A key objective of MFC Adoption is to recruit adoptive families who can meet the needs of children waiting for placement in the north West. MFC Adoption hopes to become part of an adoption consortium currently with 22 member agencies which operates in the North West and is the first point of contact for family finding for local authorities who are unable to place a child within their own resources.
The recruitment of prospective adopters especially of Asian or dual (Asian/White British) heritage will be promoted by the following:
- Active promotion of the agency and its aims throughout the North West
- Newspaper/cinema programme advertisements and articles
- Displays and presentations to existing community groups
- Distribution of posters/leaflets
- Word of mouth through existing adopters and networks
- Radio coverage
- Yellow pages and Yell.com
MFC Adoption aims to treat prospective adoptive parents with respect and openness and welcomes applications from all sections of the community, with each application being taken on its own merits. Approaches from people interested in adoption can be made to MFC Adoption in a number of ways ie telephone, letter, e-mail. Following their initial enquiry, written information is sent within 5 days giving information about the eligibility criteria, details of the assessment, preparation training, approval and post adoption support process and about the needs of the children waiting for adoption. A copy of the full complaints process is included in this pack.
On receipt of the completed enquiry form, prospective adopters are either invited to an open evening and/or have a home visit within 2 months. Open evenings are held 3 or 4 times a year and provide further information about adoption, the types of children requiring adoptive families and the process of assessment and preparation. These meetings also provide an opportunity for prospective adopters to meet with approved adoptive parents.
If prospective adopters wish to continue, they are invited to attend either a 4 day or a 6 evening adopter preparation group. Where the applicants and the agency wish to go ahead a formal written application will be accepted and a home based assessment will proceed and this will normally be presented to the Adoption Panel within 6 months of the receipt of the application. However, the length of the assessment will depend upon individual circumstances and some applications will take more time. The full range of safeguarding checks is undertaken as follows
- Identity check
- Documentation to support any name change
- National Insurance Number
- Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure on applicants and any over 16 year old member of their household
- Marriage/civil partnership certificates and divorce or dissolution documents
- At least 2 written references which will be followed up with a face to face discussion
- Statutory references – Social Services, Probation, Education
- Employer reference where employment has involved work with children or vulnerable adults
- Medical examination with the applicants own GP and comments from the agency Medical Adviser
Assessments are undertaken by qualified and experienced social workers using the framework of BAAF’s Prospective Adopters Report (PAR) a copy of which is given to applicants as a guide to the areas to be covered. All members of the household are interviewed as are adult children living away from home. Where applicants have had a previous relationship in which they shared parenting the ex partner will also be interviewed unless there are exceptional reasons why not.
A written agreement with prospective adopters is completed at the beginning of the home study and a midway review is built in to allow a formal check on progress and satisfaction. A second opinion visit is made by the Adoption Manager giving applicants the opportunity to discuss the assessment process and issues arising from this, as well as the Panel process. The completed assessment is given to the applicants who have the opportunity to suggest amendments and corrections before it goes to the Adoption Panel. Adoptive applicants are given written information about the Panel and invited and encouraged to attend.
The Adoption Panel is independent of MFC Adoption and is made up of 11 people with either personal experience or professional expertise in adoption. It has an independent chair, a medical, a legal and a professional adviser and it makes recommendations to MFC Adoption as to whether applicants are suitable to adopt a child. It also offers advice to the agency about the number and age of children it would be appropriate to place.
Adoption Panel meetings are fully minuted and these minutes form part of the very detailed record of the work which MFC Adoption is required to maintain and store in a proscribed way.
The recommendation of the panel, that the applicants are suitable to adopt a child and any advice the panel may give about the number and ages of the children then goes to the Agency Decision Maker and a decision is made and communicated without delay to the applicants.
Following approval by the Agency Decision Maker, approved adopters will be considered for matches with children from within the area for the consortium Adoption 22 for a period of six months. If no match has been made in this time, the National Adoption Register will be activated with the agreement of the prospective adopters.
Applicants who are turned down by MFC Adoption (either at the end of a full assessment or as a result of a brief report presented at an earlier stage to the panel because it is felt they are unlikely, ultimately, to be approved) may have the decision not to approve them as adopters reviewed internally within the agency by having their representation considered by the agency panel or they may have their assessment presented to the Independent Review Mechanism. This is a panel whose new recommendation will then be considered by the Agency Decision Maker. The Agency Decision Maker may or may not change the decision as a result of any new recommendations.
The MFC Adoption also provides an assessment service to inter-country adopters which includes counselling, home study reports, completion of paperwork to meet Department of Health requirements, presentation of cases to the Adoption Panel and Agency Decision Maker and the welfare supervision of children cases where the final adoption hearing takes place in this country. There is a charge for this service and details of charges are available on request.
