8.12 Adoption Support

This chapter was added to the manual in October 2024.

What is Adoption Support?
Policy
Legal Framework
Services Available
Procedure
Assessment
Adoption support as part of the matching process
Contents of the Adoption Support Plan
Approval
Review
Agreement and Representation
Cross Jurisdiction Arrangements
Appendix A: Adoption Support Assessment form
Appendix B: Adoption Support Plan
Appendix C: Financial Assessment for Adoption/SGO/Kinship Allowances

1. What is Adoption Support?

Adoption Support includes any support likely to be required for adoptive placement. This includes, but is not limited to, therapeutic services, assistance in relation to contact arrangements and financial support.

2. Policy

The Family Placement Service [FPS] will make provision for the assessment of need of adoptive support, and provide directly, or commission appropriate support and facilities for the support to be provided.

3. Legal Framework

Isle of Man Children and Young Persons Act 2001;
Adoption Act 1984 and, Amendment Act 2013;
As at December 2020 a new Adoption Act is being drafted.

4. Services Available

Post adoption support includes, but is not exhaustive, of the following:

Letterbox/contact;
Life story and identity work;
Therapeutic services;
Tracing/Intermediary;
Access to records/Birth records counselling;
Birth parent support;
Advice, information and signposting for both adoptive parents and their children, who may have complex needs;
Assistance to adoptive parents and children, where there is disruption or is at risk of disruption;
Services and training to provide opportunities for adoptive families to meet and discuss matters relating to adoption. For example, social events and fun days;
Financial support.

5. Procedure

In relation to adoptions arranged by the agency Manx Care, the need for adoption support will be assessed at the following stages of care and permanence planning:

When preparing the Child's Permanence Report for presentation to the Adoption Panel as to whether the child should be placed for adoption;
When preparing the Prospective Adopter's Report for presentation to the Adoption Panel as to the suitability of prospective adoptive parents to adopt;
When considering and preparing the Adoption Matching Report for presentation to the Adoption Panel in relation to the proposed placement of a child with particular prospective adopters.

In addition an assessment will be undertaken if requested directly by a child, an adoptive parent, a birth family member or a relative of the child and adoptive carer.

6. Assessment

In all cases where an assessment is required, the allocated supervising social worker FPS will take lead responsibility for conducting and ensuring the assessment for adoption support is completed and actioned.

The allocation will be made by the Adoption Specialist Lead.

The child’s Social Worker will be a key contributor to the assessment particularly in establishing the child’s needs.

The adoption support assessment form (see Appendix A) should be completed to inform the Assessment Support Plan.(appendix B)

The assessment and plan should take account of the adoption context and, where the assessment relates to the child, all the developmental needs of the child should be covered including health, education and emotional needs, and contact issues.

The assessment should include interviews with relevant people and the child depending on their age and understanding. A limited assessment will be appropriate where a request relates to a particular support service.

All requests for assessment should have a written assessment response completed.

All assessments and support plans should be approved by the team manager or specialist Adoption Lead where they are not proceeding to Panel.

7. Adoption support as part of the matching process

A proposed assessment support plan should be considered at the matching meeting of child and proposed adopters.

Once agreed, the match and support plan should be authorised by the FPS manager and the care management manager, in order to proceed to Adoption Panel with the adoption placement report.

The Adoption Panel will consider the placement report plan and support proposed, and will recommend whether or not to approve the placement match. The Agency Decision Maker, will make the final agency decision.

A copy of the post adoption assessment report and subsequent proposed plan, once approved, should be sent to the person assessed with a covering letter giving the outcome of the assessment. It should state the main service provision, expected outcomes and the review date where appropriate. Where the assessment relates to the need for financial support, how this has been determined and calculated and the conditions should be attached (see Appendix C).

If the assessment identifies the need for support, the supervising social worker needs to draft a support plan.

8. Contents of the Adoption Support Plan

An Adoption Support Plan should set out clearly:

The objectives of the plan and the key services to be provided;
The timescales for achieving the plan;
Those responsible for implementing the plan and the respective roles of others; what should be provided, when and by whom;
The criteria that will be used to evaluate the success of the plan;
The procedures that will be put in place to review the services to be provided and the plan;
Consent for the services.

The Adoption Support Plan should include any proposed financial support, how the amount has been calculated, where it is to be paid in instalments - the frequency of payment, the period over which it will be paid and when the first payment is to be made, the conditions and the consequences of failing to meet them and the arrangements for review (see Appendix C).

Where the recipients have requested adoption support they should be given 10 working days to consider the proposals and make representations about the proposed plan. Any representations made should be considered by the adoption specialist lead, who will consider arranging for the draft plan to be amended if appropriate and inform the recipients of the outcome of their considerations.

9. Approval

Proposed pre-adoption plans, in relation to proposed agency adoptive placements, the Adoption Support Plan will be submitted to the Adoption Panel.

Proposed plans in relation to requests for services will be approved by the Adoption Specialist Lead.

10. Review

Where adoption support is in place prior to an Adoption Order, the Adoption Support Plan should be reviewed at the reviews of the adoptive placement.

Where a change of circumstances occurs it will be appropriate to conduct a new assessment of needs.

For plans as a result of requests they should be reviewed annually.

11. Agreement and Representation

For all proposals post adoption the adoptive child/parent/birth parent/relative can disagree with the outcome of the assessment, plan or services offered and can refuse these services. If this is the case the supervising social worker would try to unpick why there is disagreement and provide support. If the individual(s) still chose not to continue with the identified support then the service would close down the referral and end involvement.

The family could then come back to the service at a later stage, which may result in a re-assessment of need.

Any proposed changes once approved, the person concerned must be notified of the proposed change, together with a copy of the revised Adoption Support Plan in draft. They must then be given 10 working days to agree, refuse or make representations on the proposals.

Any such representations should be submitted to the adoption specialist lead for consideration and a formal response to the representation to be given.

Notice of the decision must then be sent to the person concerned with reasons and, where appropriate, a copy of the revised plan.

Any service user who remains dissatisfied can utilise the complaints procedure of the service.

12. Cross Jurisdiction Arrangements

For children placed on the Isle of Man from other jurisdictions with adoptive parents assessed on the Island, assessment and funding for post adoption services will be met by the placing Jurisdiction for a period of three years. The IOM adoption support services may be commissioned to provide what is required and a charge will be made to the placing jurisdiction.

For children placed on the Isle of Man with adoptive parents assessed by another jurisdiction the assessment and funding for post adoption services will be the sole responsibility of the placing jurisdiction.

The Isle of Man does not have any reciprocal agreement with the jurisdictions of the United Kingdom that access the UK Adoption Support Fund, and UK local authorities should seek legal confirmation of the status of this when placing on the Island.

For children from the Isle of Man placed in other jurisdictions, Manx Care will retain responsibility for post adoption support for three years of any child it places in other jurisdictions and will directly provide or commission the services required.

Appendix A: Adoption Support Assessment form

Click here to view Appendix A: Adoption Support Assessment form

Appendix B: Adoption Support Plan

Click here to view Appendix B: Adoption Support Plan

Appendix C: Financial Assessment for Adoption/SGO/Kinship Allowances

Click here to view Appendix C: Financial Assessment for Adoption/SGO/Kinship Allowances

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