Sussex Child Protection and Safeguarding Procedures
Sussex Child Protection and Safeguarding Procedures Sussex Child Protection and Safeguarding Procedures

1.5.6 Adoption Record Guidance

AMENDMENTS

March 2010: This Chapter replaces the previous version, please read the whole Chapter.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Where there is a perceived risk to the adopters or children, from the birth family please contact the Fostering and Adoption Team to discuss appropriate action. The decision as to level of risk posed to the adoptive placement by the birth family should be assessed by the child's social worker.


Contents

  1. Recording a Placement for Adoption
  2. When the Adoption Order is Granted
  3. Adopters Records
  4. Payments to Adopters


1. Recording a Placement for Adoption

Please note that an Adoption Support Event and Allocations in respect of the Adoption Support Team and Practitioners may be recorded on the birth record prior to the adoption.

1.1 Placing a Child for Adoption

When a Placement Order is granted and a child is placed for Adoption the following action is required to update the record.

  • Service Agreement

The Fostering and Adoption Team will automatically end Service Agreements relating to in house Foster Carers. For other placements, please contact the Agency Placement Team promptly with the details of the end of the placement.

If any payments are to be made to the Adopters, see Section 3, Adopters Records.

  • LAC Episode

1.2 Legal Status

Update the Status as appropriate.


NB: A Care Order will also be granted, sometimes a few moments before the Placement Order.  Please ensure the Care Order is recorded and then go on to record the Placement Order.


1.3 Placement

The details of how a LAC Episode for an adoptive placement is recorded:

In CLA Episode Details:
Select New Episode and indicate it is a New Placement only
Insert the Effective Date and press the Next button
The end Reason for the change is displayed as ‘X1P – Episode ceases and new episode begins on same day.’
Press the Next button
In the Type of Placement field, select Placed for Adoption
For ‘Record Placement as’, select Local Address
Scroll down and press the Local Address button
This will allow you to record the Address,
In the Name field enter:

 

Allocated Resource (FOPP) Number
E.g. FOPP98765
(See Section 3, Adopters Records for information about FOPP Numbers)

In the Street Number field enter:     
In the Street field enter:    

253
Preston Road
Press the Save button to return to the Placement Details.

In DFES Placement Type enter:

Placement Provider Type

Appropriate Placed for Adoption entry
(A3, A4, A5 or A6)
Please indicate whether the Adopter was assessed by B&H – Own Provision (by the LA) or select appropriate option.

Press the Save button.

The placement address is only recorded on the paper file in order to preserve anonymity.


2. When the Adoption Order is Granted

Where payments are to be made, see:

Section 3, Adopters Records

Section 4, Payments to Adopters


Do not end any Adoption Support information. Once you have completed the following, please advise the Adoption Support Team/Worker so they can end their involvement on the Birth record and record on the new record.


Where the birth record needs to remain open regarding any outstanding issues, you should still create the new record for the adopted child. You should ensure the LAC Episode, Personal Relationships and any Professional Relationships that are no longer required on the birth record, are ended.

To close the child’s birth record

  • Discharge the LAC Episode
    The Status End Reason will be E11 or E 12
    The Placement End Reason will display as the Status End Reason
  • End all Personal Relationships
  • End all Classifications (Further Details)
  • End any Contacts
  • End all Professional Relationships
  • End all Allocations  – Excluding those relating to Adoption Support
  • Ensure all Service Agreements have been ended
  • End any open Events or CareAssess Records


NB: When birth parents receive counselling, this should be noted on their own record.  Create an Initial Contact and Non Child in Need Event with a type of “Counselling”.


2.1 Creating a New Record for the Adopted Child

Before creating, please see Important Information at the beginning of this document

  • The Role is “Client”
  • Use the Adopted name
  • Add Personal and Professional Relationships as appropriate (no mention of birth family other than siblings placed with the same adoptive family)

Adoption Support Workers will add information as appropriate.

Where there is to be ongoing work with the child:

  • Add appropriate CareAssess record(s) to the child’s record.  These will usually start at the stage where the previous record ended
  • Add appropriate Classifications (Further Details) using the Date of Adoption as the Start Date.
  • Add Allocations


3. Adopters Records

3.1 Overview

For couples, one record is designated the Main Carer. The Assessment, FOPP number, Panel Events and Approval – which forms this Authorities Register of Adopters, should all be recorded on the same record.

The Main Carer is the person to whom payments are made, where applicable.

Where there is any deviation regarding this or where a change is required, please contact the CareFirst Helpline.

The Panel Administrator will add the Main Carer to this Authority’s Register of Adopters by recording an Approval as a Prospective Adopter.

The Fostering and Adoption team add an Approval for Adoption Allowance payments. This must be added to the Main Carer’s record in order for Finance to make payments to Adopters. 

The FOPP number is allocated by the Panel Administrators and is a unique number recorded in the A/C Pay Ref field within Personal Details. The FOPP number is added to the Main Carers record and is used when making payments to Foster Carers/Prospective Adopters.

The FOPP number is used when recording LAC Episodes to preserve the anonymity of the Placement.

3.2 In House Adopters

Where the Adopters are In House they will have been created by the assessing Team, the Panel administrator will record the FOPP number and add to the Register of Adopters when they are approved as Carers.

3.3 Agency Adopters

The Panel Administrator will not create the Prospective Adopters records.

Please contact the Helpline to add an Out of Area Address to the Gazetteer and the Panel Administrator for the FOPP number.

Please record the FOPP number in the Personal Details Screen, A/C Pay Ref field.

NB It is not possible to amend a FOPP Number once saved. Please ensure it is correctly added to the Main Carer (See Section 3.1, Adopters Records Overview). 

3.4 When the Adoption Order is Granted

For In House Prospective Adopters, once the Adoption Order has been granted, the Fostering and Adoption Team end the Prospective Adopter Approval. This enables us to properly maintain our Register of Adopters.

They should have a new Approval recorded in the event of being approved subsequently for any further child(ren).


4. Payments to Adopters

In order for Payments to Adopters to be made an ‘Adoption Allowance Approval’ is recorded on the Main Carer’s record. Where the current Main Carer is not the person who is to receive the payments, please contact the CareFirst Helpline.

You should never add a new FOPP number or Approval to the record of the Main Carer’s partner.

If not recorded or in the event of any changes, amended appropriately, it will have an impact on recording and reporting.

The Fostering and Adoption Team will add Adoption Allowance Approvals. 


Without a CareFirst Record, FOPP number and Adoption Allowance Approval, Finance is unable to make payments.

End