Adoption Support

• For adoptions arranged by the agency, the child’s social worker must assess the need for adoption support at the following key stages of care and permanence planning:
• Preparation of the Child’s Permanence Report, prior to presentation to the Agency Decision Maker regarding whether the child should be placed for adoption;
• Preparation of the Prospective Adopter’s Report, prior to presentation to the Adoption Panel to determine the suitability of prospective adopters;
• Preparation of the Adoption Placement Report, prior to presentation to the Adoption Panel in relation to the proposed match of a child with identified prospective adopters.

For placements arranged by the agency, adoption support must always be considered as part of the child’s Adoption Reviews following placement with their prospective adoptive family. 

See Adoption Reviews Procedure.

Local authorities must also undertake an assessment of the need for adoption support when requested by any of the following:

• Children who may be adopted, and their parents or guardians;
• Individuals who wish to adopt a child;
• Adopted adults, their parents, birth parents and former guardians;
• Other children within the adoptive family (whether adopted or not);
• Birth siblings of adopted children;
• Relatives of the adopted child, or other individuals with whom the child has a beneficial relationship.

Local authorities are required to assess the need for adoption support only where the person making the request is entitled to receive it.

Children adopted from abroad are also entitled to be assessed for therapeutic services and disruption support. The only exception to the duty to assess arises in cases of step‑parent adoption (i.e., where the adopter is the birth parent’s partner). In such cases, the local authority is not required to conduct a full assessment but may offer counselling, advice and information as appropriate.

1. Clear goals and the main services that will be provided;
2. Timescales when each part of the plan should be completed;
3. Who is responsible what will be done, when, and by whom;
4. How success will be measured as the point of review;
5. When the plan will be reviewed.

The plan should be written after consulting health services, CYPMHS, and education services if the child needs special arrangements. Whilst the adoption support plan can reference other services input it cannot be held responsible for whether they are or are no put in place. However, Adoption Support Social Worker can act in an advocacy role or sign-post families to advocacy agencies such as SENDIASS.

If the child is placed in another local authority area, agencies in that area must also be consulted, and parents should be supported with any cross-boundary issues.

If relevant, the plan must also include details of any financial support, how it was calculated, how and when it will be paid, any conditions, and how it will be reviewed or changed.

Once the Social Worker, parents and child/young person have agreed a plan in principal the plan it must be agreed and signed off by the Adoption Support Team Manager or other delegated person.

• It is shared with the recipients and anyone children, young people or parents wish it to be shared with;
• They have 10 working days to comment or raise concerns;
• The Designated Manager considers their feedback, makes changes if needed, and informs them of the outcome.

The final plan must be sent to:

• Everyone involved in delivering the support including Independent reviewing officer for pre-adoption order;
• The parents and/ or children and young people dependant on age.

Before the Adoption Order

• The Adoption Support Plan is reviewed at adoptive placement reviews or when there is a significant change in circumstances (within 4 weeks).

After the Adoption Order

• The plan is reviewed if circumstances change, or at the midpoint of a therapy package. As a minimum, all plans will be reviewed every 12 months;
• The Adoption Support Manager agrees the level and frequency of review with the allocated Social Worker;
• Major changes to the plan may require a new assessment of adoption support needs, which may involve other agencies.

If Support Is to Be Substantially Changed or Ended

1. The Social Worker will discuss proposed changes with the Adoption Support Team Manager. The decision-making process must be recorded on the child’s LCS file;
2. Where support is changing, the child or young person (where age appropriate) and their parents will receive a draft revised plan and have 10 working days to provide comments;
3. Where support is ending, the Social Worker will write to the child, young person, and parents to inform them of the closure and outline other services available without the need for an adoption support assessment (e.g. the core offer and other universal services). The family will have 10 working days to comment.

An urgent support need is when a child, parent, or family requires immediate assistance because waiting for the usual assessment and planning process could place the child’s safety, wellbeing, or the stability of the placement at risk. This may include:

• Sudden escalation in a child’s emotional or behavioural needs;
• A parent or carer experiencing crisis;
• Signs that a placement may break down without rapid intervention;
• Any circumstance where delaying support could lead to harm or significant distress.

In these situations, the Adoption Support Team can provide immediate, short-term support to stabilise the family. The full assessment, planning, and approval processes must still be completed as soon as possible. We will also refer to other Local Authority services for advice and additional support where the services are outside of the Adoption Support Team such as respite for disabled children or ARC families together programme and c-sash.

Statutory Assessments (Section 17 and Section 47)

It is important to be clear that the Adoption Support Team does not carry out any statutory assessments of a child’s welfare under:

• Section 17 (Child in Need); or
• Section 47 (Child Protection).

of the Children Act 1989.

Our role is limited to assessing adoption support needs only.

If, during urgent contact or assessment, we identify concerns that suggest a child may be at risk of harm or that they may require statutory intervention, we will immediately:

• Inform the Team Manager; and
• Make a referral to the relevant Hertfordshire Assessment Team, who will determine whether Section 17 or Section 47 enquiries are required.

An adoption support assessment can run alongside statutory processes, but it does not replace or duplicate them.

Financial support is intended to supplement existing means of support available to adoptive parents and the child or children being adopted. Adopters must be given advice of entitlements to employee's rights to leave and pay, benefits, tax credits and allowances, and these should be taken into account when considering amounts of financial support.

The circumstances in which provision of financial support may be paid in accordance with the Adoption Support Services Regulations 2005 are as follows:

8. 8. (1) Financial support is payable under this Part to an adoptive parent for the purpose of supporting the placement of the adoptive child or the continuation of adoption arrangements after an adoption order is made;
9. (2) Such support is payable only in the following circumstances;
10. (a) here it is necessary to ensure that the adoptive parent can look after the child;
11. (b)where the child needs special care which requires greater expenditure of resources by reason of illness, disability, emotional or behavioural difficulties or the continuing consequences of past abuse or neglect;
12. (c)where it is necessary for the local authority to make any special arrangements to facilitate the placement or the adoption by reason of;
13. (i)the age or ethnic origin of the child; or
14. (ii)the desirability of the child being placed with the same adoptive parent as his brother or sister (whether of full or half-blood) or with a child with whom he previously shared a home;
15. (d)where such support is to meet recurring costs in respect of travel for the purpose of visits between the child and a related person;
16. (e)where the local authority consider it appropriate to make a contribution to meet the following kinds of expenditure;
17. (i)expenditure on legal costs, including fees payable to a court in relation to an adoption;
18. (ii)expenditure for the purpose of introducing an adoptive child to his adoptive parent;
19. (iii)expenditure necessary for the purpose of accommodating and maintaining the child, including the provision of furniture and domestic equipment, alterations to and adaptations of the home, provision of means of transport and provision of clothing, toys and other items necessary for the purpose of looking after the child

Payment to adoptive parents may be made in the following ways:

• Regular means tested payments - which will be based upon the developmental age of the child and calculated as agreed from time to time by the local authority;
• Lump sum payments (settling in costs, special needs and adaptations), which will cover items or adaptations that are required as a consequence of assessment of each child's individual needs. Payment may be in instalments and will end at a time specified by the local authority;
• Payments in special circumstances (for example, a child with additional needs or where foster carers adopt a child for whom they are already caring or where adopters incur legal expenses in contested cases). Payment may be in instalments and may end at a time specified by the local authority.

Financial support cannot generally include the "reward" element which may be payable to foster carers, and neither will payments be made so as to provide an income. However, payments may be paid above the usual level where it is regarded as necessary to ease the transition from foster care to adoption. Generally, such additional payments can be paid for a period of two years although in exceptional circumstances, additional payments may be paid for a longer period.

Where regular financial support is considered appropriate, the amount to be paid to adoptive parents may be determined by an assessment of their means. This will take account of the adopters' income and resources (excluding their home), reasonable outgoings and commitments, and the financial needs and resources of the child. (N.B. Support provided under Section 9.2 (v) to assist with legal costs or expenses associated with the child's introduction to the placement will not be subject to an assessment of means).

As part of this assessment, the adopters should be asked to complete a Financial Assessment Form, and the completed form should be forwarded to the Finance Department. The Adoption Service Manager will decide the level of support to be included in the draft Adoption Support Plan (see Section 8, The Adoption Support Plan), having regard to this assessment, and obtain budgetary approval as necessary depending on the amount.

The local authority may disregard means in relation to financial support for 'settling in', birth family time expenses with a birth relative, special arrangements for a child who may be difficult to place, to ex foster carers for up to 2 years.

The local authority must disregard means in relation to financial support for legal costs and introductions.

The Local Authority should consider a payment of financial support equivalent to the Parental Allowance to adoptive parents to adoptive parents who are ineligible to Statutory Adoption Pay.

The adopters will be sent written confirmation of the decision to provide financial support. This will include the amount and terms of the support and information about annual reviews. It should also include the following paragraph:

'This payment(s) is made in accordance with regulations made pursuant to section 4 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. Under the provisions of the Finance Act, the payment is to be exempt from tax. In addition, the payment will be disregarded if you currently receive, or apply to receive Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit. You should keep this letter safe in case you need to provide it to support any tax return or application for a tax credit.'

If it is decided that financial support should be given to adoptive parents, payment may be subject to conditions and a date specified by which the condition is to be met.

Prior to making financial support available to prospective or adoptive parents, they will be required to inform the adoption service:

1. Of changes to their home address;
2. If the child (for any reason) no longer lives with them;
3. If there are any changes to their financial situation/the resources of the child.

Where information is given orally, adoptive parents must confirm this in writing within 7 days.

Should adoptive parents fail to comply with the requirements, the authority may suspend payment of the financial support provided.

Adoptive parents must also agree to complete and supply the authority with an annual statement of their circumstances for the annual review. A request for the annual statement will be sent out at least 28 days before the anniversary of the original decision or previous review.

The adopters should specify the following in the statement:

1. Their financial circumstances;
2. The financial needs and resources of the child or children;
3. Their home address and whether or not the child or children live at home with them;
4. If there have been any changes to their own or the child/children's circumstances.

The Adoption Service will carry out an annual review of the financial support, taking into account the information given. Any proposed variation or termination of the financial support must be notified to the person(s) concerned and dealt with by the Adoption Service in accordance with the procedure set out in Section 8, The Adoption Support Plan. Any decision to vary or terminate should also consider whether it is appropriate to seek to recover all or any of the financial support already paid.

Should adoptive parents fail to supply an annual statement, the authority must send a written reminder and give 28 days to comply. If they fail to comply, the authority may suspend payment of the financial support provided.

Financial support will end in the following circumstances:

• When a child reaches age 18, unless he/she continues in full time education or training when support may continue until the end of the course of education e.g. studying for A-levels or in the case of a child with a disability who may continue until they are 25 years where there is an EHCP(Education Health Care Plan) in place;
• Between the ages of 16 and 18 years the child must be in full time education to qualify for an allowance, and it must be agreed by the Adoption Service Manager Adoption;
• Where a child ceases full-time education or training and commences employment;
• When a child reaches 18, when they are working, on an apprenticeship, claiming Universal Credit or similar benefits in their own right;
• Where circumstances have changed significantly and the criteria are no longer met;
• If a child leaves the adoptive home and this is regarded as a permanent departure;
• Temporary absences do not apply, e.g. boarding school, hospital, and respite care;
• The child dies.