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Contents

1. Purpose of Assessment for Adoption Support Services
2. Criteria for Assessment of Adoption Support Services
3. Examples of Adoption Support Services
4. Process of Assessment of Need for Adoption Support Services - Pre-Adoption
5. Process of Assessment of Need for Adoption Support Services - Post-Adoption
6. Adoption Support Plan
7. Financial Support
8. Child Protection Concerns

1. Purpose of Assessment for Adoption Support Services

Local Authorities are required under The Children and Adoption Act 2002 and Adoption Support Services Regulations 2005 to provide a range of adoption support services to meet the needs of those people affected by adoption.

2. Criteria for Assessment of Adoption Support Services

An Assessment for Adoption Support Services must be undertaken in the following circumstances:

Pre-Adoption

• When adoption has been identified as the plan for the child. An assessment for adoption support services should be carried out by the child's adoption social worker and included in the child's permanence report. See Section 3, Examples of Adoption Support Services and Placement for Adoption Procedure
• During the assessment of prospective adopters and included in the Prospective Adopters Report (Form F). See Assessment and Approval of Adopters Procedure
• When a particular child has been matched to a particular prospective adopter, the assessment for adoption support services should be revised to reflect the combined needs of the child and prospective adopter. See Placement for Adoption Procedure
• Adoption Support Services must always be considered at Adoption Reviews. See Review of Adoptive Placements Procedure

Post Adoption

• When a request for an assessment of post adoption services is received by those people affected by adoption (see Eligibility Chart)
• The above assessments are limited to those in relation to the type of service that have to be extended to that person (see Eligibility Chart)
• Children adopted from abroad are entitled to be assessed for therapeutic services and disruption support
• The services provided within step parent adoptions are limited to the provision of counselling, advice and information

3. Examples of Adoption Support Services

Adoption Support Services should not be seen in isolation from mainstream services. It is important that adoptive families are assisted in accessing mainstream services and to apply for any benefits they may be entitled to. An assessment of need for adoption support services will not need to be carried out before providing advice and information.

Other services available include:

• Advice and guidance via the Adoption Helpline
• Adoption surgery based in some Sure Start offices (currently Lincoln, Boston and Stamford)
• Telephone counselling from Adoption Support worker
• Financial support to adopters if eligible following assessment
• Services to groups of adoptive children, adoptive parents, birth parents or former guardians of an adoptive child to discuss matters relating to adoption
• Assistance including mediation services in relation to contact with birth families of an adoptive child
• Therapeutic services for adoptive children
• Assistance for the purpose of ensuring the continuance of the relationship between an adoptive child and his/her adoptive parent including training and respite care
• Assistance where disruption has occurred or is in danger of occurring
• Counselling
• Life Story work for adopted children
• Intermediary Services
• Specialist Training
• Services to birth parents and their partners whom have adopted the child i.e. Step-parent adoptions are excluded from the list of services above with the exception of Counselling, advice and information. (See Eligibility Chart)
• Assistance with cross boundary matters

4. Process of Assessment of Need for Adoption Support Services - Pre-Adoption

Assessments for adoption support services should follow the guidelines set out in and use the domains of the Assessment Framework using the Initial or Core Assessment. They should be carried out by the child's adoption social worker during the preparation of the Child's Permanence Report. 

The assessment of need for support services should take into account that the adoptive child is a member of the adoptive family but also the heritage of a birth family. The past and current involvement of the birth family in the child's life and the impact on the child should be incorporated into the assessment.

Assessments of the need for adoption support should also be carried out by the supervising social worker during the assessment of potential adopters and the preparation of the Prospective Adopters Report (Form F). See Assessment and Approval of Adopters Procedure.

At the point where a particular child is being matched with a particular prospective adopter, the child's adoption social worker and the prospective adopters supervising social worker should undertake an assessment of the combined needs of the adoptive child and the prospective adopters for adoption support services. Following this assessment, the child's adoption social worker should include the assessment within the Adoption Placement Report. See Placement for Adoption Procedure.

Where the child is to be placed in the area of another local authority, the agencies in that authority's area will need to be consulted as to what services may be available for the adopters and the adopted children.

The assessment should consider (as far as is relevant):

• The needs of the person being assessed and how these might be met
• The needs of the adoptive family and how these might be met
• The needs, including developmental needs, of the adoptive child and how these might be met
• The parenting capacity of the adoptive parent
• Wider family and environmental factors
• In the case of a child who is, or was, placed for adoption or matched for adoption, the circumstances that led to that child being so placed or matched, and
• Any previous assessments of needs for adoption services undertaken in relation to the person in question

5. Process of Assessment of Need for Adoption Support Services - Post-Adoption

Which Local Authority is responsible for undertaking assessments of need for adoption support services?

Lincolnshire County Council will carry out the assessment of need for adoption support services for all children in their care for whom an adoption plan is being considered and for any child placed by Lincolnshire County Council with an adoptive family approved by Lincolnshire County Council.

For children placed within Lincolnshire by other local authorities, the assessment and provision of support services for the child, the adopters and any children of the adopter remains the responsibility of the placing authority for three years from the date of an Adoption Order. After that date, Lincolnshire County Council will carry out any assessment of need.

The placing authority will remain responsible for managing and supporting contact arrangements agreed prior to the adoption order and any changes to those arrangements over time. The placing authority also remains responsible for any financial arrangements agreed at the time of placement intended to be in place for the duration of the child's minority.

The table below sets out which local authority has responsibility for carrying out the assessment of need for adoption support, and in what circumstances.

Circumstance	Responsibility for Assessment
Child being Looked After and in respect of whom an adoption plan is being considered	The local authority looking after the child (Lincolnshire)
Child placed with or adopted by family living in the area of the local authority arranging the adoption	The local authority for the area where the child and adopters live (Lincolnshire)
Child placed with and/or adopted by family living outside the local authority area	Lincolnshire County Council has responsibility at the time of the placement and for up to 3 years after the Adoption Order is made, and then the local authority where the adopters live will have the responsibility in relation to subsequent requests.
In all other cases (i.e. non agency placements except adoptions by step parents or partners of a birth parent)	The local authority where the requester lives must assess

Process of assessment of need for adoption support services - post adoption

Request for adoption support is made via the Adoption Helpline.

The Adoption Support social worker records the request as an enquiry and makes initial contact via telephone or a surgery appointment and initial advice and guidance is offered.

If the family require an assessment of need for adoption support services, the Adoption Support social worker, informs the Adoption Practice Supervisor for allocation to an adoption support social worker to undertake an Initial Assessment.

The allocated Adoption Support social worker will make contact with the family and undertake an Initial Assessment using the Assessment of Adoption Support Services Guidance.

The assessment will consider and include:

• The views of the child and family
• Support needs identified in the dimensions of the Framework for Assessment
• Strengths of the child and family as well as any difficulties
• Any previous assessment of need for adoption support services

Where there is an urgent need for support, the support can be provided before a Plan is drawn up but the procedure should then be followed as soon as possible.

Where the service proposed is one-off, the notice of the outcome of the assessment will be sufficient to outline what is proposed and a draft plan will not be required.

6. Adoption Support Plan

The Adoption Support Plan must clearly detail:

• The objectives of the plan and key services to be offered
• The timescales for achieving the plan
• Those responsible for implementing the plan; what should be provided and by whom,
• How the success of the plan will be evaluated
• How the plan will be reviewed

The adoption support social worker must consider consultations with the Primary Care Trust, CAMHS, Education department and any other services involved prior to completing the Adoption Support Plan. In these circumstance, the prospective adopters should be assisted with any cross boundary issues that may arise. Consideration should be given to convening a Child in Need Meeting.

If a decision is made to provide financial support, The Adoption Support Plan must detail how the amount has been calculated, how payment will be made, the frequency of payments, the period over which payments will be made, the date of the first payment and the conditions and consequences attached to financial support (see Section 7, Financial Support).

Types of Payment

Payment to adoptive parents may be made in the following ways:

• Regular payments - which will be based upon the age of the child and calculated as agreed from time to time by the local authority
• Lump sum payments (settling in costs, special needs and adaptations), which will cover items or adaptations that are required as a consequence of assessment of each child's individuals needs
• Payments in special circumstances (for example, a child with additional needs or where foster carers adopt a child for whom they are already caring or where adopters incur legal expenses in contested cases). Payment may be in installments and may end at a time specified by the County
• Financial support cannot generally include the "reward" element which may be payable to foster carers and neither will payments be made so as to provide an income. However, payments may be paid above the or expenses associated with the child's introduction to adoptive parents or expenditure on accommodating the child (e.g. adaptations to the home, furniture, clothing or transport) at a level where it is regarded as necessary to ease the transition from foster care to adoption.  Generally such additional payments can be paid for a period of two years although in exceptional circumstances, additional payments may be paid for a longer period

The outcome of the assessment must be agreed by the Adoption Manager.

A copy of the Adoption Support Plan detailing the outcome of the assessment, objectives and timescales, must be sent to the person requesting assessment, the recipient of support (or if a child, their adoptive parents) and any party involved in the delivery of the plan and recorded on ICS.

The assessed person should be given 10 days to consider the services proposed and make representations to the Adoption Team Manager who will review the plan and inform the assessed person the outcome.

If the assessed person does not agree with the Adoption Support Plan a joint meeting between the Practice Supervisor, the allocated adoption support social worker and the assessed person, should be arranged.

If the matter remains unresolved, the assessed person should be directed to Lincolnshire County Council's complaints procedure.

Pre-Order  the proposed Adoption Support Plan should be submitted to the Adoption Panel when a proposed match is being made (see Placement for Adoption Procedure). The final Adoption Support Plan will be approved by the Agency Decision Maker taking into account any advice or comments of the Adoption Panel. A copy of the plan should be sent to the child's Independent Reviewing Officer.

Where Adoption Support is in place prior to an Adoption Order, the Adoption Support Plan should be reviewed at each of the reviews of the adoptive placement or if there is a significant change of circumstances.

Post Adoption Order, the Adoption Support Plan will be reviewed if a change of circumstances is brought to the notice of Lincolnshire County Council. The Adoption Team Manager or Adoption Practice Supervisor will decide on the format of any review, however if the change of circumstances is substantial it may be appropriate to undertake a new assessment of need for support services. Any proposed changes to vary or terminate the support must be referred to the Adoption Team Manager for approval. Once approved, the person concerned must be notified of the proposed change with a copy of the revised Adoption Support Plan and be given 10 days to make Representations on the proposals. The Adoption Team Manager should consider any submitted representations before deciding on the final contents of the revised Adoption Support Plan. In the case of adoptive placements, the Team Manager may decide to refer the case to the Adoption Panel for information and advice and to the Agency Decision Maker for the final decision to be made.

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

7. Financial Support

It is important that adoptive families are assisted in accessing mainstream services and to apply for any benefits they may be entitled to. Adopters must be given advice of entitlement to employee's rights to leave and pay, benefits, tax credits and allowances. Financial Support cannot duplicate any other payment available to adoptive parents and all benefits, grants, allowances or resource available to the prospective adopters in relation to the needs of the child, must be taken into account.

Assessment for Financial Support

Adoption Support Social Worker assesses need for Financial Support within the Assessment for Adoption Support.

In considering Financial Support the adoptive family's financial circumstances (means) should be considered (see Department for Education wesbite for guidance) and they should be asked to complete the DCSF standardised means test for Adoption and Special Guardianship. The means test should take into account the following elements;

• The adoptive parent's financial resources including investments and any benefits they would be entitled to once the child is living with them
• The amount required by the adoptive parent in respect of reasonable outgoings and commitments (excluding outgoings in respect of the child)
• The financial needs of the child (special diet, need for replacement bedding, trust fund)

The family's financial situation (means) may be disregarded where financial support is being considered in respect of:

• Settling in grant
• Recurring costs in respect of travel for contact between the child and their birth family
• Any special arrangements or care
• Where an element of remuneration is being considered for foster carers who has gone on to adopt, for a transitional period. (two years except in exceptional cases)

Means must be disregarded when financial support is being considered in respect of legal costs where an adoption order is applied for and expenditure for the purpose of introductions.

The Children and Family officer, Adoption Support, should send the completed form to Mouchel who will undertake the financial calculation from information provided by the adopters and verified by documents e.g. wage slips.

Mouchel assess the financial support and forward the details to the Adoption Team Manager for approval. Once approved, Mouchel inform the adopters of the agreed allowance, the terms and conditions of the allowance and any specific timescales.

In the case of a new placement, the financial support information should be included in the Adoption Support Plan presented to Adoption Panel where matching is being considered.

Terms and Conditions

Before any services are provided, the prospective adopters will need to agree to the conditions set out below:

• That they will inform Lincolnshire County Council immediately of any significant changes in the family:
  • The child ceases to have a home with them
  • The child ceases full time education or training and commences employment
  • The child qualifies for welfare benefits in his own right
  • The child attains the age of 18 and is not in education or training
  • Change of address
  • The child dies
  • There is a change in financial circumstances or the financial needs or resources of the child which may affect the amount of financial support payable to the adoptive parent

Where information has been given orally, the adoptive parents must confirm the information in writing within 7 days.

If requirements are not complied with the Adoption Team Manager can suspend payments of the financial support.

Reviews of Financial Support

Reviews of financial support paid periodically must be reviewed:

• Annually, upon receipt of the statement from the adoptive parent
• Upon any change of circumstances included in the agreement
• Upon any breach of condition
• At any other stage felt appropriate

Annual Statement

Adoptive Parents in receipt of financial support must agree to supply Lincolnshire County Council with an annual statement detailing:

• Their financial circumstances
• Financial needs and resources of the child
• Their current address and whether the child still lives there
• Any change in their own or the child's circumstances

If any decision is made by the Adoption Manager to amend or terminate financial support, the person must be given notice of the proposed decision and have the opportunity to make representations.

Financial support may be suspended if it is felt appropriate following information having been supplied to the Adoption Manager. All decisions must be recorded on the case record.

Ending of Financial Support

Financial support will end when:

• A child reaches 18 years of age, unless he is in full time education or training, when it may continue until the end of the course of education or training subject to any other financial support the child may be eligible to receive
• Where a child ceases full time education and commences employment
• Where a child qualifies for job seekers allowance or income support in his or her own right
• Where circumstances have changed sufficiently and the criteria is no longer met
• If the child leaves the adoptive home permanently
• If the child dies

8. Child Protection Concerns

If any Child Protection concerns arise within the course of assessment or the provision of support services, the worker should immediately consult with their line manager and refer the matter to the FAST team. See Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Board Procedures.

End