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Contents

1. Responding to Initial Enquiries
2. Initial Visit
3. Sibling and Second Time Adopters
4. Preparation Groups
5. Checks and References
6. Home Study / Assessment
7. Prospective Adopter's Report
8. The Panel Recommendation
9. After the Panel Recommendation
10. Representations / Independent Review Procedure
11. Review of Approved Prospective Adopter's Approval
12. Criteria for Prospective Adopters

1. Responding to Initial Enquiries

All members of the public who make an initial enquiry by telephone must be sent an adoption information pack or advised to access the LCC Adoption website.

The pack must be sent within five working days of the initial enquiry. The pack will include an invitation to attend an adoption information evening.

An Initial Enquiry Form should be completed in relation to each enquiry. If the enquirer is responding to publicity for a specific child, the person taking the enquiry should take details and this should immediately be passed to the worker with responsibility for family finding for the child concerned. See Placement for Adoption Procedure.

Foster carers who are requesting to adopt a child they are currently looking after should put their request in writing. They will be visited usually by the child's social worker and an adoption officer. The visit should specifically address how they would meet the child's long-term needs, implications for continued fostering, the carer’s expectations regarding financial support in adoption and the department’s position on this must be made clear.

Any enquirer requesting a second placement should be asked to put their request in writing to the Adoption Team Manager. An initial home visit will be arranged where the child is at least three years old and at least 12 months have passed since the first adoption order was granted. An application form will be left for completion if appropriate.

On completion of the registration of interest form following the adoption information meeting, the Adoption Team Manager will consider those who confirm they wish to proceed with their interest depending on whether they appear to meet the criteria (see Section 11, Criteria for Prospective Adopters) and the priority needs of the service. A decision will be made about whether to pursue or refuse the offer and an initial home visit will be arranged if appropriate. A telephone call prior to the visit may be helpful to clarify any points of potential concern or barrier to adopting.

Where it is decided to proceed, a new Adoption Case Record for the prospective applicant will be opened (including where it is a second or foster carer application, in which case copies of relevant information from other files should be placed on the new Adoption Case Record.)

2. Initial Visit

The purpose of the initial visit is part information giving, part screening/assessment of suitability. The needs of the children currently waiting for adoptive families and the priority recruitment needs of the service will also be outlined.

All enquirers will have had access to an Adoption Information Pack. This is updated regularly and available on the internet at Leeds City Council website. Most enquirers will also have attended an information meeting.

Contact will be made by telephone to discuss interest and arrange an appointment to visit. The arrangements for the visit will then be confirmed in writing, and the need for identity evidencing documentation to be made available will also be explained.

The initial interview discussion and subsequent report will cover accommodation, family composition, interest/motivation, employment/experience, support networks, statutory checks and references, medicals and health, smoking policy, pets and corporal punishment.

Applicants need to be made aware that:

• A Health and Safety Checklist will be completed, and that smoke alarms and carbon dioxide detectors are required and a home fire safety check must be arranged in advance of any assessment;
• Where applicants are under-going fertility tests, it is expected that the outcome is known before their interest in adoption can be progressed;
• A minimum of twelve months should have passed since infertility treatment was concluded;
• Any child placed for adoption must be at least two years younger than children in the family;
• We would be very reluctant to accept an application to adopt a child who is older than the existing children in the family.

Applicants will also need to demonstrate that they are financially stable and able to take sufficient time off work to meet the child's needs. They will be asked about convictions, help or support they have received from other agencies e.g. Health or CAMHS, and they will be specifically asked to identify anything that they know of that may preclude them from adopting.

They need to be aware of our policy on contacting employers, head teachers, health visitors, ex partners, adult children; and of taking up references with family members, and of the requirement of four full days preparation/training with compulsory attendance of all applicants at all days.  Additionally, at different times, adoption support provision will also require attendance at specific training events in recognition of the ongoing need for adoption support services. This is often provided during the first year of placement.

A visit write up will be completed outlining the applicant’s suitability and highlighting any outstanding CRB/health/stat check/medical/reference issues clearly. The adoption team manager will decide whether it is appropriate to proceed with the application. The decision will be based on the information obtained so far in relation to the prospective applicants and the needs of the children waiting for adopters, taking into account the resources currently available within the existing pool of approved adopters. Initial checks will then be undertaken and providing they have a suitable outcome, an application will be accepted and the enquirer invited to attend preparation groups. On occasions, it may be appropriate to commence an assessment whilst waiting the outcome of the statutory checks.

Assessments will be allocated around training dates, and according to resource availability and need. This may involve a period of waiting for some applicants. Where a decision is made to proceed, the case will be allocated for a full assessment to a qualified social worker with suitable experience (see Adoption Panel Procedure, Reports to Adoption Panel).

If there are reasons for not inviting an application, the Adoption Team Manager will write to the enquirers setting out the decision not to proceed and the reasons. Advice should be given of any steps they may take in order to meet the criteria or of how they might pursue their interest elsewhere.

If there appear to be issues of concern in relation to the prospective applicants' health, the Medical Adviser should be consulted for advice before a decision is made. The prospective applicants will be asked at this stage to obtain a medical report from their G.P.

Dependent on the outcome of the health information received and the medical advice from the Medical Adviser, the adoption team manager will decide whether to proceed with the application and the decision will be communicated to the enquirer in writing with reasons.

3. Sibling and Second Time Adopters

Second time adopters will not be considered until the first child is at least three years of age and at least twelve months have passed since the first adoption order was granted unless the child is a sibling of an existing adopted child.

In second time adoptions and placement with sibling situations, if less than three years has elapsed since the first child was placed for adoption, the original assessment will be required. This should be updated by an addendum report with updated checks and references.

If more than three years have elapsed since the first child was placed for adoption, it is necessary to proceed as a first application, except that it is not essential for the applicants to attend an adoption information evening.

It is necessary to update all three personal references. These can be interviewed by means of a home visit or by telephone interview. However, one referee, at least, should be interviewed by a personal visit; ideally, this person should be the referee who has the most knowledge of how the first child has adapted to the adoptive home.

Updated health assessments and CRB checks should be undertaken after a period of two years.

The type of adoption preparation can be flexible, depending on the needs of the adopters. A one day second time adopters course is available through the consortium.

4. Preparation Groups

All prospective adopters will be required to complete a course of Preparation Groups. Second time adopters who were approved more than three years ago will be required to re-attend preparation group training.

The Groups are an integral part of the application process, and all applicants are expected to attend all sessions. 

The objectives of the Groups are:

• To raise awareness and understanding of the key issues which need to be addressed by all prospective adopters;
• To assist applicants to consider more thoroughly the implications of adoption and to decide whether or not adoption is right for them;
• To assist applicants to determine the type of family environment and support they can offer to the children needing adoptive placements.

Where issues emerge during the Preparation Groups as a result of which the Adoption Team Manager decides that it is not appropriate to proceed with the application, the applicants should be visited by a member of the Adoption Service and notified in writing of the decision, with reasons.  Advice should be given of any steps they may take in order to meet the criteria or of how they might pursue their interest elsewhere, if appropriate. 

Where they disagree with the decision and/or are not willing to withdraw, a brief Prospective Adopter's Report on the application should be presented to the Adoption Panel and the procedure to be followed should be the same as if the report was a full report on the Prospective Adopters (see Section 8, The Panel Recommendation to Section 10, Representations/ Independent Review Procedure below).

5. Checks and References

5.1 Checks

The agency can not initiate police checks until it has provided the prospective adopters with the agency’s application form and accepted the completed form back. Once the application form has been submitted any determination by the agency not to approve the prospective adopters may be challenged by them by either making representations to the agency or applying for an independent review (see Section 9, After the Panel Recommendation).

On receipt of signed consent, the following checks will be taken up on all members of the household aged 16 and over: Criminal Records Bureau (enhanced criminal record checks will be sought), Child Protection, Health Trust, and Children and Young People's Social Care Services.  Where the applicants live in another local authority area, the checks must be made with the local authority and health trust where the applicants live. Local authority checks undertaken need to cover the last ten years and may involve more than one authority.  Where the applicant(s) has been in the armed forces, checks will be requested from the relevant service.

Where applicants have moved to the UK checks will need to be made through police authorities for the relevant countries and/or the relevant Consulate on all members of the household aged 16 and over. Prospective adopters will be required to request such checks, pay for these as required and allow use of them for the purpose of adoption panel and any decision making with regard to their interest in adoption. A certificate of good conduct may be an alternative to obtaining a certified CRB check.

Where information is not easily forthcoming a decision whether to carry out further checks or take up additional references must be discussed with the manager. Consideration and a decision must be made to justify proceeding with the prospective adopter’s application.

Where there are concerns about an applicant's circumstances as a result of the information obtained from the above checks, for example as a result of a conviction which means the applicant or a member of the household is a Disqualified Person (Adopter) (see also Section 12.9), the applicant will be advised not to proceed with the application. In all cases where offences are indicated on the Criminal Records Bureau check, a CRB risk assessment must be undertaken and  the Service Manager's agreement is required before an application can proceed. See CRB Risk Assessment Proforma.

In some cases the Service Manager will need to consult the Head of Service. The agency should note on the case record that it has destroyed the CRB information and that this information has led the agency to form a particular view, without citing the information itself.

A further visit may be arranged to the applicants to explain the decision not to proceed. The applicants must always be notified in writing of the decision, with reasons.

If the information leading to this decision relates to a previous conviction of a member of the applicant's household, the details of the offence can only be disclosed to the applicant with the consent of the relevant person; without such consent, the applicant can only be informed that the reason relates to information obtained from the checks but no details can be given.

Where the applicants are not willing to withdraw, a brief Prospective Adopter's Report on the application should be presented to the Adoption Panel and the procedure to be followed should be the same as if the report was a full report on the Prospective Adopters (see Section 8, The Panel Recommendation to Section 10, Representations / Independent Review Procedure below).

5.2 References

Where an application is accepted, applicants will be asked to provide the names of two personal referees, who are adults, have known the applicant for at least two years, but preferably significantly longer and are not related to the applicant. Referees should be people who know the applicants well in a personal capacity, and it is desirable that the referees have direct experience of caring for children, either in a personal or professional capacity as well as an understanding of the issues in relation to being an adoptive parent.

Where there is a joint application, referees should know both applicants, or additional referees will be required.

A third reference from a member of the applicant's wider family will also be taken up.

A written reference must also be obtained from each applicant's last/current employer. Further references from previous employers may need to be considered where an applicant has worked with children or vulnerable adults.

Where the applicant has made a previous application to foster or adopt, the relevant agency must be asked to confirm in writing the outcome of the application and provide a written reference.

Where the applicant has previously adopted, references will be requested from all relevant adoption services.

The allocated adoption social worker will arrange for requests for written references to be sent.

The referees should be asked to comment on the following:

1. The length of time the referee has known the applicant, in what circumstances, how they met and how regularly they are in contact;
2. Where there is a joint application, the couple's relationship including its stability and quality, the couple's strengths and ways of coping with stress and how mutually supportive the couple is;
3. The applicants' general physical and emotional well being and whether adoption is appropriate for them;
4. How the applicants relate to children, with examples, and what experience the applicants have of caring for children;
5. How the applicants have adjusted to childlessness if this is the case, how they have prepared to become adoptive parents, how much they have shared with the referees and how open they are in talking about the issues surrounding adoption;
6. If the applicants have children of their own, how the referee thinks a child from a different ethnic background will impact on the other children in the family;
7. Where the applicant(s) have pets, how they are managed and if they present any risk to children;
8. Any reservations the referee has about the safety and welfare of any prospective adoptive children and whether the referee wholeheartedly supports the application;
9. What support the referee is able to offer the prospective adopters.

As well as providing a written reference, referees will also be interviewed during the home study part of the assessment process.

At the start of the interview, the referee should be informed that the written report of the interview will not be shared with the applicants but that any issues arising during the interview may be discussed with them.

The assessing social worker will also contact the previous partners of the applicants in certain circumstances. Where there were any children of the relationship or where children were cared for jointly, the social worker will arrange to interview them face-to-face wherever practicable. If they were married, or  in a relationship for more than five years and lived together within the last 10 years, they should also be contacted whether they had children or not.  If there is no address for contact this should be recorded on file and relevant information included in the assessment report. The prospective adopter should contact the ex partner to let them know about potential contact from the department. See Ex Partner Questionnaire.

All children of the applicant(s) living away from home will also be contacted.

In addition, as part of the assessment, where the applicant has school age children, the relevant school(s) will be contacted, with the permission of the applicant, for information regarding the applicant's ability to promote the child's education.

These are minimum requests and assessing workers may make any other enquiries they feel appropriate and where this is agreed with their team manager and/or the applicants.

5.3 Health

The applicants will also be asked to arrange for an adoption medical examination and report from their G.P. (if this has not been done at an earlier stage). The adoption section administration will arrange the payment of a standard medical; however, where the GP insists on an increased fee, the applicants will be expected to pay the additional cost themselves.

Adoption administration will provide the applicants with the relevant BAAF medical forms for completion by the GP.

The completed Medical Form should then be sent to the Medical Adviser, for their comments which will be included in the assessment.

The GP's report must have been written within the 24 months prior to the Adoption Panel meeting which considers the application. 

Where the applicant's GP has expressed concerns or where clarification of any health issues is required, detailed advice must be sought from the Medical Adviser and the implications fully discussed with the applicant.  It may be necessary for additional reports from other health professionals to be requested to inform the Medical Adviser and the Adoption Panel.  Details of these health enquiries will be included in the prospective adopters report and recorded clearly on file.

Where there are concerns about an applicant's circumstances, for example where there are concerns about their health or about the information obtained from referees, the applicant may be advised not to proceed with the application.  Any such advice must be confirmed to them in writing and the reasons explained.

Where the applicant disagrees with the decision and/or is not willing to withdraw, a brief Prospective Adopter's Report on the application should be presented to the Adoption Panel and the procedure to be followed should be the same as if the report was a full report on the Prospective Adopter (see Section 8, The Panel Recommendation to Section 10, Representations / Independent Review Procedure below).

6. Home Study / Assessment

The assessment must be carried out by a qualified social worker with suitable experience (see Adoption Panel Procedure, Liaison Officer). Assessments usually commence on receipt of police checks by the agency. Where there are delays in obtaining checks this should not delay the assessment, which should proceed in parallel with other checks and references.

The assessment for adoption will comprise of a series of interviews and the adoption officer will use various methods and assessment tools in order to achieve this. The majority of these will take place in the applicants' home. Applicants should be interviewed individually and with their partner, and all other members of the household will also be interviewed, including the children.

The areas covered in interviews will include the following subject areas:

• Individual profiles of all members of the household, including racial origin and religious persuasion;
• Information about the home, the local community and the neighbourhood;
• Details of education and employment - past and present;
• Income and expenditure;
• Details of past and present relationships;
• Motivation to adopt/childlessness;
• Parenting capacity, experience of being parented and experience with children;
• Support network, including wider family network;
• Expectations of the placement, including understanding of issues from the preparation course;
• Attitudes to birth families and approach to openness in adoption;
• Thorough exploration of any other issues identified that may have implications regarding the applicants suitability to adopt.

As part of the assessment:

• A family tree, eco-map and chronology of key events in the applicant's life must be compiled, showing his or her educational, employment, marital and/or relationship history and addresses for the previous 10 years; any gaps and/or unusual patterns should be explored.
• All information provided by the applicant must be independently verified where possible, by checking it against other sources such as referees. See DfES Preparing and Assessing Prospective Adopters, Chapter 2.
• Where an applicant has been divorced or separated, factors contributing to the breakdown of the relationship must be verified. This applies equally to all previous significant relationships between adults who were not married.

The time taken to complete the assessment after a formal application has been accepted and allocated will generally be no more than eight months from commencement unless the need for additional work with the prospective adopters is identified. Where this is the case, reasons for this should be recorded on the case record.

If the assessment is of foster carers wishing to adopt a child in their care, the assessment should be completed by an adoption officer and the draft Prospective Adopter's Report submitted to the manager within four months of the application prior to being submitted to Panel.

The assessment will consider the likely need for adoption support services of the prospective adopters and any member of their family - see Adoption Support Services.  As part of this, the family's finances and the criteria for financial support should also be discussed. 

Where the prospective adopters live in another local authority area, the social worker should ascertain the availability of the appropriate support service.

The assessment will also cover the applicants' willingness to notify the adoption agency if the adopted child dies during childhood or soon afterwards, their views on post-placement and post-adoption contact and their willingness to pass on information to birth parents about the progress of the adopted child. The assessor should discuss the implications of name changes for children who are placed for adoption and the prospective adopters views on this. These issues should be specifically reported on to the Adoption Panel.

If, during the course of the assessment, any issues emerge which cast doubt upon the likelihood of the applicants being approved, such issues should be discussed openly with the adoption team manager and the applicant at the time, and the advice of the Adoption Panel may also be sought.

7. Prospective Adopter's Report

The information gathered during the assessment, the Preparation Groups and the checks and personal references, will form the basis of the Prospective Adopter's Report. The report will also include a summary by the Medical Adviser of the health report(s) obtained on the applicant/s.

Reports should address anti-discriminatory and valuing diversity issues. It should contain a summary of the assessed strengths and weaknesses of the applicants, together with an opinion of the type of placement likely to be provided successfully. Potential risk factors should be highlighted.

Once the assessing adoption officer has completed the report, it should be submitted to the team manager for agreement and signing. If there are any issues of concern raised in the assessment or there are issues which require clarification, the manager should obtain a second opinion on those issues from another experienced practitioner, before agreeing and approving the report content.

When the Prospective Adopter's Report is finalised, a copy should be sent to the applicants. The applicants should be asked to sign and return the report, if agreed, and/or send their comments in writing to the assessing adoption officer. It should be explained to them that they have up to 10 working days to do this and that any written comments they make will be circulated to Adoption Panel members, with the report.  

The applicants should also be invited to attend the meeting of the Adoption Panel, which considers their application. They should be provided with written information about the Panel process, its membership, who will attend and their respective roles. If the applicants know a particular Panel member, the applicants may request that the Panel member stand down.  (Panel members are in any event expected to declare an interest in these circumstances - see Adoption Panel Procedure).

Applicants should not be shown any comments made by referees or any other third party information.

The social worker will then forward the Prospective Adopter's Report, the applicants' written comments (if any), a full health report, the report on the interviews with the referees, the report from the local authority for the area where the applicant lives (if they live in a different local authority area) and any other relevant documents, to the Panel Administrator at least 15 working days before the relevant Adoption Panel meeting.

The date of the Adoption Panel meeting will be communicated to the applicants as soon as possible, together with an invitation to attend the Panel during consideration of the report.

8. The Panel Recommendation

The Prospective Adopter's Report should be presented to the Adoption Panel within 6 weeks of its completion.

The assessing social worker will attend the Panel meeting (and his or her manager where appropriate), together with the applicants if they so wish.  The decision to attend rests with the applicants and a wish not to attend will not prejudice consideration of their application. 

Applicants who decide they wish to attend should be fully prepared as to the procedure prior to their attendance (see Section 7, Prospective Adopter's Report). 

The Panel will consider the Prospective Adopter's Report together with all the supporting documentation (see Section 7, Prospective Adopter's Report) and any additional information presented verbally, and make a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker (Adoption) regarding the suitability of the applicant to adopt a child. 

The recommendation will be recorded in writing and, where approval is recommended, the record will include any advice given about the number of children the prospective adopter may be suitable to adopt, their age range, sex, likely needs and background.

Reasons for the recommendations and any advice as set out above will also be recorded in the Panel's minutes.

The adoption worker undertaking the assessment will advise the applicant of the Panel recommendation within two days of the Panel Meeting. This will be verbally, by telephone or, where appropriate, a home visit.  If applicants attend, they will be advised by the Panel Chair at Panel.

9. After the Panel Recommendation

The Agency Decision Maker will make a decision as to the suitability of the applicant, and express a view on any Panel advice given, based on the reports presented to the Adoption Panel and the minutes detailing the Panel's recommendation and advice.

Where the Agency Decision Maker is minded to disagree with the Panel recommendation, he/she must first discuss the case with another senior officer with relevant experience, who must not be a Panel member, before arriving at a final decision.  This discussion must be recorded and placed on the child's and the prospective adopter's Adoption Case Record.

The decision must be made within seven working days of the final minutes from the Adoption Panel meeting and must be recorded, together with reasons.

The panel administrator will inform the adoption officer of the decision, so that it can be given to the applicants orally within two working days and written notice of the decision, signed by the agency decision maker, within five working days of the decision.

Where the decision differs from the recommendation of the Adoption Panel, a copy of the Panel recommendation will be sent to the applicant/s with the written notification of the decision.

10. Representations / Independent Review Procedure

If a decision is made to refuse an application, the applicant will be advised that if he or she wishes to challenge the decision, representations should be submitted within 40 working days. The decision maker may consider the representations and may invite the prospective adopters to meet to discuss their case. The decision maker may, instead refer the case to the adoption panel for further consideration.  Where the case is referred to the panel, the panel must consider the case again and make a fresh recommendation. The prospective adopters must be invited to attend the panel meeting.

The Panel Administrator must receive notification of the wish to attend or make written representations to the Adoption Panel within 40 working days of the date of the written notice of the decision. 

If no written notification or representations are received within this period, the decision to refuse the application can be confirmed.

In these circumstances, applicants who wish to attend the meeting of the Adoption Panel can arrange for a friend or supporter to accompany them.

After considering the representations, the Panel will make further recommendations either confirming or amending their previous views, which the Agency Decision Maker will consider before a final decision is made.

Written notice of the final decision, together with reasons, must be sent to the applicant within seven working days of the Panel meeting. 

Where the decision is still to refuse the application, a copy of the report to the Panel, the Panel's recommendation and the decision, with reasons, must be retained on the applicant's Adoption Case Record.

If the applicant decides to refer the matter to an Independent Review, the relevant Panel reports, any new information obtained since the Panel meeting, a record of the decision made and reasons, a copy of the written notification of the decision and a copy of the Panel minute, if different, will be sent to the Independent Review within 10 working days of their written request. 

The procedure for the Independent Review is carried out by BAAF; the applicant and a representative of the adoption agency will be invited to attend the Independent Review.

After considering the representations, the Independent Review may make a recommendation, which the Agency Decision Maker (Adoption) will consider before a final decision is made.

Written notice of the final decision, together with reasons, must be sent to the applicant within seven working days of the receipt of the Independent Review recommendation.

A copy of the report to the Panel, the Panel's recommendation and the decision to refuse an application must be retained on the applicant's Adoption Case Record.

11. Review of Prospective Adopters' Approval

All successful applicants will be allocated an adoption link worker whose task is to support the adopters through the period of waiting for a placement, identify any further training needs, arrange updated medical examinations as requested by the Medical Adviser, consider any potential matches and discuss any such matches with the approved adopters before a match is presented to the Adoption Panel. The adoption link worker will visit at least once every six months.

Approved adopters will be asked to be available for children from Leeds in need of an adoption, after which they will be informed of and referred to the Regional Consortium and/or to the National Adoption Register with their consent.

They will also be informed of local support groups and be advised of their responsibility to maintain links with the adoption link worker and keep him or her informed of any significant changes in their situation.

All approved adopters will be subject to Criminal Records Bureau checks every two years.

The Adoption Team Manager will review the adopters' approval at least annually by means of a report from the adoption link worker, together with any comments on the report from the prospective adopters. 

The review should consider the prospective adopter’s family circumstances: health, economic circumstances, work commitments, and whether police and medical checks are still up to date. Where the police checks are more than two years old, these should be renewed. The prospective adopter should be asked whether their health remains unchanged since the previous medical checks arranged by the agency. Advice on whether these should be renewed should be sought from the agency’s medical adviser.

Where the agency completes its review and considers that the prospective adopter remains suitable to adopt, it need only inform the prospective adopter and record its view on the prospective adopter’s case record.

Where the information gathered in the review suggest to the agency that the prospective adopter may no longer be suitable to adopt, AAR 29.4 sets out the steps that the agency must take. As with the original approval process, the report that the agency presents to panel in these circumstances must be shared with the prospective adopter so that they may make comments. The rest of the process, including the rights of the prospective adopter in the event of an unfavourable outcome, is the same as for the original approval process.

In some cases the prospective adopter may accept, with the help of counselling, that as their circumstances have changed significantly they are no longer suitable to adopt, or that they no longer wish to go ahead. The agency should note this on the prospective adopter’s case record and ensure that the panel is informed that the prospective adopter no longer wishes to adopt. If this occurs prior to the prospective adopter’s review report being prepared or submitted to panel, there is no need for the agency to carry out the subsequent actions set out in ARR 29.

12. Criteria for Prospective Adopters

12.1 Individual and Joint

Applications will be considered from married couples, civil partners, unmarried couples or single people. In the case of joint applications, there is no minimum requirement on the length of the marriage/civil partnership/relationship, but the Panel will need to be satisfied about the stability of the relationship. It is expected that the relationship should be of at least two years duration.

12.2 Religion

Applications will be considered from people of any or no religious persuasion.

12.3 Ethnicity

Applications will be considered from people of any race or culture.

12.4 Age

The minimum age for adopters is 21 years. There is no specific upper age limit.

12.5 Gender

Applications will be considered from people of either sex.

12.6 Sexual Orientation

Applications will be considered from people of any sexual orientation.

12.7 Income

Applicants may be in work or not.  Whatever the applicants' income, they will need to consider the financial implications of increasing their family.

12.8 Health

Applicants will be required to have a full medical and undergo any further tests/checks that may be required by the Adoption Panel's Medical Adviser. The Medical Adviser will advise on the applicants' ability, from a health point of view, to meet the needs of a child throughout his or her childhood. BAAF guidelines on BMI will be followed: therefore applicants over 40 BMI will not be considered.

In line with BAAF guidelines a child under five years or a child vulnerable to chest complaints will not be placed in a household where one or both parents are smokers.

Applicants misusing substances and/or using illegal drugs, will be considered unsuitable to adopt.

12.9 Criminal Convictions

A person who is seeking approval as  an adoptive parent will not be considered if s/he or any adult member of the household has been cautioned for or convicted of an offence against a child which involves violence or bodily injury (other than common assault or battery), cruelty (to a child under 16), indecency, abduction, the supply of Class A drugs or the importation/possession of indecent photographs of a child under 16 or a sexual offence against a child unless the offence was contrary to sections 6,12 or 13 of the Sexual offences Act 1956 and the person concerned was under 20 when the offence was committed.  

Other convictions will not necessarily preclude an application, but this will depend on the seriousness of the offence and how long ago it was committed. In cases where a criminal conviction exists, the matter will be referred to the Adoption Service Manager who may also consult the Head of Service before a decision is made to proceed.

12.10 Accommodation

Applicants may own their own home or live in rented accommodation. They will have to demonstrate that they have a secure home environment in which to bring up a child.

They will need accommodation appropriate to the number and ages of the children they are seeking to adopt.

12.11 Fertility Tests/Treatment

Childless couples wishing to adopt will usually be required to have completed any fertility tests and treatment, and to have had a period of 12 months since completing the tests before an application can be accepted. This is because it is important for couples to have had sufficient time to accept their infertility and grieve this loss before starting the adoption process.

12.12 Applicants who have a Child or Children

Any child placed for adoption must be at least two years younger than children in the family. We would be very reluctant to accept an application to adopt an older child where there is a younger child in the family. Second time adopters will not be considered until the first child is at least three years of age and at least 12 months have passed since the first adoption order was granted.

12.13  Domicile/Habitual Residence in the British Isles

Applicants do not have to have British Citizenship, but should have their Domicile or Habitual Residence in the British Isles.  Where there is a joint application, only one of the applicants need to be domiciled in the British Isles or both should be habitually resident here.  In all these cases it is essential to see all relevant documents in order to fully establish nationality and immigration status.

Where there is doubt, potential applicants should be asked to seek independent advice.

12.14 Location

Applications are welcome from those who reside within the city or elsewhere, usually up to 25 miles Distance from Leeds city centre.

Applicants must be prepared to travel for group meetings, preparation training, introductions etc and be available for assessment and home visits during the day. In some circumstances, out of working hours visits can be arranged but these would be the exception rather than the rule.

12.15 Child Care Experience

It is important that the applicant who is going to be the main carer has some experience of children of the age group in which the applicants are interested. Both applicants (where appropriate) should have an understanding and experience of child development and an appreciation that many children who are looked after are functioning at a much younger developmental and emotional age than their chronological age.

12.16 Support Network

Applicants will need to demonstrate that they have accessible and established support networks of family and friends who will be in a position to provide support with parenting As well as emotional and practical support post adoption.

12.17 Post Placement/Post Adoption Contact

Prospective adopters will be expected to comply with arrangements for post placement/post adoption contact with the child's birth family where the agency considers it in the child's best interests for such contact to take place.

End