How long will it take?
Once we have accepted your application to be assessed as prospective adopters, you will be invited to attend a preparation course which normally takes place over three days. Our target is six months from the time your formal application is received to being approved as an adopter. South Gloucestershire has a duty to make sure that you can offer a safe and caring environment where children will feel welcomed, cared for and valued. For this reason we ask you to go through a process of preparation and assessment, during which we assess your skills and abilities as a potential adoptive parent.
Information Evening
If you are interested in becoming an adopter please return the enclosed initial contact form and a Social Worker will telephone you to have an initial discussion with you about adoption and your situation. You will then have the opportunity to be invited to attend an Information Evening. These take place 2-3 times a year, and will enable you to find out more about adoption from adoptive parents and social workers.
Information Form and Initial visit
If you decide, following on from the Information Evening, that you wish to pursue your interest in adoption further, you will be asked to complete and return to us an information form. We will then arrange for an adoption social worker to meet with you at home— this meeting will help us to explore with you whether adoption may be right for you and your family and answer any more questions you may have.
Application to be assessed
We receive a high number of enquiries from people wanting to be assessed as prospective adopters — because of this and because our priority is to find suitable families for children, we have to prioritise applications from people able to consider children of different ages with a broad range of needs.
Attending a preparation course
Once a decision has been made to accept your application we will start undertaking some of the checks as outlined on the next page and you will be invited to the next available preparation course.
Various checks
By law we have to undertake rigorous checks to ensure the suitability of our adopters to look after vulnerable children and young people. These checks include:
- A Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check on all people in the household who are aged 18 and above, and any people who will be supporting you, such as relatives and babysitters
- Local Authority checks will be undertaken
- Child Health & Education checks will be carried out on any school-age children in the household
- Written current or most recent employer's reference for each applicant. Additional references from any previous employer where there was contact with children will be obtained
- An adoption medical test will need to be completed and your GP will charge you for this
- Three personal references - we will interview at least two of the referees who must have known you for at least 5 years (but not be related to you). Please also be aware that we require a range of references, including from people who have known you since young adulthood. This will be discussed further with you at the time of your initial visit
- Interviews will be carried out with any other adults in the household
- Checks will be made with any ex-partners. This will be discussed with you at your initial visit
- We may interview significant members of your family
Home study and assessment report
A Social Worker will visit you on several occasions and get to know you and your family. They will also visit your referees. For couples most meetings will be joint but the Social Worker will meet with you each individually at least once. Any children in the family will also be involved in the process as far as possible.
The assessment is an opportunity to discuss what your hopes and expectations are as parents and how that fits with the needs of children who need new families. It enables us to understand how you have coped with sadness, difficulties or stress in your life as this helps us and you to anticipate how you might cope with a child who will also have upset and angry feelings. It will also be helpful to hear about how you have dealt with past problems.
Your Social Worker will carry out interviews with other family members and contact any ex-partners after discussion with you. Your Social Worker will then complete a British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) Prospective Adopter’s Report, which will be shared with you to make sure it is accurate and fair.