Guidance on completing the… CHILD’S PERMANENCE REPORT and FAMILY PROCEEDINGS (ADOPTION) RULES 2005 REPORT BY THE LOCAL AUTHORITY UNDER RULE 29 APPLICATION FOR PLACEMENT ORDER Name of child: Date of birth: 01/01/0000 Date of review that made preferred option decision: Date of agency decision: 01/01/0000 Date of placement order: 01/01/0000 Date of this report: 01/01/0000 Dates of any amendments: September 20131 General Guidance The purpose of this report and the appendices is that information can be recorded here for the joint purpose of the Child’s Permanence Report and through the Annex B report the provision of information for applying for a placement order. The Annex B aspect of this report will serve a single purpose. It is the information required by the court at the time of requesting a placement order. The Child Permanence Report aspect of this report will have many uses over the future years. It will be the source of information used by the agency decision maker in order to determine if an agency decision can be agreed for a plan of adoption. Alongside discussions with the child care social worker it will be the main source of information used by the adoption social worker in considering the suitability of a match. This will be the initial critical information that is read by prospective adopters when considering the possibility of becoming parents to the child. This will be the source of information about the child that is utilised by the adopters in the years ahead of parenting the child. This will be the information accessed by the child as an adult and will present to them the reasons for being adopted and their understanding of their birth family identity through people and events. Different parts of this report will therefore have different implications for the child at different times. These are a few thoughts to have in mind when completing this report: The agency decision maker will want to know that the plan has been fully considered, especially where siblings are concerned and also in relation to the feasability of placement within the extended family. The court will want evidence that this plan and the subsequent request for a placement order is the correct action on the part of the local authority. When considering the suitability of the placement, prospective adoptive parents value words that both bring the child alive and interpret difficult experiences for the child. Where little is known about a birth father (for example) the attempts to gather just some simple information about appearance personality or interests can be significant for the child when they are older. Consideration will need to be given to how people are addressed in those parts of this CPR that will also be used for the application for the placement order. Thus ‘Jane Smith’ or ‘Ms Smith’. The report may need to be amended between uses for this reason. Adoption Agency Details September 20132 Name of social worker completing this report: Telephone number: Email address: Is the social worker qualified to prepare this report under the Restriction on the Preparation of Reports Regulations 2005 Please Choose... Team manager: Telephone number: Email address: Name and address of local authority: If the social worker is not qualified, who has supervised the preparation of this report? Name: Designation: Telephone number: Email address: Details of other workers and managers involved in the preparation of this report: Name: Designation: Name: Designation: Name: Designation: The following reports have been accessed during the preparation of this report: September 20133 Title of report Author of report Professional status Date of report Confirm agreement to share with adopters 01/01/0000 This report contains the following appendices Applicable to CPR Genograms Background history of the child Background history of the birth mother Background history of the birth father Medical Report Summary of Medical Report Foster carer’s description of the child Wishes and feelings of the child Views of the birth mother on this report Views of the birth father on this report (School or nursery report) Photograph of birth parents (ADD) CONTENT September 20134 Applicable to Annex B Section A Details of the child Page: Section B Details of birth mother Page: Section C Details of birth father Page: Section D Details of the actions of the agency Page: Section E Exploration of extended family Page: Section F Details of the adoption plan Page: Section G Contact arrangements Page: Section H Summary and recommendation Page: Section A - Details of the CHILD September 20135 Name: Gender: Date of birth: Place of birth: Ethnicity: Current address: 01/01/0000 Photograph of child: (insert photograph here) Identity (This should include details of culture, religion, language, any disabilities and all information that determines the child’s individual identity.) Physical description September 20136 Personality Social development (This section should include information about emotional and behavioural matters as well as attachment experiences. It should also include consideration of the amount of moves a child has had and the number of carers and therefore the implications of this.) Health (This section should not be a copy of the child’s medical report but contain an overall impression of the child’s health and history.) Educational history September 20137 (This section will become relevant at the point that the child starts to attend any nursery setting. It will also contain details of any special educational needs and any statement of educational needs either completed or in the process of being assessed.) Legal status and any previous orders concerning the child with details of dates and courts Inheritance Rights and any claims to damages under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 the child stands to retain or lose if adopted. Any other relevant information Details of siblings September 20138 Name Relationship Ethnicity Date of birth Circumstance (This should include all full and half siblings.) 01/01/0000 (Where is the child living, with whom and under what circumstance including any orders? This information will be important when considering the child’s plan alongside that of siblings and future contact arrangements where children are not to be placed together. Where children are in proceedings the details of this and the court should be included. This is important information when applying for a placement order.) Name Relationship Ethnicity Date of birth Circumstance 01/01/0000 Name Relationship Ethnicity Date of birth Circumstance 01/01/0000 Name Relationship Ethnicity Date of birth Circumstance 01/01/0000 Name Relationship Ethnicity Date of birth Circumstance 01/01/0000 Name Relationship Ethnicity Date of birth Circumstance 01/01/0000 The wishes and feelings of the child September 20139 (There should be a clear statement here about the child’s understanding of their plan, how they have been included in this and their wishes and feelings both unsolicited and also when specifically sought. The extent of this information will depend on the child’s age and understanding. The Appendix also contains a form for completing with the child.) Any wishes expressed by the child in relation to contact arrangements or previous proceedings and dates when these views were ascertained. (This section is particularly relevant for the application for a placement order. Consultation is likely to be needed with workers previously involved with the child.) Section B - Details of the BIRTH MOTHER September 201310 Name: Date of birth: Ethnicity: Address: Brief chronology of the history of birth mother Date Event 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 Identity (This should include details of culture, religion, language, any disabilities and all information that determines the person’s individual identity.) Physical description Personality and interests September 201311 Dates of previous marriages or civil partnerships Health Educational history Employment history September 201312 Any other relevant information Details of current contact arrangements with the child (It is useful to record the arrangements and the parent’s commitment to these arrangements.) Details of contact arrangements for the child with anyone else in the maternal family Current relationship (if not with the birth father) September 201313 History of relationship between birth mother and birth father (This section should not repeat information that is recorded elsewhere such as in individual background histories. However especially in a long term relationship it may be a parallel account that focuses on the impact of historical events on the relationship. In this case the focus should be the relationship rather than the events. It can be important to know how both parents have operated as a couple. It can also be important at a later date to understand the circumstance in which a child was born especially where the relationship was not lasting.) Has the birth mother received counselling from an independent person in relation to the plan for adoption? Has the birth mother been given the opportunity to express her views on the adoption plan for the child? (Detail what action has been taken and what the response has been. The Appendix contains a form for completing with the birth mother.) Section C - Details of the BIRTH FATHER September 201314 Name: Date of birth: Ethnicity: Address: Brief chronology of the history of birth father Date Event 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 Legal status of birth father in relation to the child (It is important for future use that this information is recorded accurately. Does the birth father have parental responsibility and if so how was this acquired. If not on what basis has he been reasoned to be the birth father?) Details of any issues in relation to paternity and the action taken by the local authority (Issues of paternity need to be clarified so that the right people are being assessed and the correct extended family are being considered. Uncertainty on these matters can cause significant delay. This is important information for the child in understanding their own identity as they grow up and it is information which is unlikely to be uncovered at a later date. There are also medical implications and issues of uncertainty for the rest of the child’s life.) September 201315 Identity (This should include details of culture, religion, language, any disabilities and all information that determines the person’s individual identity.) Physical description Personality and interests Dates of previous marriages or civil partnerships September 201316 Health Educational history Employment history Any other relevant information September 201317 Details of current contact arrangements with the child (It is useful to record the arrangements and the parent’s commitment to these arrangements.) Details of contact arrangements for the child with anyone else in the paternal family Current relationship (if not with the birth mother) If the details of the birth father are not known, the information that has been ascertained, the source of this information and the efforts that have been made to gather further information (Where this information is not available it is important for the child and their adoptive family as well as those being asked to make decisions that there is evidence of the efforts that have been taken to try and gather any information.) September 201318 Has the birth father received counselling from an independent person in relation to the plan for adoption? Has the birth father been given the opportunity to express his views on the adoption plan for the child? (Detail what action has been taken and what the response has been. The Appendix contains a form for completing with the birth father.) September 201319 Section D - Details of the actions of the Adoption Agency Chronology of the actions taken by the agency with respect to the child Date 01/01/0000 Event (This should be an account of the actions of the local authority as an Adoption Agency. It is not necessary to record the history of the child or that this section should read like case notes. It is a chronology of the significant actions undertaken in pursuing an adoption plan.) 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 01/01/0000 The ability and the willingness of the parents to care for the child (including details of any assessments undertaken) (This section is a detailed account of the birth parents circumstance and the work that has been undertaken which initially may have been in order to keep or return the child home but has now become part of the determination that the child should be placed for adoption. It is important to give details of any assessments undertaken. Quotes and references can be made to any parenting assessment manual work. Where other assessments have been undertaken and especially by professionals outside the authority then these reports should be listed at the beginning of this report and the assessment report included in the appendix. This will make them available to the agency decision maker. This section should provide the key evidence and the rationale for the local authority pursuing a preferred option of adoption on behalf of the child.) September 201320 September 201321 Section E - Consideration and exploration of extended family (An accurate genogram should determine the extent to which family members should be explored. This is likely to require individual profiles of grandparents, aunts, uncles and adult siblings as well as any other relatives that have played a significant part in the family and are mentioned as such in this report. A statement should then be made to summarise both the extended maternal and paternal families beyond these people.) Name Relationship to child Details Name of social worker undertaking this consideration (There needs to be clear evidence that a viability assessment has been completed, that significant concerns have been considered or that the person has ruled themselves out. Where this has not been possible there needs to be clear evidence as to the attempts that have been made to contact people or to gather information for contacting people. It is not intended that this should cause delay but that a reasonable effort has been made to work with the extended family.) (Please put both the name and the title and team of the social worker) Name Relationship to child Details Name of social worker undertaking this consideration Name Relationship to child Details Name of social worker undertaking this consideration September 201322 Overall statement on exploration of other maternal family members (This section should be completed rather than listing other members of the family individually. In some families there are great aunts, uncles and cousins that appear on the genogram but have either not been part of the family support network or whose whereabouts may be unknown. A general statement can be put here to cover why these people have not been explored.) Overall statement on exploration of other paternal family members (This section should be completed rather than listing other members of the family individually. In some families there are great aunts, uncles and cousins that appear on the genogram but have either not been part of the family support network or whose whereabouts may be unknown. A general statement can be put here to cover why these people have not been explored.) September 201323 Wishes feelings and views of others in relation to the adoption plan and contact arrangements (Record here any communication with the extended family and any views expressed about the adoption plan and the proposed contact arrangements.) September 201324 Section F - Details of the adoption plan Details of the adoption plan (to include impact on siblings where relevant) (The details of the local authority’s adoption plan should be recorded here. This will need to include the reasons where siblings are to be separated including reference to any assessments that have contributed to this decision. In order to support the separation of siblings there needs to be evidence of the assessment and analysis that supports this action. This is important information for anyone making a decision about siblings but especially also for the siblings themselves in future years as they seek to understand more about their history and the decisions that people have made.) September 201325 If consent has been given for the child to be placed for adoption and also consent for the child to be adopted, the names of those who gave consent and the dates such consents were given. If such consents were subsequently withdrawn, the dates of these withdrawals. If any statement has been made under section 20(4)(a) of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 that a parent or guardian does not wish to be informed of any application for an adoption order, the names of those who have made such statements and the dates the statements were made. If such statements were subsequently withdrawn, the dates of these withdrawals. September 201326 Section G - Contact arrangements Proposed Contact Arrangements Arrangement (including for children, which adult will Person facilitate this arrangement) and Purpose Relationship (The arrangements for contact need to be clear and the purpose of this contact needs to be outlined) September 201327 Proposed Contact Arrangements Arrangement (including for children, which adult will Person facilitate this arrangement) and Purpose Relationship September 201328 Section H - Summary and recommendation Summary (This section should stand up on its own as a summary of the reasons for determining that a preferred option of adoption is the right decision for this child.) Recommendation (There needs to be a clear recommendation of a plan of adoption for the child) September 201329 Views of the CAFCASS Guardian The relative merits of a placement order and other orders with an assessment of why the child’s long term interests are likely to be best met by a placement order rather than by any other order. September 201330 Recommendations as to whether there should be future contact arrangements (or not), including whether a contact order under Section 26 of the Children and Adoption Act 2002 should be made. September 201331 In the making of this recommendation I have taken into account the welfare checklist The ascertainable wishes and feelings of the child Physical, emotional and educational needs The likely effect on the child (through out his/her life) of having ceased to be a member of the original family and become an adopted person The likely effect of any changes Age, sex, background and characteristics Any harm which the child has suffered or is at risk of suffering The capability of the parents to meet the child’s needs Signatures Author of report Signature Date 01/01/0000 Social worker qualified to prepare this report Name Signature Date 01/01/0000 Team Manager Name Signature Date 01/01/0000 September 201332 APPENDICES Genograms Background History of the child Background History of birth mother Background History of birth father Medical report Foster carer’s description of the child Wishes and feelings of the child Views of the birth mother on this report Views of the birth father on this report September 201333