INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE ADOPTIVE
PARENTS
Adoption is a way of providing a new family for children, when living with their own family is not possible. The arrangement becomes legally binding when a Court makes an Adoption Order. This ends the child’s legal relationship with their birth family and makes you their new legal parent(s). Their birth parents no longer have any legal rights over them, and you have the same rights and responsibilities as if the child had been born to you. Adoption is forever and therefore should not be entered into without serious thought and discussion between yourselves and your wider family.
Before a child can be placed with you, we
have to make enquiries about you and assess whether it is appropriate for you to become
adoptive parents.
a) Enquiries have to be made of your Local Authority,
Health Authority and Police. You will be asked to confirm in writing your agreement that
information can be released to us.
b) You have to undergo a detailed medical examination
which should be carried out by the General Practitioner that you are registered with and
who holds your medical notes.
c) Two personal references are required and these
should be from different households and from people who have known you well as a family
for at least 2 years. Therefore, they should be
people who are in regular contact with you and should ideally live in your area.
d) You will be required to
attend a course with other prospective adopters to develop your understanding of adoption
and all that is involved.
e) You and your social
worker will work together to prepare a comprehensive Home Study report (Form F) will be
completed by you and the Social Worker. This would include helping you to think about the
implications for your family and reach a decision with us as to whether adoption is the
right choice for you.
When all the statutory enquiries have
been completed, you have had the medical examination, attended a course and your Home
Study report (Form F) has been prepared, you will be provided with a copy of
your report. You can add your written comments if you so wish before it is
considered by our Adoption Panel. The Panel then considers all the information and
makes a recommendation to the Director, who will notify you of the decision on your
acceptance as adoptive parents.
All the information obtained as a result
of the above enquiries is treated as confidential to Catholic Care and records are kept in
a place of special security. However, in order to carry out its function as an
Adoption Agency, information about you will need to be shared with social workers within
the Agency and some clerical staff.
When you have been accepted by Catholic
Care you may be suggested as suitable adopter(s) for the placement of a child from another
Agency, in which case, details of your application and assessment will need to be sent to
that Agency for consideration by their social workers and Adoption Panel.
Details about you, that do not identify
you in any way, will also need to be shared with the birth parents who may be involved in
the choice of an adoptive family for their child. You will be provided with full and
frank details of the child.
We will discuss with you all the
confidential information that is available on a child that seems suitable for you to
consider. We will seek any additional information that is necessary to help you
decide whether a particular child will fit in your family.
We will link closely with the placing
agency and support you through the placement to adoption.
Catholic Care will be available to
support you through adoption over the years.