4.3.8 Foster Carer Adoption Guidance |
Contents
- Procedure
Appendix 1: Financial Support for Foster Carers who Adopt
Appendix 2: Financial Support Banding System
1. Procedure
Where foster carers express interest in adopting a child/children in their care, they should write to the Chief Officer confirming their wish to be considered.
The Children's Service Delivery Manager (Fostering, Adoption & Family Placement) will acknowledge this request in writing and outline the way forward, then pass to adoption admin for a Home Visit (IHV) pack to be made up and forwarded to the responsible Adoption Team Manager (ATM) for allocation.
The allocated Adoption Officer (AO) will contact the child's Social Worker to discuss the circumstances and area team view, before arranging a visit to the foster carer (which may or may not be undertaken jointly with the SW). The AO will ascertain the views of the Fostering Officer and Fostering Team Manager and agree the implications for further fostering if the adoption progresses. This information will then be shared with the foster carer at the visit, and confirmed in the Initial Home Visit report.
The foster carers expectations regarding financial support in adoption must be discussed at the visit and the department's position made clear. The outcome of this discussion should be confirmed and clearly recorded in the initial home visit report.
It is the SW's responsibility to establish the views of their Team Manager and Children's Service Delivery Manager and confirm these to the AO before proceeding.
If following the visit it is agreed to support the adoption application, the AO will arrange for the foster carers to submit an application form, consenting to checks and references being requested, and to medicals being arranged. The AO will write up the visit and pass to the ATM in the usual way with a clear recommendation. The report will be countersigned by both workers. The ATM will pass to the SDM (Fostering, adoption and Family Placement) to endorse, before writing to the foster carer to confirm the outcome (including financial arrangements) and the way forward, with a copy to the social worker for the child's file and Team Manager Fostering for the fostering file.
An adoption assessment file will be set up for allocation, and attendance at Adoption Preparation Groups will be arranged. This is a requirement in all cases unless applicants have attended in the last three years. It will not be necessary to wait for checks to be returned, and the FCA assessment can be allocated immediately, but can only progress once the SHOBPA decision has been made and the Placement Order application has been lodged.
Where extraordinary financial support is requested to support the foster carer adoption, agreement in principle to this must be obtained from the Finance Panel, before the foster carer/s commit to proceeding with the adoption plan. Details of these financial arrangements will then be provided to adoption panel in the APR report.
Where foster carers have a recent (last six months) CRB check, then this can be used in adoption. Medicals should be requested at the outset to minimise delay.
The completed assessment (and match) will be considered by Adoption Panel in the usual way. Once the panel has recommended the adoption approval and match, and the Agency Decision Maker has approved it, a formal planning meeting must be held. The meeting should include the foster carer/adopter, Social Worker, Fostering Officer and the Adoption Officer who has completed the assessment. An adoption placement plan should be drawn up in the usual way and all necessary notifications will need to be sent.
Where the FCA application is not being supported, the ATM will arrange a meeting between workers and managers from the adoption, fostering and social work teams, to discuss the reasons for this and confirm the recommendation. The purpose of this meeting will be to review information about the needs of the child, the circumstances of the carers, and the advantages and risks of considering the carers as prospective adopters. A clear record will be kept of this meeting, and passed to the Service Delivery Manager (Fostering,Adoption & Family Placement) who will then write to the foster carer giving clear reasons why supporting their interest in adopting is not being recommended, and advising that they may wish to seek independent legal advice.
Appendix 1: Financial Support for Foster Carers who Adopt
The Adoption Support Services (Local Authorities) (England) Regulations 2005, enables specific financial support to foster carers who adopt as opposed to all other adopters.
Financial support will be offered to foster carers who adopt in the following way:
All foster carers who adopt will receive financial support for a period of two years following the making of the Adoption Order except in the case where the child is under two years with no identified special needs and is not hard to place.
Where a child is under two years, payment will continue only until the point that the Adoption Order is made. Continuation of this payment is to ease the transition to receiving no further payments. The amount of financial support for all foster carers will equal the amount already being paid to foster that child, minus child benefit and child tax credit.
For all other foster carer adoptions, at the end of two years the financial support will either cease - e.g. where a child has no identified ongoing needs and does not meet the eligibility criteria (attached) OR
If the child meets the eligibility criteria, an element of remuneration for foster carers will continue to be paid beyond the two year period providing this is agreed at the time of the match.
On occasions a review of the child's needs will be undertaken at the end of the 2 year period. E.g. where the allowance was due to cease but the Child's' needs indicate that a review of allowances should be further considered. This would then determine if ongoing financial support should be provided, and will then need to be agreed by the Finance Panel (Fostering and Adoption)
The Local Authority has the discretion to disregard the financial means of adopters in relation to ongoing financial support. All these cases must be referred to the Finance Panel (Fostering and Adoption) for agreement.
Where further assistance over and above ongoing allowances is required, approval must be sought from the Finance Panel (Fostering and Adoption)
Once the approval and match has been recommended by Adoption Panel and agreed by the Agency Decision Maker, Carer Payments Section must be informed and the payment code will change.
Appendix 2: Financial Support Banding System
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