What to expect from our adoption assessment

The assessment

The journey to becoming a parent through adoption is deeply personal. Our therapeutic assessment is designed to walk alongside you, every step of the way.

Stage 1

1. Background Checks

Once we have accepted your registration of interest, we’ll complete some standard checks to make sure adoption is safe for everyone. These include:

DBS (criminal record check)
Medical report
Personal references
Overseas checks (if you have lived outside the UK for a period of 6 months or more)
Local Authority checks where you live and have lived for the past 10 years, for any information that may be relevant to the assessment.

2. Homework

We’ll ask you to share more about yourself, including:

Your support network – who’s there for you?
Your life story, in your own words
Your CV (work history)
A personal chronology (timeline of your life)

3. Taster Day

Spend a full day at our office with your assessing social worker and therapist.

We’ll explore how you connect with others
Talk about who’s in your support network and why they matter
Give you a chance to ask questions and reflect
Introduce and use therapeutic tools (you may go on to use with your child if they have therapy) in your assessment.
Introduction to early permanence
Introduction to therapeutic parenting
A family tree to give us a visual picture of your family and background

4. Home Visit

Your assessing social worker will visit your home.

We’ll check your home (and pets, if you have them) are safe and welcoming
Discuss with you our feelings on moving to Stage 2
A health and safety check of your home
Feedback on Stage 1, detailing strengths and vulnerabilities

Stage 2

1. Ongoing Homework

We’ll continue building a picture of your strengths, experiences and support needs.

2. Training Days

You’ll take part in 4 to 6 days of preparation training at our office, alongside:

eLearning

Meetings with the social worker

Presentations on Education and Sensory Integration

Bespoke training as required

3. Network Meeting

We’ll invite your close family and friends to a meeting, helping them understand adoption and how they can support you.

4. Extra References

We may also ask for extra references – for example, from employers or significant ex-partners. Your social worker will discuss these with you beforehand. Please note references from ex-partners who you have children with are mandatory.

5. What You’ll Cover

Our training and assessment help you prepare for therapeutic parenting. Topics include:

Adult attachment – understanding your own attachment style
Child development – how children grow and how trauma affects them
Parenting resources – tools and strategies to support you as an adoptive parent
Child development
The brain and trauma
Therapeutic parenting

WHAT PARENTS SAY

“We both found the assessment process incredibly rewarding... We left them feeling really really well armed with information and knowledge.”