My friend lost her child to adoption an I think tht she is thinking of having another child but nothing has changed since the child was adopted and she is still with her partner tht was the issue before. I have a few questions if the situation were to happen not saying tht it will but would like to be prepared as trying to stay one step in front. Dont think she wud get to keep the child because of what happened to her 1st.
My questions are
Would family members/close family be considered again like with first child or would the child go straight to foster carers?
What is the process if family/friends were to get asked to have the child?
What type of things get asked on parenting assessments/any other assessments?
Any advice welcome. New to forum
Will it happen again?
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Suzie, FRG Adviser
- Posts: 4234
- Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:57 pm
Re: Will it happen again?
Dear Tay456
Welcome to the Parents’ Forum and thank you for your post. My name is Suzie and I am Family Rights Group’s online adviser.
I am sorry to hear that your friend’s child was adopted. It is good to think ahead if she is planning to or may have another baby. If possible she should seek support from a specialist service such as Pause before becoming pregnant to enable her to make good choices and to address the reasons which led to her losing the permanent care of her child.
If she does become pregnant, your friend should be aware that she will have a pre-birth assessment; this is explained in more detail here. The assessment will consider the history as well as the current situation.
From what you say, you are concerned that her situation has not improved since her child was adopted and that she remains with the same partner about whom there were concerns. It would be important that she and her partner disclose her pregnancy early, that they engage with services, access advice from a specialist solicitor and put forward her extended network to support or to care for her baby if she cannot. We cannot predict the outcome of any assessment but if the potential parents’ circumstances have not improved then it may be very difficult to show that they can safely care for a child. Your friend should seek legal advice about what might happen if she becomes pregnant.
You are querying how other family members could be assessed and what is involved. A family group conference offered at an early stage can help bring together the extended network and identify potential future carers if needed. You can find out more about FGCs here.
Were family members assessed to care for your friend’s child as an alternative to adoption? And if so, do you know why they were not successful ? This would be worth clarifying so that they could try to address any concerns which prevented them from caring for the first child.
A baby can only be placed in foster care if they are taken into police protection, or if their parent/s agree to this under asection 20 voluntary arrangement or if the court makes a court order (emergency protection order or temporary care order) allowing this to happen. A court order cannot be made until the baby is born.
Your friend would need to put any potential kinship carers names forward as early as possible. In some cases, where it is in the baby's best interests, they can be placed with a relative who is temporarily approved as a kinship foster carer under regulation 24.
Our kinship carers pages and kinship care advice sheets explain all of this is much more detail and will be helpful to any relative seeking to care for a baby if their parents cannot. Any potential carer should contact children’s services as soon as they can to seek assessment if they believe that the baby is at risk of being removed from their parents. It is better if assessments start before the baby is born. The first assessment would be an initial family and friends care assessment; we have a detailed guide here.
We have a Kinship Carers’ Forum too where there is plenty of support and advice for family members.
I hope this helps
Best wishes
Suzie
Welcome to the Parents’ Forum and thank you for your post. My name is Suzie and I am Family Rights Group’s online adviser.
I am sorry to hear that your friend’s child was adopted. It is good to think ahead if she is planning to or may have another baby. If possible she should seek support from a specialist service such as Pause before becoming pregnant to enable her to make good choices and to address the reasons which led to her losing the permanent care of her child.
If she does become pregnant, your friend should be aware that she will have a pre-birth assessment; this is explained in more detail here. The assessment will consider the history as well as the current situation.
From what you say, you are concerned that her situation has not improved since her child was adopted and that she remains with the same partner about whom there were concerns. It would be important that she and her partner disclose her pregnancy early, that they engage with services, access advice from a specialist solicitor and put forward her extended network to support or to care for her baby if she cannot. We cannot predict the outcome of any assessment but if the potential parents’ circumstances have not improved then it may be very difficult to show that they can safely care for a child. Your friend should seek legal advice about what might happen if she becomes pregnant.
You are querying how other family members could be assessed and what is involved. A family group conference offered at an early stage can help bring together the extended network and identify potential future carers if needed. You can find out more about FGCs here.
Were family members assessed to care for your friend’s child as an alternative to adoption? And if so, do you know why they were not successful ? This would be worth clarifying so that they could try to address any concerns which prevented them from caring for the first child.
A baby can only be placed in foster care if they are taken into police protection, or if their parent/s agree to this under asection 20 voluntary arrangement or if the court makes a court order (emergency protection order or temporary care order) allowing this to happen. A court order cannot be made until the baby is born.
Your friend would need to put any potential kinship carers names forward as early as possible. In some cases, where it is in the baby's best interests, they can be placed with a relative who is temporarily approved as a kinship foster carer under regulation 24.
Our kinship carers pages and kinship care advice sheets explain all of this is much more detail and will be helpful to any relative seeking to care for a baby if their parents cannot. Any potential carer should contact children’s services as soon as they can to seek assessment if they believe that the baby is at risk of being removed from their parents. It is better if assessments start before the baby is born. The first assessment would be an initial family and friends care assessment; we have a detailed guide here.
We have a Kinship Carers’ Forum too where there is plenty of support and advice for family members.
I hope this helps
Best wishes
Suzie
Re: Will it happen again?
Hi thank you for replying to me.
I will have a read over all the links you have provided so tht I get more familiar just incase she does become pregnant.
Tht has made me feel better tht family/friends will get asked again if my friend lists them as an option early on.
Family an friends were asked prevously as an alternative including my family. Approx 4 assessments were negative with one positive but this person pulled out. I don’t know what the others failed on.
My family was asked but at the time we had a situation goin on with another member and I’ll health an the socials (rightly so) were concerned how we would split our time equaly with a young child with the needs of our family member.
Our situaton as now changed.
Like I said in my previus post this is only if the situation happens. But obviously now that u have given me all the infofotmation I need I wil make notes for future referance just incase. Thank u
I will have a read over all the links you have provided so tht I get more familiar just incase she does become pregnant.
Tht has made me feel better tht family/friends will get asked again if my friend lists them as an option early on.
Family an friends were asked prevously as an alternative including my family. Approx 4 assessments were negative with one positive but this person pulled out. I don’t know what the others failed on.
My family was asked but at the time we had a situation goin on with another member and I’ll health an the socials (rightly so) were concerned how we would split our time equaly with a young child with the needs of our family member.
Our situaton as now changed.
Like I said in my previus post this is only if the situation happens. But obviously now that u have given me all the infofotmation I need I wil make notes for future referance just incase. Thank u
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