Gloucestershire’s
Adoption Team
Supporting you in
your journey.
Meet the Adoption Team
Tammy Wheatley
Rebecca Kay
Yasmine Mason
Kate Worthington
Team Manager
Deputy Team Manager
Deputy Team Manager
Deputy Team Manager
Julia Davis
Social Worker
Charlotte Overthrow
Social Worker
Karen D’Gama
Helen Howes
Social Worker
Social Worker
Liz Brown
Robyn Shields
Becca Nightingale
Karen Lindsay
Social Worker
Social Worker
Social Worker
Social Worker
Rohenna Begum
Jenny Rogers
Penny Metcalfe
Social Worker
Social Worker
Learning Mentor
Louise Babbage
Adoption Support Worker
Becky Myers
Marketing and Communications
Officer
Alison Smart
Adoption Support Worker
Sharon Jones
Team Clerk
Ruth Brown
Helen Harrison
Adoption Support Worker
Adoption Support Worker
Lisa Roberts
Team Clerk
Fatima Moosa
Team Clerk
Working in Partnership
It is important that during the course of this assessment there is a commitment to
an honest and open exchange between you and your assessing social worker. This is
an essential part of the working relationship. We ask you to share full information
with your assessing social worker and if you are unsure about the impact of
sharing information then please raise this with your worker.
We will discuss any issues or concerns that may emerge during the assessment so
there is an opportunity to resolve them wherever possible. If there is information
that is provided from references or statutory checks we will share as much
information as possible but sharing of any 3rd party information will have to take
account of data protection principles.
You will be given contact details for the adoption team manager so you can get in
touch with them at any time if you have concerns about the progress of your
assessment or want to request a review of the assessment agreement.
We ask you to agree to respect confidentiality and keep secure all information
provided to you in respect of any early discussions of children during this period.
Role of the Social Worker in Stage One
Role of the Applicant in Stage One
Suggested ways to prepare and develop during
Stage 1.

Reading
We advise you read as many books, magazine articles or internet articles
as you can during the whole process. However, we fully appreciate that
life is busy, so if during Stage One you could read four to five books/
articles on preparing for adoption, parenting traumatised children, attachment, the impact of drugs and alcohol, a book list is included in your
workbook.

Childcare Experience
Please see the childcare section later in this guide.

Start and complete your workbook.

Complete e-learning on First4Adoption website.

Speak to any friends or family who have experience of adoption.

Talk to each other, share your fears, hopes and learning.

Use websites such as Adoption UK to gather as much
information as you can.

Finally, talk to us if you need help.
Role of the social worker in Stage Two
Six individual visits to include exploration of the following areas;
· Family
· Support networks
· Background of applicants
· Relationships (current and previous)
· Accommodation (including area of home)
· Applicants ability to manage stress
· Applicants resilience
Direct observation of applicants with children that are unrelated and
unconnected to the applicants
Obtain testimonial from childcare provider
Three reference visits; to include one family member and two friends as a
minimum
Interviews with;
· applicants ex-partners
· all birth children
Mid point review; half way through the assessment a review meeting will be
set-up to consider progress and set a date to attend The Adoption Panel
Write-up reports and Prospective Adopters Report (PAR)
Check medical reports
Prepare paperwork for panel
Complete pro-forma for matching
Prepare adopters for panel
Advise and support adopters
Your Medical Report
As part of the adoption assessment process, potential adopters are required to
have a comprehensive health assessment. It is extremely important that you are
honest when completing your ‘declaration of health form’ for we check whether
there are any physical or mental health issues that might affect your ability to
provide a safe, stable and loving home for a child from now until they reach adulthood.
The medical adviser will review all the information in your medical report, and may
contact other medical professionals for further information or opinions, with your
consent. The Medical Advisor will make recommendations to the Adoption team
about any possible risk to your current or future health, and what the agency
could do to support you.
• Your lifestyle. This will include your diet, weight, how much you exercise, how
much alcohol you drink and whether you smoke. Current guidance says, for example, that no children aged under five, or children of any age with a respiratory
problem such as asthma, should be placed within a smoking household.
• Whether you have a disability. Being disabled is not necessarily a barrier to
adopting. Agencies can recognise that adults with disabilities can have a unique
insight into the challenges faced by children in care, who may feel they are
"different" or who may also have a disability..
• Any mental health issues. Mental health issues are given careful consideration
and, like physical health issues, do not necessarily make someone unsuitable to
adopt.
If you have any further questions or queries,
please speak to your Social Worker.
Friends and Family Support
This course is aimed at the close support network of adopters, to help them understand the following;

Attachment cycle

Loss for the adopted child

Parenting traumatised children

Importance of contact
It is hoped that increased understanding among the adopters support network, will
help them embrace the different parenting styles required for adopted children,
and support adopters with this.
This Friends and Family course runs six times a year, and usually takes place in on a
weekday (evening or day). We welcome your friends and relatives to attend the
course once you are in Stage 2 and onwards (including post approval and
placement)
If you have anyone that you feel would benefit from further understanding of the
issues listed, please contact
[email protected]
Group for adopters with Birth Children
The course is a full day and is an opportunity to think about the potential impact of
adoption on your birth child/ren. During the day we think about loss, behaviour,
adjustment and challenges in terms of your birth child/ren. We look at ways you
can help your child/ren manage waiting for their new sibling and ways you can
prepare them for the adjustments they will need to make when the new child joins
your family. We have a speaker who talks through their experiences of adopting
with a birth child and how they have managed challenges, they also share any tips
they have learnt along the way.
[email protected]
Our Expectations
We require all prospective adopters to undertake
childcare responsibilities, as part of their assessment.
The aim is to fully prepare you for parenting an adopted child. We hope that you will
gain not only valuable insights into what it is like to have responsibility for a child,
but also gain essential skills and confidence in your abilities, particularly in relation
to;

Interacting with children

Setting boundaries

Personal care

Recognising and understanding behaviours

Reacting to emotional outbursts.
We hope that you will find this an invaluable, fun and positive part of your
journey to becoming an adopter.
We have never had an adopter that has regretted undertaking their childcare
experience.
We suggest adopters take the time to undertake voluntary work in a childcare
setting

On a regular basis, as this will give you time to establish relationships

In a setting that is where the children have a wide range of needs/family
backgrounds-(contact or children centre, city or special needs nursery/ etc)

Both partners will need to undertake childcare experience.
Adopters with birth children
Although you may feel you have plenty of experience of parenting, you need to
demonstrate an understanding of childcare skills in relation to non-birth children
and understand how this is different from parenting your birth child/ren. It may also be a good opportunity to think about the age of child which would suit your
family, particularly in relation to your birth children.
Adopters without birth children
In addition to regular voluntary experience, we advise you to care for a child overnight in your home. We suggest that this is a child known to you, so this could be a
niece, nephew or god child. It is best to gradually build-up to an overnight stay, with
visits to the home or taking the child out so they are familiar with you and to
minimise any anxiety that may occur.
Ideas for settings
Remember you will need your
completed DBS check before you can
work with children, but this doesn’t
mean you cannot start to make
enquiries while your DBS is being
completed.
We recommend that you look for
experience that involves working
with your intended age range. It is
often beneficial to look for a setting that incorporates your interests i.e. arts and
crafts or a particular sport.
Nursery settings
Sunday Schools
Brownies
Rainbows
Beavers
Children’s centres
Messy church
Cubs
Woodcraft folk
Reading in school
Toddler groups
Playgroups
Sports groups
Charity organisations that hold children’s groups
Alternatively visit www.glosfamiliesdirectory.org.uk which provides a comprehensive
list of childcare providers and activities in your local area.
If you are struggling to find an appropriate setting, your social worker will be able
to provide recommendations. It may also be helpful to speak to your local friends
with children, who can offer recommendations.
Assessing your childcare experience
Your chosen childcare setting will be asked for a reference; in addition your social
worker will observe you interacting with children. Your experiences will be discussed
at length with your worker and form part of your assessment.
Please do not worry about any of this, we would much rather you contacted
your social worker, or a member of The Adoption Team on 01452 427753.
We are always here to offer advice and support.
The Adoption Panel
When will I/we attend the panel?
At your mid point review a date will be confirmed for your assessment report to be
presented to the Adoption Panel for them to consider your application.
Does the Adoption Panel decide who can become an adopter?
No, the panel is responsible for the following:
 To
recommend the approval of adopters
 To
give advice on the number and age-range of children to be placed with you
 To
recommend the matching of adopters to individual children, and give advice
where appropriate
The panel’s recommendation then goes to one of the Agency Decision Makers
(usually a Senior Manager with relevant experience) who will make the decision within seven days of receiving the final panel minutes.
Who is on the panel?
The independent Gloucestershire Adoption Panel, is comprised of County Councillors, medical and independent people, who have personal experience of adoption; a
birth parent, adopted adult or social worker. You are invited to attend the panel, as
it gives both the panel and you the chance to ask questions and clarify any information, you will be supported through the process by your social worker (or representative from the team).
You will also be invited to attend when a proposed match with a child/ren is being
considered.
You will be asked for your feedback about attending Panel, this helps Panel continue
to improve and develop and is highly valued by panel.
Who to contact for further information;
Your named social worker will be able to answer any
questions you may have.
Alternatively, during the week we have a duty worker
available on 01452 427753
During the time that we are working with you we will be striving to keep to the highest possible
standards. We want you to tell us about how you found our
service and we will use your feedback to help us improve.
Complete a questionnaire online at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/cypfeedback