Stage One

The focus of Stage One is gathering factual information and checks.

During Stage One, your Social Worker is likely to visit you two or three times and there will be a number of tasks for you to complete. For example, completing the Stage One Work Pack and attending Training.

Your Social Worker is likely to give you greater insight into the needs of children and they will start to gain an understanding of your personal history.

 You will have a working agreement called the Stage One Agreement. Homework tasks and forms are sent out. These include a table for finances, a health and safety checklist and a self-assessment tool as well as resources including recommendations for reading and further research.  All checks and references are sought during this stage.

Most adopters find it helpful to carry out research on adoption. The resource list provided should help with this, but please contact your Social Worker if you need more help. Information can also be found on the CoramBAAF, Adoption UK and First4Adoption websites.

We would encourage you to make contact with other adopters to find out more and we can assist you with this if you don’t know any yourself.

It is essential that you share with us any significant changes in your life, such as information relating to you, or members of your family with whom the child would have contact which could impact on or cause concern regarding your capacity to provide safe care for a vulnerable child. Any failure to do this could impact on the outcome of the adoption application. Please ask us about this if you have any doubts.

Following completion of Stage One, including receipt of checks and references , a Stage One review meeting takes place and a decision is made by the Team Manager about whether you can proceed to Stage Two. If for any reason we are unable to proceed, the reasons for this will be shared with you. You would be able to access the Wrexham Complaints Procedure if you did not agree with the decision, and in any event are free to approach other agencies.

Stage One should normally take no longer than 2 months. If there are any delays to checks and references being received or if you feel you need longer to explore whether adoption is right for you then Stage One can be extended.

Sometimes prospective adopters decide they wish to take a break of up to six months between Stage One and Stage Two of the adoption process (the agency may recommend this). You can do so without your assessment being halted. All records and documentation submitted will be retained for future use, if you decide to take this route, or to stop your assessment at this point.  Should a break be longer than 6 months, you would be required to restart Stage One.

Preparation to Adopt

In Stage One, you will be invited to attend a compulsory three-day adoption preparation course which will provide an understanding of the types of children who need adoptive families, how their experiences of abuse or neglect may impact on their behaviour and/or development, and how therapeutic parenting may help.

The course is held over three days and attendance for all three days is mandatory. The process will be delayed if applicants are unable to attend initial preparation, and a clear indication of their availability will be ascertained.

The training provides an opportunity to meet with adoptive parents and others involved in the adoption process including staff at the agency.