Adoption process

Our assessment process is thorough because we want you to be fully prepared for the challenges and rewards that adoption brings.

The assessment process takes part over two stages. You will be required to attend adopter training and preparation during the assessment process.

Stage 1 should last 2 months from the point of your registration of interest being accepted by the agency. Stage 2 should take no longer than 4 months from you notifying the agency that you wish to proceed to stage 2. Stage two ends with the Agency decision regarding your suitability following your attendance at panel.

You will be assigned a suitably qualified Barnardo’s social worker who will support both stage 1 and 2 of the assessment processes.

Stage 1

Stage one focuses on the completion of statutory checks and references, and you will be expected to complete a workbook in preparation for stage 2 of the process. Following the gathering of the checks and references the agency will need to make a decision that will state if you are suitable to move to stage 2 of the process. If you are not suitable the agency will give you the reasons why it has made this decision. If you are suitable the agency will invite you to move to stage 2 of the process.

During stage one assessment, we will also carry a number of checks including:

• police checks/enhanced DBS

• medical checks

• financial checks

• professional and personal references

Stage 2

In stage two you will complete assessment sessions with your assigned social worker. These visits will be a combination of virtual and face to face sessions. The sessions will always include:

• visits to your home

• discussion on the reasons why you would like to adopt

• finding out more about your family background, any childcare experience and your understanding of the experiences and needs of adopted children (don’t worry if you currently know very little as the adopter training and preparation will build your knowledge of this).

• spending some time with you and your family and will look at your support network

• discussing the type of child you could adopt.

All the information collected in stage one and two will become part of your assessment report, written by your social worker. This is a comprehensive report which will be given to the adoption panel towards the end of stage two and it will be used by them to make a recommendation about your suitability to become an adoptive parent.

During the assessment process, we run compulsory training for all our prospective adopters which you will need to attend. The training is designed to help you:

• understand the commitment needed to adopt

• learn about the needs of children who have experienced neglect and trauma in their life

• further develop the skills you'll need to become an adoptive parent.

You will get the chance to meet other prospective adoptive parents who are preparing to adopt. You will also get the opportunity to meet adopters who have been through the assessment process and have children with them.

The final stage of the assessment process is the panel meeting. The information gathered by your social worker will be presented in an assessment report to the adoption panel.

The panel is a group of skilled people who have professional or personal experiences of adoption. They are chosen because of their wealth of knowledge about adoption and the children who need adoption - they may have experience of working with children, or they may have been fostered or adopted themselves or be adoptive parents.

You will be invited to meet the panel and clarify any last questions you or they may have. The panel will make a recommendation about your suitability to adopt and submit this recommendation to the adoption decision maker who will consider it and ultimately decide whether or not to accept its recommendation.

As soon as you are approved, your social worker will begin the process of matching you with the right child/ren. Your social worker will continue to support you through every step of your adoption journey.