The Process

This meeting is an opportunity for you to learn more about adoption and ask any questions you may have. We'll want to find out more about you and your reasons for wanting to adopt. It may be that your reasons are linked to personal and sensitive matters to do with your ability to have biological children. We know that this may be difficult to talk about but we'll need to have some discussion about this before deciding whether you are in a position to proceed further with us.

Attending this meeting doesn't commit you or us to carrying on with your application. Following the meeting we'll give you and ourselves some time to think. If we think there are reasons why you cannot adopt, we will let you know what these are in writing. Otherwise you'll be offered a second meeting which we ask to hold in your home.

This allows us to see you in your home environment and gain a fuller picture of you. It's also an opportunity to go through any points that may have arisen as a result of the first meeting. After the second meeting, we'll let you know in writing whether we believe you are in a position to proceed. If we feel that you're not ready or that you are unlikely to meet the needs of children in Tower Hamlets, we'll advise you on how you can assist in being considered as an adopter in the future either with Tower Hamlets or through another agency.

The next step in the process is a preparation session specifically for people who want to adopt where you will hear more about the process of assessment and meet other prospective adopters. If, after this session, you still want to go ahead, we will ask you to send in a completed application form.

After we have received your completed application form, you will be allocated a social worker who will carry out your assessment.

You will be given a copy of the assessment framework that we follow in advance. The assessment involves a number of visits by your social worker when you will be seen together (and individually) if in a couple.

We know that the process of assessment can feel intrusive and we will aim to be as sensitive as possible about this. It is important to consider your personal and family history, as well as your own experience of being brought up, as these will have an influence on how you will parent a child.

We will also need to make enquiries about your housing and employment and take up to three personal references (one of whom is a member of your wider family).

As part of our Post Adoption Service, we will also carry out an assessment of your needs once a child has been placed with you. This can include financial, therapeutic, educational or health support.

Tower Hamlets aims to complete each stage of the assessment process within the expected timescales contained within the Adoption Minimum Standards. These include:

• Providing you with written information in response to an initial enquiry within five working days.
• Offering you at least one date for a follow up interview or information evening within 2 months of you expressing further interest.
• Where Tower Hamlets and you decide to proceed we will present your assessment to panel within six months of your application.

The Panel is chaired independently. It is made up of Social Services representatives, a medical adviser, councillors and independent people such as previous adopters.

The Panel will make the recommendation on whether to formally approve you as an adopter.