5 Tips to Prepare For Adoption Panel
The role of an Adoption Panel is to assess your suitability to be an adoptive parent and to make a recommendation, based on information prepared by your social worker. You will be invited to attend the first part of the panel meeting. We believe it is important that you meet the people who will be making this important recommendation
As your Adoption Panel date approaches you may be feeling a little anxious, this is understandable as you will have gone through months of assessment before getting to this stage.
#1 Read your Prospective Adopter Report (PAR) thoroughly
Your Prospective Adopter Report (PAR) is written by your assessing social worker and summarises all the information collected during the adoption assessment process. The PAR contains a lot of information and provides evidence about why the social worker considers the prospective adopter suitable to be approved as an adopter.
Ensure you read your PAR thoroughly and are happy with the content. If there are any inaccuracies or things you are unsure about, discuss them with your assessing social worker before it is submitted to the adoption panel members for review.
#2 Be prepared for some probing questions
Adoption Panel members read your Prospective Adopter Report (PAR) prior to your panel meeting and may have pre-prepared some question for you. Be prepared for some probing questions in relation to the content of the PAR. This is to enable you to expand on some of the content in your own words. For example, if you have suffered any difficulties yourself in the past, the panel members will want to make sure that you have had the necessary support and time to come to terms with it so as not to impact your potential as a parent as children will always be at the heart of their recommendation to approve.
#3 Test your technology
Since the pandemic, our adoption panels have been held virtually. If your panel is virtual, it’s a good idea to find out what platform your panel will be held on. The most popular platforms at the moment are Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Make sure you know which platform your panel will be held on then download and trial the platform to ensure you are able to access it. Make sure your microphone and camera are working. If using a phone, you may wish to consider using a stand, and ensure you have a working charger. For the adoption panel itself set a timer so you are on time, ensure you have a quiet area and that your background is presentable.
#4 Speak to your assessing social worker
Speak to your assessing social worker if you have any concerns at all, they are there to support you through your whole journey.
You may be concerned that panel are making a huge decision about your life, your assessing social worker will support you through this and it is important to remember that they will make their recommendations based on the information presented to them which will then be considered by the Agency Decision Maker.
#5 Relax
Remember, panel is made up of an independent body of people. The Panel may include social workers, staff members, councillors, people with personal experience of fostering and adoption and a medical adviser. They all have different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities and faiths. There will be no trick questions so try to relax and enjoy the final stage of your journey to becoming an approved adopter.
If you haven’t yet started your adoption journey and would like to speak to someone about adopting a child please click on this link to contact us https://adoptlondon.org.uk/contact/