Steps to adoption

Worcestershire County Council's Adoption Agency aims to meet the timescales set out in the Adoption and Children Act 2002 wherever possible and to deal with applications from prospective adopters in a timely and sensitive manner.

There are 10 steps to adoption

1. Initial Enquiry

Contact The Adoption Service: we ask for a few details so that we can send you out a full Information Pack. If you have any questions we will be able to answer them for you.

You can Request an Information Pack online.

2. Information Evening

If you decide you want to find out more after reading the Information Pack, we will invite you to our next Information Evening. At these sessions we will tell you about becoming an adopter and talk about the reasons why children need to be adopted.

The sessions are designed to give prospective adopters a clear picture of all aspects of adoption, including information about preparation and assessment, so they involve a detailed presentation and a chance for you to ask further questions.

3. Home Visit by a social worker

Following attendance at an Information Evening and if you decide you want to carry on with the process, a social worker will call you to discuss your interest further and make an appointment to visit you (and your partner if relevant) at home. A detailed discussion will take place during this visit with the opportunity for you to ask any further questions applicable to your individual circumstances. If everything is satisfactory we will obtain your consent to making checks with the Criminal Records Bureau and other agencies. We will also request your agreement to undertake an adoption health assessment.

4. Adoption Preparation Course

After the home visit you will be invited to attend a preparation course. The group sessions will help you to identify the skills that you have and to learn more about what is involved in adoption. These courses are held at intervals throughout the year and take three full days to complete.

Often the courses are held during the working day, although sometimes sessions will be in the evening or on a Saturday. The course is led by a social worker, and experienced adopters will be there to talk to you.

5. Post Preparation Home Visit

Following attendance on the course, a social worker will visit you at home again to talk about what you have learnt from your preparation course. Together we may decide that some form of individual preparation should take place, such as gaining experience of caring for children through voluntary work.

Occasionally applicants will be advised that the Agency believes that they are unlikely to be recommended as suitable to adopt a child, if they were to proceed with an application. In this case there is an independent review process available. If everything is satisfactory and you wish to continue you will progress to the next stage.

6. Assessment (Home Study)

Our first concern is to find adopters for the children who currently need families. Therefore applications will be prioritised in order to consider the prospective adopters who are most likely to be able to meet the needs of children waiting for adoption.

At this point in time we are unable to prioritise assessments from potential adopters who have birth children under 4 years old. Exceptions will be made for 2nd time adopters.

An adoption social worker from the The Adoption Service will visit you and talk with you about your family background, motivation and present circumstances.

You will be asked to provide information about your education, employment history, leisure interests, past relationships and experience of caring for children. We will take up a number of references during the assessment.

The assessment will be very thorough and will take several months to complete, because adoption is a life-changing experience and a life-long commitment for you and the child. We have to be sure that it is right for you, and we have to be confident in your suitability to adopt a child.

During the process we will be honest with you and you will know what the likely outcome of your application will be by the time the social worker has finished all their visits. Equally, if you feel that adoption is not for you at any stage then there is no obligation for you to continue.

7. Adoption Panel and approval process

The Adoption Panel is a group of professionals, including social workers, an experienced adopter, a county councillor and other independent members with particular interest or expertise in adoption.

Following the full assessment process your social worker will write a detailed report called a 'prospective adopters report', which you will have a chance to read and comment on.

The Adoption Panel will consider the report and you will be invited to attend the Panel meeting along with your social worker. The Panel will decide whether to recommend you as suitable to adopt.

The Head of Integrated Services to Children, Young People & Families will then decide whether or not to accept the Adoption Panel's recommendation, based on all of the reports and minutes of the panel meeting.

If the decision is not to approve you, there are two options for you to express unhappiness with the decision if you wish. You can make representation to the Operational Manager, who will reconsider your application, or you can contact the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) for a completely independent review of your application.

The IRM was set up by the DfES in 2004 and, whilst it cannot overturn the agency's decision, it can make a recommendation to the agency on your suitability to adopt a child.

8. Matching and proposing a placement

If you are approved, we will consider whether you are a suitable match for any of the children in Worcestershire who are waiting for adoption. You will also be considered for any child known to us through the regional consortium. This is a group of adoption agencies based in the West Midlands region who meet regularly.

Sometimes an appropriate 'match' is found quite quickly but it can also take a long time. If you are not actively being considered for a match your name will be added to the National Adoption Register within three months of approval, with your consent.

9. Placement

Once a suitable child (or children) has been identified you will be told about them. You can decide if this is the right placement for you. Planning for future support and contact needs will be discussed. The Adoption Panel will then be asked to make a recommendation on the prospective match, to see if it is right for the child and you.

The Head of Integrated Services to Children, Young People & Families will make the final decision. After a period of introductions the child will come to live with you. Your social worker will keep in touch and provide advice and support. The child's social worker will visit regularly.

10. The Adoption Order

When the child has settled into the family, depending on the legal situation, you can apply to the court for an Adoption Order. When the order is made, all the rights and responsibilities as the legal parents of that child will transfer to you. We will continue to keep contact with you and offer you a range of adoption support services.