Sing in the rain

On 2nd April I posted saying my social worker was due to let me know my panel date. I'd been told probably mid to late May and chased this up a few times, but between Easter and then me spending last week with covid, it wasn't until lunchtime today (27 April) that they confirmed my Matching Panel date as 23rd June. A strange "mid to late May", but I'm happy to at least have my date. ** Update - not 24 hours later and I've had a correction through -the date is 23rd May not June!! *** So, what now? The next thing is actually tomorrow when I travel down to meet the foster carers and nursery workers etc to hear more about her / see her from a distance. Next is chat with her medical practitioner on 4th May  My social worker and hers have to write a large report that explains all about why we are suited to each other, how transitions would work and what support we'd have moving forward. I'll be asked for some inputs to that (their words: "there's lo...

I was sent this lovely badge when I ordered some cards from the lovely MumaDukeDesigns (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Mumadukedesigns) and thought it might be worth sharing it. This symbol represents what they call the “adoption triad” or adoption triangle. The three points of the triangle represent the child (at the top), the birth family, and the adoptive parents. The heart intertwined represents the love involved in the relationship of adoption.  My main order from them (a trepidatious one) for these beautiful cards below. Obviously I'd hope to use these with the little girl in linked with, but if not, hopefully for whoever I finally match with.  🤞 I get to use these sooner rather than later and can share pics of their use with you.

Apparently the social worker and family finder interviews were not previously so frequent (though not unusual). With the changes covid has brought though, the number of potential adopters has dramatically increased and now outnumbers the number of children seeking families (for the first time I believe)! So, I have been through two of these interviews now. Both lasted about three hours, though that's probably as much a reflection on the number of questions I had for them as anything else!  This isn't just a process for them, it is also for me to check this is the right match for me. They are looking at me and my home/ surroundings to understand the full picture.  By this point, they've already seen my full PAR (Potential Adopter Report) and they've sent over the children's CPR (Child Permanence Report) and we've both decided to go ahead.  My process (for what it's worth) was to fully read through the CPR in full, then to go back through making a note of any ...

So next week, my social worker will give a call to go through expected timings etc. In the meantime I thought it's probably useful to share what the websites say https://www.first4adoption.org.uk/the-adoption-process/matching-finding-the-right-child-for-your-family/ It is unlikely that you will meet the child until after the match is formally approved. However it is now fairly normal that videos of the children in their foster homes will be shown to you during this exploratory phase. You may also meet the Medical Adviser of the child’s agency to help you understand the implications of any known medical information. Once you all agree that a suitable child has been identified your adoption agency, together with the child’s agency will write an Adoption Placement Report for the matching panel. This report will include an Adoption Support Plan which outlines the support that the child’s agency will provide depending on the known needs of the child. The match will then be presented to ...