What preparation, training and support can I expect?

Adoption

You can expect to be treated fairly by the agency you contact, and to be responded to promptly. The agency should inform you of its complaints procedures. People who want to become adopters need to go through thorough preparation and assessment. This usually starts with an informal discussion with a social worker in response to your enquiry. You may then be invited to attend an information session, and then a preparation group, where you will learn about the needs of children in care who need to be adopted.

If you decide to continue, and the agency agrees to assess you, you can make a formal application to adopt, and the agency will carry out a series of checks, including personal references and checks with the Criminal Records Bureau (or Disclosure Scotland), and you will need to see your GP for a medical examination. You and other members of your household will also receive a series of visits from a social worker, who will explore your suitability to adopt, and the kind of child or children you would best be able to care for. Your social worker will prepare a report about you for an adoption panel, which will recommend whether you are suitable to become an adoptive parent.

After you have been approved as an adopter, your adoption agency will need to review your approval annually (every two years in Scotland) until a child is placed with you. In order to do this, your agency needs to be aware of any changes in your circumstances such as a separation, pregnancy, or developing a health or medical condition. This is to ensure that you remain suitable to adopt.

A wide range of support is available to help you to care for your adopted child when it is needed, either now or at some point in the future. Accepting help is not a sign of weakness! Most importantly, it may help an adoption placement to succeed. Support may include information and advice; financial support (either lump sums or ongoing payments) which is usually means-tested; counselling or therapy; training; respite care; adoption centres; mediation services for contact; assistance if an adoptive placement disrupts; and access to self-help groups such as Adoption UK.

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Permanent fostering

You can expect to be treated fairly by the agency you contact and to be responded to promptly. The agency should inform you of its complaints procedures. People who want to become foster carers need to go through thorough preparation and assessment. This usually starts with an informal discussion with a social worker in response to your enquiry. You may then be invited to attend an information session, and then a preparation group, where you will learn about the needs of children coming into foster care.

If you decide to continue, and the agency agrees to assess you, you can make a formal application to foster, and the agency will carry out a series of checks, including personal references, checks with the Criminal Records Bureau (or Disclosure Scotland), and you will need to see your GP for a medical examination. You and other members of your household will also receive a series of visits from a social worker, who will explore will explore your suitability to foster, and the kind of child or children you would best be able to care for. Your social worker will prepare a report about you for a fostering panel, which will recommend whether you are suitable to become a foster carer.

Fostering agencies provide ongoing training for foster carers. All carers are required to have an annual review which identifies any training needed to ensure they are suitable to continue fostering. Some carers also take a national qualification such as an NVQ level 3 Caring for Children and Young People (SVQ in Scotland).

A wide range of ongoing support is available for foster carers. All foster carers receive an allowance to cover the cost of caring for their child or children (including food and clothing). Some fostering agencies run professional schemes where the carers also receive a fee for their work. Your supervising social worker will contact you regularly and when you are matched with a child you will also receive regular visits from the child’s social worker. They will meet with you to discuss how the child is progressing.

You may also receive help to meet the child’s developmental, educational or health needs; help with transport and adaptations to your home; therapeutic support for the child; help to facilitate contact between the child and their birth family; and access to an out-of-hours support service during evenings, weekends and public holidays.

For more information see the The Fostering Network or the BAAF website.

Have you seen our inspiring features about support?

Last updated: 16 November 07

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