Monitoring and Supervision of Adoptive Placements

North Yorkshire Children & Families Service wants to build strong, trusting relationships with children, their families and network so we can all work together well. Children & Families Service knows this won’t happen instantly, so we will put in the time, commitment and dedication to building this relationship with children and to get the best outcomes for children and their families.

When working with children we will make sure we listen to them and their family, and record things in a clear way, using the children’s words. The Children & Families Service will explain to children why a social worker is involved with the family, how often he/she will visit and the purpose of each visit. Together, everyone can identify worries and/or risks, set goals and find solutions, along with celebrating strengths and successes.

Arrangements for and frequency of visits for supervising the placement must be made at Placement Planning Meetings and set out in the Adoption Placement Plan - see Placement for Adoption Procedure, The Placement.

This will involve at a minimum:

• The child's social worker visiting the child within the first 5 working days of the placement and then weekly until the first review with prior agreement this can be shared with the adoption social worker;
• Thereafter, the frequency of visits will be determined the level of need and agreed at the child's Adoption Review or, if not specified, it will be set for every six weeks for the first year and after this, on a three-monthly basis as a minimum requirement.

Where there are any concerns, additional visits should be arranged.

The adopters' social worker will also carry out visits at intervals agreed in the Adoption Placement Plan - and more frequently if circumstances require. The visits should continue until an Adoption Order has been made or until the placement is terminated.

Visits must be made by suitably experienced qualified social workers or social workers/student social workers who are supervised by suitably qualified and experienced social workers - see Adoption Panel Procedure, Reports to Adoption Panel.

Records of all visits must be made and copies placed on the child's Adoption Case Record. Between visits, the social workers involved must discuss progress in the placement and exchange copies and read each other's recording of visits during the monitoring period.

Where there are concerns that the placement is at risk of breaking down, a review meeting must be convened immediately by the child's social worker - see Adoption Reviews Procedure.

The child should be seen alone (if appropriate according to his or her age and understanding) at all of the visits, whether undertaken by the child's social worker or the adopters' social worker, and his or her wishes and feelings recorded..

The child's social worker will arrange for the child to continue to have health assessments in line with his or her Health Care Plan and that the Health Care Plan continues to be reviewed up to the Adoption Order in accordance with the procedures for Looked After Children.

The procedures to be followed where a placement disrupts are set out in Disruption of Adoptive Placements Procedure.

Visits to the child and adopters after the Adoption Order will be made as and when required under the Adoption Support Plan - see Adoption Support Procedure.