Adoption

Please note that this service is not available from Stafford Borough Council.  For further information please contact Staffordshire County Council using the contact details below.

Children, Young People and Families

Adoption is about meeting the needs of children, not meeting the needs of adults who wish to adopt.

For further information please contact the Staffordshire County Council Website at www.staffordshire.gov.uk

Recently we have seen the introduction of much new legislation to govern Adoption Practice. We now have National Minimum Standards for Adoption as well as the Adoption and Children Act 2002, which is gradually being phased in. There is also procedural guidance for the provision of Post Adoption Support and for Inter Country Adoption.

Children Placed for Adoption

Adoption has changed markedly over the past 30 years. In 1970, 20,000 children were placed for Adoption. The majority of these were babies. Thirty years later as society's views and attitudes have changed this figure has decreased greatly. In 1999, 2,2000 children were placed for adoption. Over the past 4 years, however, this figure has grown due to greater acknowledgement of the role adoption can play in making permanent plans for children. Although the number of children adopted has dropped in the past 30 years the number of children adopted from care has grown.

The majority of children placed for Adoption will have been removed from their parents through the court system due to maltreatment in one form or another. All of these children will have had their plan for adoption approved by the court. These children come to adoption with their own identity, background and family history, all of which will impact on their adoptive home and require understanding and acceptance in order to increase the possibility of a successful placement.

Children who come into care are in most cases initially placed in foster care. Great efforts are made to keep siblings together.

Children awaiting adoption need careful preparation and explanation about what is going to happen to them and why.

Most children will need to maintain some level of contact with their birth parents in order to promote their self-esteem and identity. In most cases this is achieved through indirect letterbox contact.

People wishing to Adopt

Prospective adopters must be 21 or over. There is no upper age limit.

A couple wishing to adopt together must be married, although this is very likely to change in the near future with the implementation of new legislation.

Currently one member of a co-habiting couple can adopt and the other partner would need to apply for an order giving them Parental Responsibility.

Applications are welcomed from single people who can also adopt.

We welcome applicants from all areas of society and does not discriminate in any way.

We offer a service to all our residents and also welcome applications from those living outside the area, particularly from people wishing to adopt older children, sibling groups or children with special needs.

All applicants undergo statutory checks carried out through the police, social services, health, education and probation services. Anyone with an offence against children is barred by law from becoming an adopter. Personal references, eg. from friends or employers are also taken up.

All prospective adopters undergo a medical examination carried out by their own GP.

Adopters are viewed by the Local Authority as an important and valuable resource for children in need of adoption. As a result great care is taken in the training, assessment and support of all applicants.

Interest is particularly welcomed from people who can offer a home to:

• children 4 years and older
• brothers and sisters
• children with uncertain developmental futures
• people who have already parented and have older children
• children of black or mixed race

The Council also accepts applications from people wishing to adopt from overseas. Such assessments are carried out by a voluntary adoption agency and the cost, of around £2,500 is met by the adopters.

Anyone contacting us will be able to talk to a social worker experienced in Adoption practice. An information pack is available and will be sent to anyone who wants to know more.

Children waiting to be placed for adoption

Each child is the subject of a Care Order made by a court. The Authority has to present a Care Plan to the court outlining and timetabling its plan to place the child for Adoption.

A referral is made to the local Adoption Consortium to access approved families within this pool.

Advertisements are placed in specialist magazines and interest sought from approved adopters.

Detailed and informative profiles of the children are prepared and sent to other Local Authorities and Voluntary Adoption Agencies throughout the country.

Post Adoption Support

The value of post adoption support has been recognised more in recent years as being crucial to the success of adoptive placements. A child's need for explanation and knowledge about his background may grow as he gets older. His behaviour may increasingly reflect the impact of poor or abusive parenting in his early years.

We will support all adoptive placements through our own services or those of a family's adoption agency.

The Local Authority also has a responsibility to the birth parents of children placed for adoption and will provide support and counselling to them.

We operate a Post Adoption Letter Box service to facilitate the exchange of photographs and letters between adopters and birth family members.

When A Local Authority is Planning to Place a Child for Adoption

Adoption is a way of providing a new permanent family for a child, not able to be brought up in the birth family. A Local Authority acts as an Adoption Agency and is legally allowed to arrange adoptions. This is done by the Social Worker gaining an understanding of the child's needs and seeking the adoptive family best able to meet them.

The Local Authority however cannot make such an arrangement legally binding. Only the court can do this, by the making of an Adoption Order. This ends the child's legal relationships with the birth family and gives the child new legal parents. The child becomes a full member of the adoptive family, the same as being born to the adopters.

Adoption means the permanent transfer of parental responsibility. This is such an important thing to happen in a child's life, that the law requires Adoption Agencies and courts to make sure that they put the child's long-term welfare first when they make decisions about adoption.

If your child is adopted, you will no longer have any legal rights and responsibilities. It may not be possible for you to see each other but there will be the opportunity for you to have 'indirect contact' via the Local Authority in the form of news about your child from the adoptive family.

If you have any worries, doubts or questions your child's Social Worker will try to help you as much as possible with these. You should also talk to your solicitor if you have one. You may find it helpful to talk things over with your family and friends too. In the past few years several independent organisations have been formed to offer advice and support to people in your position.

Knowing about you is important

Before an adoption can be arranged, the agency is required by law to ask for a lot of information about you and your child. This information is personal and will be treated as confidential, however there are some circumstances where the agency might need to pass particular information on to other people. Wherever possible, such circumstances will be explained to you.

All this information is needed for us to have the fullest possible knowledge and understanding of your child and family of birth. This helps those making the decisions about the future. You can therefore help your child by agreeing to provide as much information as you can about yourself and your family and by understanding our need to ask your doctor about your family's health.

We try to arrange for all birth parents to meet the prospective adopters of their child if it is felt to be appropriate. This is to help both sets of parents to have an image of, and a little more knowledge about each other. It will also be helpful for your child's adoptive parents to know as much as possible about your family background. Origins and birth family will be important to your child growing up. The information about your family's health will be important. Brothers and sisters (including half-brothers and sisters) are also very important to adopted children. If brothers and sisters have to be placed separately, each adoptive family will usually be asked to keep in touch with each other. Sometimes this is done through our 'Letter Box Scheme'. The 'Letter Box' is explained later on this page. If you have any more children, or any other important changes occur in your life or your family, the Letter Box is a way of keeping your adopted child informed.

Choosing a family for your child

The law requires that Adoption Agencies make very thorough enquiries about families wishing to adopt. All prospective adopters undergo lengthy training and assessment by an Adoption Agency and must be approved by an Adoption Panel before they can be considered for adoption.

They are asked all sorts of information about themselves and their family background.

From having knowledge of their own family experiences and their skills and interests, the agency gets a picture of their family life and gains an understanding of what kind of upbringing they would offer a child. When your child's social worker looks for a family, one will be chosen because it is thought they are able to meet your child's needs. Your child's long-term welfare is the first consideration. A placement will not be made until it is believed that the right family is available. When a suitable family is found a recommendation is made to the Director of Social Services, who considers the needs of your child and the family recommended and makes the final decision. It is hoped that parents are reassured to know that so much thought goes into choosing the right family.

There may be special considerations you would like to be included in choosing your child's family. You might, for example, want your child to have a particular religious or cultural upbringing or to have the opportunity to develop a special interest or skill. Tell your child's social worker if you would like to make a list of what you would like in a family for your child.

It is not possible to promise to do as you wish, because your child's overall welfare must always be considered in choosing the adoptive family. However, your wishes will be taken into account wherever possible.

Older children will be given help to understand how adoption affects them in relation to you and your family and will be asked their views about the type of adoptive family they wish to live with.

Adoption by foster carers

Perhaps your child has been looked after by foster carers for a long time and they would like to adopt. In this case, the same thorough enquiries have to be made as are made with any other adopters. It is still very important to be sure that it would be best for your child to be adopted by that family, before adoption can be recommended and an adoption application made to the court.

Applying to adopt a child

Adoption can be carried out in one stage or two. The prospective adopters can make an application to adopt to the court of their choice and this application will be heard by a Judge. This is usually the case when birth parents agree to the adoption. However, in certain circumstances the agency may apply to the court for an Order freeing a child for adoption. This Order is then used by the adoptive parents at a later stage when they apply to the court for an Adoption Order.

Freeing for adoption

This procedure is not used in situations where parents are agreeing to their child's adoption. It is more likely to be used if you wish to oppose your child's adoption.

A Freeing Order transfers your rights and responsibilities wholly to the agency. Later on, when adopters make their application to adopt, the court transfers the parental right from the agency to the adoptive parents.

If an application to free your child for adoption is made, you will be asked to decide at that stage whether you would like to be informed about your child's placement and when the Adoption Order has been made. If you want to be kept in touch and within a year of the Freeing Order your child has not been adopted, you will be able to apply to the court for leave to resume your legal rights and responsibilities as the child's parent.

When a Freeing Order is granted to the Local Authority it is normal for the prospective adopters to then make their application to adopt to the court of their choice. This application will then be heard by a judge at an Adoption hearing.

Are you willing for your child to be adopted?

It may be that your child is the subject of a Care Order and an adoption plan was agreed upon by the court. Alternatively, it may be that you have asked this agency to arrange your child's adoption and an adoptive family has been sought at your request. In either circumstance, if you are willing for your child to be adopted, the court will ask a Social Worker independent of this agency (known as a Reporting Officer) to visit you and make sure that you understand what adoption involves. The Reporting Officer will need to be sure that you are willing to agree to your child's adoption quite freely and without any conditions. If the Reporting Officer is satisfied that you have thought about it carefully and know what you are doing, you will be asked to sign a formal document giving your agreement. The Reporting Officer will sign too, as a witness. This form will then be given to the court, who will also be told that you do understand what is involved.

Are you unhappy at the prospect of your child being adopted?

If you are, it is important for you to have legal advice from a Solicitor experienced in childcare matters as soon as possible. We will be able to give you a list of the Solicitors in this area that specialise in childcare cases. You may be entitled to Legal Aid and your Solicitor will be able to advise you about this.

One of two things must happen before a court can take away your rights as a parent and make an adoption order: either you must agree to this or the court must decide to dispense with the need for you to agree. However it can only do so if one of the circumstances set out in the law applies in your case and the court will need to have satisfactory evidence of this. The court will send you a copy of the statement of evidence they are given, and you should discuss it with your Solicitor as soon as you can.

In order to safeguard your child's interests the court will also ask a Social Worker independent of this agency (known as a Guardian ad Litem) to visit you. The Guardian ad Litem will want to know why you do not think it is a good idea for your child to be adopted. Your views will be reported to the court, because it is very important for them to know how you feel about your child's future. You will also have an opportunity to go to the court yourself if you want to, to explain why you are not willing to agree to your child's adoption. An Adoption Order cannot be made unless the court is sure it would be in your child's best interests to be adopted, and they have to take account of your views in deciding this.

What happens after adoption?

When your child moves to live with the adoptive family, the adoptive parents will already have received much information that will be important to your child growing up. Your child will also understand as fully as possible what is happening and will have their very own 'Life Story Book' explaining their life in words pictures and photos. Hopefully, this book will have been made with your help, as knowing about you is important. As the years go by, your child will be given more information according to their level of understanding.

A decision will be made about the type of contact you are to have with your child once the placement for adoption has been made. This Department believes that in most cases some form of continued contact with the birth family and ongoing knowledge of them is important to a child growing up and developing in his adoptive family. There are two important factors in deciding what sort of contact is appropriate. Firstly any contact must be in the child's best interests and secondly any contact must not have a harmful effect on the adoptive placement.

There are two types of contact in adoption, direct and indirect.

• Direct Contact
  
  This is face to face contact between the birth family and the child. This does not happen very often in adoption and usually only when the child has a positive relationship with a member of the birth family. This person, either a parent or relative, must also be in agreement with the plan for adoption and be able to support the adoptive placement.

• Indirect Contact
  
  This is contact by letter and photographs or videos. This is usually arranged by Social Services through its Post Adoption Letterbox. All adopters chosen are willing to have indirect contact if it is appropriate. This is usually in the form of a letter about your child and photographs sent once or twice per year. When an adoptive home has been found for your child an agreement will be drawn up outlining what information is to be passed on. Say what you would like to know about your child's progress e.g. school, interests, health and ask for this to be put in the agreement. The agreement will be drawn up specially to meet the needs of the people involved.

You may also like to write a letter and send photographs about yourself and your family. Ask if this is possible. If it is not then you can still send them and ask for them to be kept by us until your child is an adult. It is possible that your child may then contact us seeking more information about the past and they will be given these letters.

It is important that adopted children are able to have further significant information about their birth families over the years. It is also important and reassuring to families to have news of their child from time to time.

The Post Adoption Letter Box Scheme

This is the means by which information will be exchanged between yourself and your child's adoptive family. The scheme is run by the Letter Box Co-ordinator who will try to answer any queries you may have about the scheme or pass you onto a Social Worker who will try to help you. If you have not made an agreement to either give or receive information at the time of your child's placement it may be possible to arrange one sometime later. We would be prepared to look into this for you.

It should be pointed out that the agreements mentioned above are not legally binding and are not formally linked with any Court Order.

When your child becomes an adult

When babies and toddlers are placed for adoption, the adopters sometimes change the child's first name. They get an adoption certificate from the Registrar General which shows the child's new name only and shows the adopters as parents. This certificate takes the place of a birth certificate for all legal purposes. On reaching 18, your child will be legally entitled, to get a copy of the original birth certificate. However, your child is likely to still have a Life Story Book completed in earlier life. It is usual for a copy of the original birth certificate to be put in the Life Story Book.

The birth certificate will show your child's original name, your name and the address you were living at when the birth was registered.

For birth fathers, who were not married to the mother or present at the child's registration, you need to understand that your child may not be able to learn of your identity from the birth certificate.

Post adoption services in this area

This agency is now developing post-adoption services more comprehensively and is prepared to work in many ways to assist and support:

• Adopted children and their adoptive families.
• Adopted adults.
• Birth parents and grandparents.
• Siblings of adopted children.

You should use the contact details above for more information on this and any other points on this page.