X. The Application Process, Page 5
Supporting Documentation for Your Application
Various parts of Form F need official documents to verify the facts given. Some of these you provide yourself; others are reports which the agency asks for from other places. These are:
- A recent photograph,
- Birth certificates,
- Marriage certificates,
- Documents relating to divorces and custody orders for children of previous relationships,
- Medical examination results,
- Criminal Records Bureau, local authority social services and Department of Health check results,
- Financial records,
- Reports from the social worker on her interviews with your personal references,
- Citizenship or residence documentation, if necessary,
- Adoption certificates or fostering papers for any adopted or foster children already in the family.
The social worker will give you authorisation forms to sign to have Criminal Records Bureau and social services records searched. This is to ensure that you aren’t hiding anything in your past, most especially, hiding offences against children.
You will also have to give two personal references (not professional contacts or relatives) of people who have known you for a substantial period of time.
You may be asked to provide recent bank statements and/or payslips for the social worker. She is not vitally interested in how much you earn, because that is not so important any more, so there is no reason to try to inflate your assets or income. She is simply interested in confirming that the figures you give the agency are correct. If your income is not enough to support a child, but the agency still wants you as an adopter, you will be helped to apply for financial help.
You should get the medical examination forms from the social worker and it’s up to you to arrange an appointment to have your doctor give you the medicals. Your doctor returns the forms direct to the agency. Normally the exam is quite quick, much like what you would have for a life insurance policy. If you think there is anything in your history, family history or a current medical condition which might concern the agency, be sure you discuss it with your doctor at the examination. The doctor may be able to tell you there is nothing to worry about, or she may want to warn you that there are genuine concerns about your capacity to parent a child over a long term, such as mental instability, chronic or progressive illness or your lifestyle. The doctor should be someone who has known you for a long time, if possible. If you have not been with your current doctor long, you may need to have your records transferred from your former GP (if that hasn’t already been done).
If any of your documents need translating, check early on with the agency about whether they need a thoroughly official (notarised) translation or whether it’s enough for you to translate them informally yourself. If the translation has to be officially done, it’s up to you to get a translator, pay her, and have the results notarised. The same applies if you don’t happen to have the documents themselves at home; you will have to order them from the appropriate agency. For some of the documents photocopies are not acceptable. This can take time, so don’t procrastinate.
The certificate-type information may simply be checked by the social worker and returned to you on the spot. The photograph is part of the material used to help match you with a child, so it will be kept as part of your file. You can provide several photographs. Formal studio portraits may tell strangers what you look like, but the agency may well want something more informal, which shows more of your personalities. At least one photo should be in colour. The medical reports go directly to the agency, and you will not be able to see them.
The Interviews
Interviews with the social worker can take place in the agency’s offices or in your home. At least some of them must be in your home: after all, this is a home study! The social worker wants to see how you live. She is not going to measure your rooms, count the spots on the carpet, or check for finger marks on the light switches. She isn’t being judgmental but she needs to know things like whether you are a relaxed (chaotically messy) or not (up-tight germ freak) housekeeper. She wants to know this because that is a factor in matching a child with you.
She will have to meet various members of the family in different combinations, to see how people interact. She wants to be able to talk with everyone individually, so they can be frank with her about any difficulties they see, embarrassing things, doubts they have, etc. These are important because they affect what kind of home you can offer a child, and to conceal important facts or feelings can endanger the placement down the line.
© Roger Ridley Fenton
