Foster for Adoption

LegalNim

My husband and I are going to be adopting through FfA. Does anyone know roughly how much notice you get when a child will be placed with you and/or how old the child usually is?

GreenQueen

There are a lot of factors involved - your location, the type of child(ren) you are prepared to take, your personal circumstances, etc, so this would be a question for the social worker who is working with you.

Mercdriver

My wife and I have adopted a baby boy of 11 months.  It varies - Lockdown slowed things down, but the process is quite long in any case.  With us it took about 3 years overall with courses and preparation for approval panel and then when approved you start working towards matches based on your preferences and you will usually be asked about preferences regarding age early on in the process. 

How long it takes for a match depends on your preferences, there being a child in the system that meets your preferences and the family finder team assessing best possible matches.   You will then get visits at your home by social worker team for the proposed match before you get to matching panel.  Then you will have introductions once they have a match approved.  They will be a few hours a day first of all in the foster home and then in your home.  You may also have to have 2 weeks where it is just you your husband and little one with no other contact for roughly 2 weeks so that you can bond.  You will have frequent social worker visits after the first 4-6 weeks it will be less regular with monthly reviews until the 10 week point where you will be able to put the paperwork into the court with a payment of £170.  The adoption Order usually takes around 12 weeks.

Matches aren't always successful and adjustment can be a challenge.  We have fallen on our feet with ours who has adapted really well, but we are told this is not how it is often.  Patience, flexibility and a warm heart are all required in spades.  You will be thoroughly background checked, and you will do a lot of talking about yourself.  

You will be expected to do a LOT of homework and reading.  It will be like going back to school.  

One I would suggest is
How I Met My Son  - Rosalind Powell
Very realistic account and very moving.  

Good Luck to you both.

LegalNim

Hi, 
Thanks for your responses. 
I was asking specifically for Fostering for Adoption. The only answers I can get are "very short notice" and "almost immediately" - which could mean a few hours or a few weeks?!

ontheroad1970

You will need to go through two panels one approval following background checks and one for matching.  That is the procedure.  It doesn't vary according to agency.  It could be months even when approved via the approval panel

harrys_nan

My daughter fostered a baby at 3 days old, straight from the hospital, she had almost no notice as it was an urgent placement. She then went on to adopt her. 

ontheroad1970

harrys_nan said:

My daughter fostered a baby at 3 days old, straight from the hospital, she had almost no notice as it was an urgent placement. She then went on to adopt her. 

That is different to what the OP is doing.  They are going through an adoption agency.  Until you get the adoption order you are effectively foster parents, but not in the sense that normal foster parents are.  The order can only be submitted 10 weeks after initial placement.  This is after all the panels and the introductions and after several social worker visits and reviews.  

Be prepared for a lot of talking about your life and your decision to adopt.  It is a long process, but worth it in the end.  

gizmo111

ontheroad1970 said:

harrys_nan said:

My daughter fostered a baby at 3 days old, straight from the hospital, she had almost no notice as it was an urgent placement. She then went on to adopt her. 

That is different to what the OP is doing.  They are going through an adoption agency.  Until you get the adoption order you are effectively foster parents, but not in the sense that normal foster parents are.  The order can only be submitted 10 weeks after initial placement.  This is after all the panels and the introductions and after several social worker visits and reviews.  

Be prepared for a lot of talking about your life and your decision to adopt.  It is a long process, but worth it in the end.  

They don't mention use of an Adoption Agency - FFA would almost likely be the local authority, as they will be assessing the needs of the child through Public Law Proceedings and the parallel plan for the child if they cannot return to the care of parents would be adoption following being fostered - although there are some external agencies that have these carers.
To answer the OP's original question how old and how much notice would depend on the LA and when they remove the child.
There is some information here - https://familiesforchildren.org.uk/fostering-to-adopt/   but the social worker assessing you would be the first person to give you the best indication.

ontheroad1970

It would depend on the action plan the local authority have for children in their care.  Most fosters don't lead to adoption.  They always try to keep them or return them to birth parents where it is at all possible.  They also have other options like long term foster.  The approval process is also different for foster carers than for adopters.  Training is also different.  They have different end targets.  

If you google the term Foster for adoption there are no local authority links - only adoption agencies.  

OP - you will need to decide what age/sex child you would prefer and whether you would be prepared to take on a disabled child.  You will work with several social workers on both sides to identify your needs and the needs of the child.  They may actually find you are better suited for a different type of child than you think.  There is usually a family finder team for adoption, and they work to find potential adopters once the local authority have made a decision that adoption is the best option for the child.  This isn't always made early on.  

Sky_

I have knowledge of foster for adoption through a local authority.  All the cases I've known have been new born babies--either when the parent has voluntarily relinquished their rights and chosen to give the child up for adoption, or where the baby is from a family where several older siblings have already been removed and adopted, or where some other extreme familial circumstances exist.  Foster-to-adopt is seen as preferable when a baby is unlikely to be returned home, as it is less disruptive for the baby and probably reduces the risk of attachment issues.

In each case, the usual assessment period / visits with birth parents has continued as usual, until the court case is finished and a care order granted, or the child returned to the birth parents.  The court outcome is rarely certain until all assessments and visits are completed.  I understand that in rare cases, (birth) parental visits are not permitted, but again that would be very unusual.

To answer the OP, it can be very short notice, such as a few days and though I've only known of young babies being placed like this, I only have experience of foster-to-adopt in one local authority.  Other local authorities may place older children like this, but I've never heard of it.

squirrelchops2

ontheroad1970 said:

It would depend on the action plan the local authority have for children in their care.  Most fosters don't lead to adoption.  They always try to keep them or return them to birth parents where it is at all possible.  They also have other options like long term foster.  The approval process is also different for foster carers than for adopters.  Training is also different.  They have different end targets.  

If you google the term Foster for adoption there are no local authority links - only adoption agencies.  

OP - you will need to decide what age/sex child you would prefer and whether you would be prepared to take on a disabled child.  You will work with several social workers on both sides to identify your needs and the needs of the child.  They may actually find you are better suited for a different type of child than you think.  There is usually a family finder team for adoption, and they work to find potential adopters once the local authority have made a decision that adoption is the best option for the child.  This isn't always made early on.  

Foster to Adopt is actually a relatively recent thing - several years old with procedural frameworks that Local Authorities are doing to prevent children who are likely to be looking at adoption having to move from a foster carer to adoptive placement. Not all foster to adopt placements end in adoption but if it is a viable option the LA will seek to place children in a foster to adopt placement that could go on to be there forever home.