still not heard eany think about my son

[Kitty]

hi there i hv still not herad eany think about my son is addoption placement brok down and my sons social worker was ment to be sorting a meeting out for me my son is currentley bk whit is old foster care and she said she was going to send me a ltter to let me no haw he is doing and i hv heard nothink from her

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Kitty,

I am sorry to hear that is the case. It is understandable that you want to know what has happened. I would have expected you to be invited to a meeting about this.

You also need to know:
• What is the future plan for your son?
• What help will he be getting because the placement broke down?
• When is your letterbox contact going to start?
• What help will they give you with contact?
• When will they allocate you with an adoption support worker-which you are entitled to as a birth parent?

Legally, you son is still a “looked after child” and you still have legal parental responsibility for him which you share with children services.

While the social worker is not getting back to you, why don’t you contact the Independent reviewing officer (IRO)?

You can get the name and telephone number of the person from children services.
The independent reviewing officer’s job is to look after your sons care plan which deals with where he lives and contact for example.

To help you as well, I strongly advice that you speak to the After Adoption on 0800 840 2020 0020 or email them on actionline@afteradoption.org.uk .

They specialise in adoption and adoption support. I know for example, they can help you write a letter or card as part of letterbox contact.

Best wishes,

Suzie.

[Kitty]

last time i talked to the social worker she said she would let me son settel bk down whit is foster cares and then send me a ltter to let me no haw he is goingon and whit a date for a meeting and not heard eany think els

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Kitty

Thank you for posting again.

I am sorry that you have not heard further from the social worker about your son. Was he actually place with prospective adopters? Did his care plan provide for you to have letter box or any other kind of contact after adoption?

It might be better for you to send a letter to children services to ask them for information about your son. If he has already been adopted and there was no agreement about contact then it will be for the adoptive parents to make a decision about whether contact happens or not.

As stated in previous posts, please make contact with After Adoption as they will be able to provide you with help and support.

You could also consider making a formal complaint about the social worker’s failure to provide you with information and support in relation to your son being or adopted.

Please our read advice sheet about what adoption means for birth parents.

I do hope you will get some information relating to your son very soon.

If you think it would be helpful to speak to an adviser, please telephone our free advice line on 0808 801 0366. The advice line is open from 9.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Best wishes

Suzie