees - this can be very costly • We will provide adoption support but will not help you to identify a child - this can be very difficult • Less information about children - some very neglected

17. What Next? • If you want to proceed give your details to one of our social workers • Or you can call us on 020 8545 4688 • A decision will then be made by team managers in consultation with the team, as to whether we feel you can meet to needs of children in Merton • If it is appropriate a member of the team will then contact you to arrange a home visit to discuss the adoption process

18. More Information • It you want more information about adoption both the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) and Adoption UK have excellent publications and websites • Alternatively the Department of Education is also an excellent source of advice

19. Contacting Us Adoption and Permanence Team London Borough of Merton Worsfold House, Church Road Mitcham CR4 3FA Telephone: 020 8545 4688 Email: adoption@merton.gov.uk www.merton.gov.uk/adoption