Monitoring and Supervision of Adoptive Placements

NOTE

This chapter was previously under review and is now operational.

Adoption: Agency Advisor Adoption and Permanence

  1. Arrangements for and frequency of visits for supervising the placement must be made at Adoption Placement Planning Meetings and be set out in the Adoption Placement Plan - see the chapter in 'The Placement' (Placement for Adoption Procedures)

    The minimum requirements are as follows:
    1. AAR 36.4 requires the agency to ensure that the child and prospective adopter are visited within one week of the child being placed and then at least once a week until the first Adoption Plan Review. These visits should be shared wherever possible between the child's Social Worker and the Supervising Social Worker; clarity should be obtained from the outset about which Social Worker will conduct each visit. The visiting Social Worker should see the child without the prospective adopter being present for some of the visit unless the child is of sufficient age and understanding to refuse to do so;
    2. Thereafter, the frequency of visits by the child's Social Worker will be determined at the child's Adoption Plan Review or, if not specified, every six weeks for the first year and after this, on a three monthly basis.

      Where there are any concerns, additional visits should be arranged.

      The adopters' Supervising Social Worker will also carry out visits. At a minimum, the first visit after the placement must be within 1 week; thereafter visits will be weekly until the first review and then monthly. Visits may be more or less frequent as set out in the Adoption Placement Plan or if circumstances so require or as agreed in supervision.

      On occasion it may be helpful for joint visits to be undertaken by the child's Social Worker and the prospective adopters' Supervising Social Worker.

      The visits should continue until an Adoption Order has been made or until the placement is terminated;
  2. Visits must be made by suitably experienced qualified Social Workers or Social Workers/student Social Workers who are supervised by suitably qualified and experienced Social Workers;
  3. Record of Visit Forms (for Supervising Social Workers) and Boarding Out Visit Forms (for the child's Social Worker) must be completed in respect of all visits to the placement, and copies must be sent to any other Social Worker involved in visiting the placement. Copies must also be placed on the child's Adoption Case Record. Between visits, the Social Workers involved must discuss progress in the placement and read each other's recording of visits during the monitoring period;
  4. Where there are concerns that the placement is at risk of breaking down, the relevant Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) should be advised/consulted. The child's Social Worker and IRO should consider whether an early Adoption Plan Review should be convened. See Adoption Plan Reviews Procedures;
  5. The child should be seen alone (if appropriate according to his or her age and understanding) at all of the visits undertaken by the child's Social Worker and on a regular basis (although not necessarily at all visits) by the adopters' Supervising Social Worker, and the child's wishes and feelings must be recorded.

    Where there are two adopters, both should be seen regularly. Children of the family should also be seen regularly. The majority of visits should take place in the carers' home but meetings can take place elsewhere on occasion;

  6. The child's Social Worker will arrange for the child to continue to have health assessments in line with his or her Health Care Plan and ensure that the Health Care Plan continues to be reviewed up to the Adoption Order in accordance with the procedures for Looked After Children;
  7. The procedures to be followed where a placement disrupts are set out in Disruption Meetings Procedures;
  8. Visits to the child and adopters after the Adoption Order will be made as and when required under the Adoption Support Plan.