Inter-Agency Placements

The majority of Nottinghamshire children who need adoptive families will be placed with prospective adopters approved by this agency. However, each year a number of children are placed with prospective adopters approved by other agencies.

Wherever possible Nottinghamshire will place children who need adoptive families with prospective adopters approved by Adoption East Midlands.

Where no appropriate family is approved or is soon to be presented to Adoption Panel for approval, Adoption East Midlands will actively consider seeking a family approved by another agency to avoid delay for children.

The Home finding Meeting will normally be the forum in which recommendations to consider an interagency placement will be made.

The Adoption Service Manager will formally authorise the search for a family approved by another agency.

The attendees at Adoption Home finding Meeting, will be responsible for determining the actions to be taken to identify a suitable family.

Should the Adoption Panel subsequently approve prospective adopters who may have the potential to meet the child’s needs, priority must be given to considering these prospective adopters. However, if a family approved by another agency is being actively considered (i.e. there has been a visit to the prospective adopters and all parties consider they have the capacity to meet the child’s needs) this placement may continue to be pursued.

Although some interagency placements may be made with local agencies, it is also likely that these will be placements made at a significant distance from Nottinghamshire. Experience has shown that there are additional risks associated with long-distance placements. This may be in relation to support, especially at times of crisis, and access to local resources, for example.

There are distinct advantages in placing children with prospective adopters who have been prepared and assessed and will be supported by Adoption East Midlands.

In recognition of the above it is essential that the risks associated with any proposed placement are clearly identified. Consideration can then be given to the suitability of the proposed placement and what can be done to minimise any identified risks.

Because of the additional risks which may arise from interagency placements, it is essential that they are only considered when it is absolutely clear that there are no suitable prospective adopters already or soon to be approved by Adoption East Midlands.

All children with agreed adoption plans will be considered at monthly Home finding Meetings, chaired by the Service Manager Adoption. The membership of the meeting consists of the Team Managers Permanence, Adoption Team Managers and Home finder(s). Social workers may also be invited to attend to discuss specific children with adoption plans.

The Home finding Meeting will attempt to identify links which might lead to a suitable match. Where this is not possible for whatever reason, the meeting may recommend that an interagency placement should be considered as Adoption East Midlands is currently unable to provide a suitable family from its own resources to meet the child’s needs.

The following methods of family-finding will then be considered and pursued at the discretion of the Service Manager Adoption:

• Attendance at profile events;
• Attendance at Adoption Activity days;
• Referral to other Regional Adoption Agencies;
• Referral to the Consortium(1);
• Referrals to specific local voluntary Adoption Agencies
• Featuring the child, and in which publication/s;
• Extensive use of Linkmaker.

Whatever course of action is decided upon, the child will continue to be routinely considered at the Home finding Meeting and Adoption East Midlands adopters will still be actively considered in case a match can be found. However, pursuing alternative routes ensures that adopters can be sought from a number of different sources, with a view to reducing delay for the child.

The Team Manager will regularly review prospective adopters whose applications are soon to be presented to Adoption Panel and consider their potential suitability for children who are waiting. Where appropriate, details of such families will be sent to the child’s worker for consideration and the (Team Manager) Adoption and Permanence may decide to suspend interagency family-finding to allow further exploration of a potential match. This will be subject to the proviso outlined in 2.6 above.

The Home finders will receive copies of Tracking and Home Finding Meeting minutes and will regularly review the proposal for interagency placement. S/he will also be available for advice about the interagency home finding process at any stage.

See Featuring Children in the Media Procedure for the key principles which must be adhered to when children are to be featured.

All enquiries will be received by the Home finder in the Adoption East Midlands and if appropriate forwarded to the child’s worker promptly.

The child’s worker must be proactive in responding promptly to all enquiries. Enquirers must be contacted within 5 working days preferably immediately, and either counselled out, or their enquiry pursued. If the enquirer is already approved by another agency the child’s social worker will contact the enquirer’s social worker for further discussions.

If the enquirer is not approved, a joint visit will be undertaken by the home finding social worker from Adoption East Midlands and the child’s worker to establish whether the enquirers have the potential to become suitable adopters to the child in question. Any application would focus on the applicants’ suitability to adopt per se as Regulations do not permit child-specific applications. It is therefore essential that there is management agreement before a Registration of Interest is accepted, and that applicants are fully aware of the basis of any assessment.

The process of preparation and assessment may well be influenced by the fact that there is a particular child in mind. For example, the home study may begin before Preparation Groups have been completed, or home study visits may be more intensive and carried out in “blocks” rather than individual weekly or fortnightly sessions in order to “fast-track” the application, or because of the distance involved. It is crucial that in spite of external pressures to expedite the assessment, the process is thorough, comprehensive and builds in time for reflection. It should not be based on an assumption that applicants will be suitable to adopt and will be matched subsequently with the child in question.

Please note: before deciding to explore a family who live outside the Adoption East Midlands boundaries, the social worker and Team Manager must carefully consider the implications for supporting the child in placement, undertaking statutory visits and attending any other meetings which may become necessary. If a firm commitment cannot be given to meeting these requirements because of the distance and time involved the match must not be pursued.

The child’s social worker will only explore one family at a time.

If the family seems to be a potential match following the initial discussion with the family’s worker, the homefinder will request a copy of the CoramBAAF Form PAR (Prospective Adopter’s Report) (including references and the medical adviser’s report to Panel) and the minutes of the prospective adopters’ approval Panel.

On receipt of this information the child’s social worker should check to ensure that DBS checks and medicals/update medicals will be no more than two years old by the time of the matching Panel. If either or both is obviously out-of-date or this is unclear, the child’s social worker must clarify this with the prospective adopters’ worker and any necessary updates must be completed before a matching Panel can consider the placement.

The child’s social worker will have outlined the child’s needs in the Child Permanence Report and Adoption Support Plan. The child’s social worker should send a copy of these reports to the family’s worker. The reports may be shared with the prospective adopters on the understanding that confidentiality will be respected and that the reports will be retrieved and returned if the match does not proceed.

The child’s social worker and their Team Manager will read the CoramBAAF Form PAR and accompanying reports. Foster carers will not be shown the Form PAR, but the child’s worker will draw out the salient points and present an overview of the family to ascertain the foster carer’s opinion as to their suitability for the child in question. Whilst this opinion will always be taken into account and weighed carefully, the decision remains that of the professional staff responsible for the child

On the basis of such discussions the child’s worker will confirm whether the family appears to have the potential to meet the child’s needs. They may wish to have further discussions with the family’s social worker to clarify any issues before deciding to visit the family.

Once a decision to visit the family has been made, the child’s worker must inform the Home Finder as an early alert.

The child’s social worker may visit the family with a colleague, Team Manager or Home Finder, and the family’s social worker should also be present. The social workers may want to visit more than once to ensure they are clear about what the family is able to offer and feel confident that they will be able to meet the child’s needs.

The family’s social worker may be asked to provide an addendum if, for example, the Form PAR was written some time ago or if any areas relevant to the match are not covered. The Home Finder is available for consultation if the child’s social worker is unsure what extra information may need to be included in this addendum.

Prior to Panel, the prospective adopters will meet the child’s current carers to enable them to find out more practical information about what it is like to live with and parent the child. If there are complex medical issues, the prospective adopters will be offered the opportunity to discuss with the Medical Adviser.

If there are potentially complex issues (e.g. adoption support needs) that need clarification before presenting the match to Panel, the child’s worker and Team Manager may wish to consider the possibility of a formal meeting with the other agency.

A Life Appreciation Meeting will also be arranged before Panel wherever possible as part of the information-sharing with prospective adopters. Their social worker will be invited to attend so that s/he too can gain a more detailed understanding of the child’s past experiences etc.

The child’s social worker must confirm at an early stage what support will be available to the child and adoptive family if the match is approved. This includes the support the adopters’ worker is able to offer during the placement and before the adoption order is made, and the support available from the agency after the adoption order is made.

The child’s social worker must also find out what support services are available from the Local Authority where the adopters live (if this is different from the family’s approving agency), and other agencies (e.g. schools and CYPMHS). The family’s Local Authority will be responsible for assessing any new requests for support from three years after the adoption order is made.

The child’s social worker is responsible for sending a copy of the Adoption Support Plan to the Adoption Support Services Adviser for the Local Authority in whose area the adopters live. That adviser should also be contacted by the child’s social worker so that local support services can be explored, such as CYPMHS, leisure services etc.

The child’s social worker must inform the Home Finder as soon as the decision to pursue the placement is made.

The child’s social worker should then complete form “Pre-Panel Matching and Risk Assessment” (see Appendix 2: Pre-Panel Matching and Risk Assessment) which can be downloaded from Forms Online (Children Templates > Adoption > CH/A/MRA/2).

A Panel date will only be given once this form has been completed and has been agreed by the Adoption Manager.

The Panel Coordinator will then negotiate a Panel date with the child’s social worker. A provisional panel booking memo will be sent to the social worker, with a copy to the Home Finder, listing reports needed and deadline dates for them. A medical update report on the child is needed for panel if the most recent health assessment was completed more than 6 months previously (for children under 5 yrs) or more than 12 months previously (for children aged 5 yrs and over).

The Home Finder will contact the family’s agency and request the following:

• Form PAR on the family;
• Copy of approval panel minutes;
• Copies of medical reports on the adopters (CoramBAAF Form AH);
• Confirmation of payment for the placement according to nationally agreed levels (interagency fee).

The letter will confirm whether the child to be placed is an “eligible child” under the terms of the Adoption Financial Support. It will also provide details of the initial placement grant (where appropriate) and introduction costs which will be payable. Copies of the Financial Support leaflet for adopters and a leaflet about Nottinghamshire’s Letterbox Scheme will be included.

A letter will also be sent direct to the prospective adopters with the above information and enclosures. A financial assessment form will be included to be completed and returned to the Payments Team.

On receiving the prospective adopters’ medicals the Home Finder will forward them to the Medical Adviser panel for comments.

If a Nottinghamshire welfare rights assessment and a financial assessment are required, the Home Finder will:

• Initiate Mosaic step called “Welfare Rights Assessment”, complete this and send a task to the Welfare Rights Officer by name to request the assessment be completed. The results of the assessment will be added to the episode before the task is returned;
• Initiate the Mosaic step called “Request Financial Assessment Adoption Support)”, complete this and send a task to the Payments Team to notify them that the assessment form has been sent to the prospective adopters. The task should also request that the assessment be completed when the form is returned. The results of the assessment will be added to the episode before the task is returned.

The Home Finder will also ask the child’s worker to negotiate a date for the interagency meeting, which will usually immediately precede the planning meeting. This must be arranged to take place after the adoption panel has recommended the match and the agency decision has confirmed this.

Services required for meeting the needs of children and their prospective adopters should be identified as part of the Adoption Support Plan, which is prepared prior to the child’s match being considered at adoption panel.

Adoption panel will expect that this Adoption Support Plan is robust, and anticipates, as far as can be reasonably expected, any support needs. Any identified services (such as educational provision, for meeting medical needs or CYPMHS) should be negotiated, and in place before the proposed placement is considered by adoption panel.

Nottinghamshire has a responsibility to support the child for the first three years after the making of the adoption order. Some responsibilities (e.g. contact and on-going adoption financial support) remain the responsibility of Nottinghamshire beyond the three years.

Others will vary depending upon where the prospective adopters live and which agency approved them.

For full details of Adoption Support Services in respect of Nottinghamshire children placed in interagency placements in or outside Nottinghamshire, see Adoption Support Services Procedure.

It is the responsibility of the child’s social worker to clarify the safeguarding procedures which apply ion the receiving authority.

The interagency meeting will take place after the agency decision has been made. The Home Finder may attend. The meeting is for the social work staff involved, and not for the prospective adopters, as it is a business meeting about payment and agency responsibilities.

CoramBAAF Forms H1 and H2 will be completed at the interagency meeting, and will be circulated by the Home Finder to the parties to the agreement for signature with the request that the Form H should then be returned. The parties are Nottinghamshire social workers and the adoptive family’s agency staff. The prospective adoptive parent/s are also asked to sign H2.

Once all parties have signed H1 and/or H2 and the forms have been returned, the Home Finder will circulate a copy to all parties and also to the appropriate Independent Reviewing Officer.

The Planning Meeting is chaired by the child’s Team Manager once the agency decision has been made, and is often held immediately after the interagency meeting. The meeting will be based around the completion of the Adoption Placement Plan (see Forms Online > Children > Adoption > CoramBAAF Form APR).

See Placement Planning Meetings and Introductions to Adoptive Families for further details.

The Home Finder is responsible for authorising and requesting all payments in connection with the introductions. That is:

• Traveling expenses;
• Accommodation costs;
• Meals and activities.

See Appendix 3: Guidance on Costs Payable During Introductions for further details. The Mosaic step episode “Adoption Services - One-Off Payments” should be used for this purpose.

Expenses for introductions will normally be paid at the end of the period. The child’s social worker must provide a copy of the mileage claim and receipts for meals and activities. Accommodation costs will normally be paid direct to the hotel, Bed and Breakfast etc by Members Services.

See Placement Planning Meetings and Introductions to Adoptive Families for further details.

As noted previously, most interagency placements will be a significant distance from Adoption East Midlands. The introductions will need to take account of this and may therefore differ in some respects from those that might be planned for a more local placement. Some of these differences might be:

• Prospective adopters need to find suitable accommodation in the area;
• Longer and more intensive periods of contact with the child when introductions based within Nottinghamshire;
• In addition to contact with the child, meetings with birth parents or other relatives, school teacher, other siblings etc add to the intensity;
• Potentially fewer opportunities for prospective adopters to have a breathing space to reflect, take stock - more difficult when not in their own home;
• Pace of introductions may be forced by circumstances;
• Foster carers may stay in the area when visits transfer to the prospective adopters’ home;
• Overnight stays for child inevitable;
• More difficult for prospective adopters to make last-minute preparations to receive the child into their home on the date of placement;
• The way the child’s transition from foster carers to prospective adopters is handled at the point of placement may be different.

Planning introductions can often be challenging, and the additional complexities caused by distance may add to this. However, it is important to adhere to the key principles of all introductions and not be diverted away from these by force of circumstances.

Nottinghamshire remains responsible for undertaking statutory visits. This is irrespective of the distance involved and is a commitment that the child’s social worker and Team Manager must take into account when considering whether or not to pursue a specific match.

See Monitoring and Supervision of Adoptive Placements Procedure.

For full details see Adoption Reviews Procedure.

As the placement progresses, the child’s social worker must start to prepare the Later Life Letter (see Later Life Letter Procedure). The Letter should be completed by the time of the adoption order.

The draft Letter must be quality controlled by the Team Manager and shared with the adopters’ social worker. It may also be given to the adopters themselves for their comments.

The child’s social worker will forward the final version of the Letter to the adopters’ worker with a covering letter (see Appendix 4: East Midlands Adoption Consortium Working Agreement), expressing the expectation that the Letter should be shared with the child no later than their 18th birthday. A reply slip is also attached, asking for the adopters’ confirmation that they have received the Letter and agree to make it available as outlined.

The reply slip will be returned to the child’s social worker and must be scanned into the child’s file as a Document, using the “Adoption” category to maintain confidentiality

When the decision to lodge the adoption application is made at a review, the originating application forms should be completed and lodged within 4 weeks. If previously agreed at the Interagency Meeting, the prospective adopters’ worker will complete the application forms on their behalf and collate the necessary documents, in consultation with the child’s worker.

The application may be lodged in Nottingham County Court or in a court which is more local to the prospective adopters if preferred. This should be decided at the review which agrees that the application should be lodged.

See Section 8, Adoption Support.

The child’s social worker must attend the final hearing for the making of the adoption order both as co-author of the Annex A report, and in their role as the child’s worker.

The child’s social worker must complete the “Post-Order Tasks” episode on Mosaic, ensuring that the form that details contact arrangements and the Adoption Support Plan are completed fully with up-to-date information. The social worker must choose both Outcomes to ensure that the necessary information is sent to the Adoption Support Team and to the Letterbox team within Adoption Support. Adoption Support Team will then add the adopters to their mailing list for general information, and set up any arrangements for contact.

Appendix 1: Matching Considerations and Risk Assessment

Appendix 2: Pre-Panel Matching and Risk Assessment

Appendix 3: Guidance on Costs Payable During Introductions

Appendix 4: Covering Letter for Later Life Letter