Adoption Support

Adoption Support includes any support likely to be required for an adoptive placement to endure through to adulthood and is applicable to both existing and new situations.

The Service must make arrangements, as part of their adoption service, for the provision of a range of adoption support services.

The Service does not have to provide the services but must have made arrangements for services to be provided by voluntary or other agencies.

Support services should be delivered by professional staff who: 

• Are sensitive to the issues surrounding adoption;
• Have the necessary understanding, skills and experience to support those affected by adoption;
• Recognise the life-long impact of adoption; 
• Support is provided in a way which is seamless and accessible to all parties throughout the adoption process and beyond;
• The provision of adoption support should improve the success of adoptive placements and the outcomes for children and their families.

In Guernsey the Family Placement Service is available for consultation and advice during the assessment and planning process to the point of an Adoption Order being granted. Post adoption support is provided by the Reparative Care Team. Adopters (and adopted children, when appropriate) will be given information regarding the range of services available to them, whether there is a formal Adoption Support Plan or not. Adopters will be encouraged to maintain links with the Service through being on the Post Adopter Database mailing list which provides information to adoptive families about learning and development opportunities and other support available. Adopters should be encouraged to approach the Service at any stage for advice and support. The Reparative Care Team is responsible for post adoption contact arrangements and this will enable any initial difficulties with letter-box / contact arrangements to be supported or any other worries to be addressed.

The Service has a responsibility to provide information on adoption support services to:

• Anyone contacting the Service to request information about adopting a child;
• Anyone informing the Service that (s)he wishes to adopt a child;
• Any parent of an adopted child within the Service’s area who requests the information;
• Any parent of an adopted child within the Service’s area of whom the Service is/becomes aware

Information must be provided about:

• The full range of adoption support services available in the This includes, but is not limited to, therapeutic services, assistance in relation to contact arrangements, and financial support;
• The right to request an assessment for adoption support services (at any time);
• The address and telephone number of the Adoption Support Services Adviser
• The availability of assessments for adoption support services for persons outside the Service area, so that parents understand which area is responsible for assessing their support needs;
• Contact details for first4adoption are available alongside the Services adoption support provision via the Guernseyfostercare website which provides information about adoption and the Reparative Care Team which is responsible for post adoption support;
• How to make a complaint, under the Service’s complaints procedure;
• Any other relevant services provided by the Service;
• Any other information that the Service considers relevant.

The following information must also be provided to potential and prospective adopters:

• Details of where to find information about adoption pay and leave. Details can be found on the States of Guernsey gov.gg website.
• Information about the right to receive a copy of the Child’s Permanence Report, including a summary of the medical adviser’s report on the health of the child, before the child is placed with them for adoption;
• The entitlement to a life story book following matching via the Reparative Care Team. This should include who provides the life story book, what it includes and what it can be used for.

When a person requests information about a specific service, the Service must ask whether they would like any of the other information as well.

Information does not need to be provided where:

• The Service has provided all the necessary information in the last 12 months and none of the information has changed substantively;
• A person has informed the Service that they do not wish to receive the information (unless the Service considers it appropriate to do so);
• Where the information has already been sent, e.g. where the same person requests the information a number of times in a short period.

If the Service refuses a person’s request for information, it should give reasons for the refusal and signpost the person to the website that holds the information.

Adoption support is defined as including:

1. Financial support to adopters. This can include information on paid adoption leave at similar rates to maternity leave and paternity leave and consideration of adoption allowance ;
2. The role of the designated teacher in offering support to previously looked after children and to their new school;
3. Assistance, including mediation, with contact arrangements between adopted children and their birth parents or others with whom they share a significant relationship;
4. Therapeutic services for adopted children;
5. Assistance to adoptive parents and children to support the adoptive placement and enable it to continue, including opportunities for training, learning and development and respite care;
6. Assistance to adoptive parents and children where a placement disrupts or is at risk of disruption;
7. A range of adoption support services, including access to counselling, information and advice for both adoptive parents and their children, who may have complex needs;
8. Assistance with cross boundary matters;

Intermediary Services - see Intermediary Services Procedure.

In relation to adoptions arranged by the Service, practitioners must assess the need for adoption support at the following stages of care and permanence planning:

1. When preparing the Child's Permanence Report for presentation to the Adoption Panel as to whether the child should be placed for adoption;
2. When preparing the Prospective Adopter's Report for presentation to the Adoption Panel as to the suitability of prospective adoptive parents to adopt;

When considering and preparing the Adoption Placement Report for presentation to the Adoption Panel in relation to the proposed placement of a child with particular prospective adopters.

In relation to placements arranged by the Service, adoption support must also always be considered at a Child in Care   Review following the adoptive placement.

See Child in Care Reviews Procedure

The Service must also undertake assessments of need for adoption support at the request of the following:

1. Children who may be adopted, their parents or guardians;
2. Persons wishing to adopt a child;
3. Adopted persons, their parents, birth parents and former guardians;
4. Other children of adoptive parents (whether or not they are adopted);
5. Birth siblings of adopted children;
6. Relatives of the adopted child or other persons with whom the child has a beneficial relationship.

The requirement to assess the need for support is limited to the entitlement to services of the person making the request.

As well as adoptions arranged by the Service, children adopted from abroad are entitled to be assessed for therapeutic services and disruption support. It is only where the adoption is by a step parent that there is no requirement to carry out an assessment, although advice and information may be offered as appropriate.

The Reparative Care Team complete the assessment of support needs for those children born in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. For children born in the UK and adopted into the Bailiwick for the purposes of adoption, the responsibility will be placed on the placing agency to complete the assessment unless otherwise agreed. Please note this assessment is for request for post adoption support. The child’s social worker from The Child In Care Team and the supervising social worker from the Family Placement Service are responsible for completing the Adoption Support Plan as part of the matching process prior to a child’s placement with prospective adopters.  

In all cases where an assessment is required, the practitioners involved should conduct assessments. The assessment should take account of the adoption context and, where the assessment relates to the child, all the developmental needs of the child should be covered including health, education and emotional needs, and contact issues. The relevant education service should be consulted as necessary.

Assessments of need for adoption support under paragraph 4.1 (a) and (b) above should be carried out by the child's social worker and the prospective adopters' supervising social worker as appropriate prior to being presented to the Fostering and Adoption Panel. The assessment under paragraph 4.1.(c) at the time of the child's proposed placement with prospective adopters should be considered at the Matching Meeting and also have the approval of the managers of the Family Placement Service and Child in Care Team prior to being presented to the Fostering and Adoption Panel with the Adoption Placement Report. At all stages, the Fostering and Adoption Panel must consider and may give advice on the proposed adoption support and this advice will be considered by the Agency Decision Maker, before making a final decision on the contents of the Adoption Support Plan - see Placement for Adoption Procedure.

Any assessment (under paragraph 4.2) considered necessary at a Child in Care Review, as a result of which a change in the Adoption Support Plan is required, should be referred to the manager of the Family Placement Service and manager of the Child In Care Team for approval who will consider whether the case should be referred back to the Fostering and Adoption Panel and the Agency Decision Maker.

Requests for assessment for adoption support under paragraph 4.3 above will be allocated to a member of staff in the Reparative Care Team to carry out an assessment, with advice from the Adoption Support Services Adviser as necessary. The assessing worker will usually need to interview the person being assessed - where this is a child, the adoptive parents will also need to be interviewed depending on the case and the age, understanding and wishes of the child.

An assessment will not be required before providing advice and information.

Where an assessment is carried out as a result of a request under paragraph 4.3, a written report of the assessment should be produced and agreed by the manager of the Reparative Care Team.

A copy of the assessment report, once approved, should be sent to the person assessed with notice of the outcome of the assessment, which should state the person's assessed needs for support and the proposed services to be provided.

The therapeutic assessment of support needs will be shared with the adoptive parents.

Where the therapeutic intervention does not require a full assessment of support needs the adopters will be notified.

Contents of Adoption Support Plan/Therapeutic Assessment of Support Need

The Plan should set out clearly:

1. The objectives of the plan and the key services to be provided;
2. The timescales for achieving the plan;
3. Those responsible for implementing the plan and the respective roles of others; what should be provided, when and by whom;
4. The criteria that will be used to evaluate the success of the plan;
5. The procedures that will be put in place to review the services to be provided and the plan.
6. The Adoption Support Plan/Therapeutic Assessment of Support Needs will need to be completed after consultation with the appropriate agencies involved. Where the child is placed in the area of another local authority, the agencies in that authority's area will need to be consulted as to what services may be available for the adopters and the adopted children. In these circumstances, the prospective adopters should be assisted with any cross-boundary issues that may arise.

Approval of Adoption Support Plan

In relation to proposed Service adoptive placements, the proposed Adoption Support Plan will be submitted to the Fostering and Adoption Panel when the proposed placement of a child with particular prospective adopters is recommended. The final Adoption Support Plan will be approved, taking into account any advice given by the Adoption Panel. See Placement for Adoption Procedure.

In relation to post adoption support in which adoption support is proposed, the Therapeutic Assessment of Support Needs will be approved by the manager of the Reparative Care Team.

Distribution of Adoption Support Plan/Therapeutic Assessment of Support Needs

A copy of the final plan should go to all those involved in implementing it, and to the recipients of services (or appropriate adult). Where the child has an Independent Reviewing Officer, a copy should be sent to them.