Link

[Kate]

Hope this works.

http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/02/01/ ... id%3D94531

I find it interesting because we were 57 when g/d came to us and she was 13 months old, the age of this baby. Also I had known health problems which SS seemed completely uninterested in as we were grandparents. The wife's asthma is an issue in this case. When we applied to adopt, ulitimately successfully, years ago they were obsessed by my asthma and I had to put myself at risk by getting off a steroid inhaler to prove myself! I'm on far stronger medication now but this was never looked into with our g/d, which was a great relief.

It seems to me that SS should be trying to find out what the family support is, ie could someone else step in to care for this child if the couple become unable to, rather than breaking the attachment she has made to this couple by placing her for adoption with strangers. Only if there is no extended family who could step in should they move the child in my opinion.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Thanks for the link Kate, very interesting.

[LLB]

I haven't had time to look at all of the replies but surely they could still go for SGOs? Then they could appoint a guardian in their will. On top of this the natural parents would not lose their child completely. I think that it is terrible for parents who just cannot cope to lose their children completely and for the children to lose their birth parents if it can be avoided.

[Help 1870]

I agree with LLB, I dont see why wouldnt SGO be an option. I can kind of understand why some professionals would have reservations about couples this age adopting a child.

Kate, I find it very shocking that people are being told to stop taking medication. The medication is there to maintain a persons health and if they didnt need it then why would they be taking it in the first place. Stopping it is only likely for symptoms to get worse not better. I have heard this from a few carers, and it just doesnt make sense to me.

[Kate]

LLB and Help, you're right, they could apply for an SGO and it would probably be more appropriate anyway.

Re the medications, Help: I was extremely angry at being put in the position of having to put myself at risk, though my GP referred me to a chest consultant to oversee it so it was done carefully. Once we were accepted I went back on the offending inhaler. But there was total inconsistency about it in that, when we applied to adopt a second time, there was no objection to this same inhaler. I was told it was now an accepted part of asthma management - which it had been all along Instead, they found a different medication to object to and I had to come off that and stay off it for six more months before our application could proceed. This was all at the behest of the LA medical officer who never even met me, just saw the details on paper. There were no problems either time with the actual home study, but the social workers who came into our home had to do the MO's dirty work for her.