Service Description: The Isle of Wight Adoption Service provides a service for those who live on the Isle of Wight for whom adoption has been or will be part of their life. The service is always looking for adults to provide an adoptive home for children who cannot live with their birth families. Adoption may involve single children or sibling groups. Ages may range from birth to adolescence. Some children will have special needs. If you are adopted or are a birth parent, we can also offer you a range of services.
Also known as:- Directorate for Community Wellbeing and Social Care
Answer: There are a number of checks that we are legally required to make in every case. If you apply to become an adopter, a Social Worker will complete an assessment called a Prospective Adopters Report (PAR). A lot of the information in the PAR will come from the discussions that you have with your assessing Social Worker. Your assessing Social Worker will also undertake other checks, such as an enhanced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau), we will look at our own records to see if you are known to the Isle of Wight Council’s Children’s Services and we may contact other Local Authorities if you have lived or are living on the mainland. A health and safety checklist will be undertaken and, if needed, your assessing Social Worker will be able to offer you advice on how to ensure your home is safer for children (e.g. use of stair gates, socket covers, the storage of cleaning products etc). Your assessing Social Worker will ask you to provide a list of 6 people (friends and family) who are able to give you a personal reference. All of these individuals will be asked to provide a written reference, and some may be interviewed by your assessing Social Worker. If you already have children, your Social Worker will want to talk to them during the assessment process. If you have been married or lived with a previous partner, if appropriate, we may ask to speak to them. We will ask your current and previous employers for a reference. Depending on your specific circumstances other kinds of checks may be made, and your assessing Social Worker will explain what these are and why they are needed.