4.1.16 Family Finding Role and Procedure |
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
This chapter outlines the role of the family finder and the family finding process.
This is a new chapter for December 2011.
Contents
1. The Role of the Family Finder
The role of the family finder is to work closely with the social worker to assist in identifying suitable adopters for a child.
Family finders currently have an informal role advising social workers on CPR and child profile content. Social workers are currently offered and encouraged to attend a one day course (called placement planning in adoption) to assist them in this work.
A good starting point is for the family finder to meet with both the social worker and their team manager to gather information and agree family finding criteria as outlined in the profile of needs and Family Finding Plan - to follow.
The next step is for the family finder to meet the child and their current carer(s) to clarify the child’s needs and placement requirements. The family finder can advise on any preparation work to be undertaken with the child.
The family finder should arrange to be copied into any emails from the Consortium and National Adoption Register so that potential adopters can be identified for the child. The family finder will be the pro-active person in identifying possible links for the social worker to consider. The family finder will highlight strengths and weaknesses in any potential match.
In discussion with the family finder, the social worker will then decide which match will be pursued for the child. The family finder will then forward the child’s profile to the adopter’s agency, and if the adopters are interested, arrange exchange of the PAR and CPR.
Once a possible match is identified, the social worker and the family finder will visit the prospective adopters together and liaise with their worker. If the decision is to pursue the match, the approval panel minutes must be requested and seen before progressing further.
It is important at this stage that a matching meeting is held to identify clearly the strengths and weaknesses in the match (which should then be confirmed clearly in the APR and matching report) and to formally agree to progress. Where there is disagreement, the social work and adoption team managers should both attend this meeting.
The family finder will assist the social worker in preparing and progressing any financial support request, booking finance panel and booking on to adoption panel and completing the APR.
A clear link must be demonstrated in the APR (matching report), between the match weaknesses, and the adoption support plan.
It is important to make sure that that the applicants CRB’s and medicals are in date (within two years) and that the child’s medical needs have been completed within the last six months. The social worker should request updates in good time, via SSD Adoption Panel Admin. Where CPR’s need updating, the family finder should make sure that any amendments that were raised at acceptance panel have been completed.
The family finder and the social worker will agree what direct work is needed for the child and who will do this with timescales.
Where possible the family finder should attend adoption panel for the match.
Panel administration will require the following:
- APR/Matching report (fully signed);
- Signed copy of PAR;
- Copies of full in date medicals;
- Signed copy of prospective adopters approval minutes;
- Updated and fully signed CPR.
2. Post Agency Decision
Following the agency decision a date will be set for the placement planning meeting to take place.
The family finder will advise on placement planning arrangements and plans for introductions (see Flying Start Guidance - to follow). They will prepare the draft plan of introduction, making sure these have been circulated to everyone in advance, especially the foster carer, so that their views can be considered.
In consultation with the social worker and the adoption worker, the family finder will prepare the draft Placement Plan, in advance of the placement planning meeting.
With in-house placements the adopter’s worker will usually chair the planning and midway review meeting. They will ensure that the placement planning form is completed and that all necessary notifications are present.
With inter-agency placements the adoption team manager or family finder will undertake this role, with the adoption team manager signing the H1 (financial arrangements form) if required.
The family finder will attend the placement planning meeting, give adopters copies of mileage and expense forms and guidance notes, provide the matching certificate and book and provide details of any accommodation.
The family finder’s role usually ends once the placement has been made.
3. The Role of Admin Support
In inter-agency placements, the placement plan and the H1 form are completed by the adoption team and passed to adoption admin at Roundhay Road to process the notifications to health, the local authority and education. A copy of the Placement Plan, the H1 form and the notification letters must be sent to adoption admin at Merrion. Admin at Merrion will:
- Inform finance so that invoices can be monitored and projections can be made for the year;
- Ensure that the H1, placement plan and notifications are placed on the child’s dummy file for any future reference.
If Leeds adopters are being matched with a child outside the authority and the consortium then the H1 form will need to be sent to Merrion admin so that an invoice to the appropriate authority can be raised.
4. Family Finding Process
There are a variety of usual routes that can be explored for the more straightforward child. These include:
- Use of our own resources;
- The consortium if there is nothing in house;
- The register if there is nothing regionally;
- There is the flexibility to go straight to the register if it is known that there is nothing in - house or regionally.
Most of the decisions about family finding and differing resources, especially where they incur large additional costs, are generally agreed via a monthly children and families meeting. Refer to the SDM for adoption if there is a need to expend further resources.
Other resources available include:
- Photos and profile for the child;
- NAR;
- Exchange days in Manchester, London and Birmingham;
- Other publicity material.
For children with disabilities we can also use DVD which brings a child to life .This can be used on the BAAF website or to show to potential adopters and for any exchange days etc.
The Be My Parent magazine or other adoption UK magazines can be used to feature children. However, this resource can take a lot of time, from the submission of the request to actual publication due to the delays in publication.
The social worker and the family finder need to be freed up to go and visit potential prospective adopters and we would need to undertake (or commission) the assessment of the potential adopters if they were not already approved. Consideration would also need to be given regarding the support needed for the placement.
The child specific model is used for children who have been waiting for a long time. This is a big investment and the pros and cons of this approach need to be fully thought through. Only five children can be supported using this model at any one time.
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