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Help us adopt!

15 replies

sassymay · 18/06/2014 21:01

Help us adopt! Allow people with an Independent Review Mechanism Recommendation as suitable to adopt to go ahead and adopt.
Sign and change a child's life today.

www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/david-cameron-help-us-adopt-allow-people-with-an-independent-review-mechanism-recommendation-as-suitable-to-adopt-to-go-ahead-and-adopt-2#

We want to adopt and have spent the last 18 months training and preparing to adopt. There is no legal reason why my husband and I cannot adopt.

In fact we have gone through the rigorous and time consuming process of the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM)* and have gained a recommendation as suitable to adopt straight away. We believe we should therefore be provided with a route to adopt.

IRM are convinced of our value as potential adopters.

David Cameron, you said "this government is going to tear down the barriers that stop good, caring potential adoptive parents from giving a home to children who so desperately need one."

We are asking you to keep your word.

Last year 6,800 children were waiting to be adopted. So why haven't we adopted?

Our Local Authority have refused to accept our IRM recommendation. Therefore the cost of their 18 month assessment of us will go to waste. So will the £2,500+ they paid the IRM.

(*IRM is the Independent Review Mechanism operated by British Association for Adoption and Fostering for the Department of Education)

A child waiting in care is being denied a loving family. Your signature can change this. Please sign now.

Join us on Facebook and Twitter #onelesswaiting

Help us adopt!
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Devora · 18/06/2014 21:03

Sorry, what? You'll need to explain all this better. How can people who don't know you say you should be allowed to adopt?

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fledermaus · 18/06/2014 21:05

So the LA thought you were unsuitable to adopt, but the IRM thinks you are?

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Devora · 18/06/2014 21:14

'There is no legal reason why my husband and I cannot adopt'. But the adoption system is about finding parents for children, not children for parents. I'm afraid I don't know about the IRM - can you explain? And WHY is the LA refusing to accept the recommendation?

I'm afraid I just react badly to your post as it is currently worded - it feels emotionally manipulative, raising the mood music without giving people the chance to reach an informed view. I am an adopter myself and very sympathetic to what you are trying to achieve, but BECAUSE I understand adoption I can't just offer unconditional support to anybody who just claims it as a right.

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TheSarcasticFringehead · 18/06/2014 21:24

I don't get it- are the LA saying they won't let you adopt (why?) or just that they aren't accepting the IRM? Why did you use the IRM when you could have the LA assess you more directly?

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sassymay · 18/06/2014 21:25

Hi Devora,
Thanks for your question as I do want to make our position as clear as possible. The Independent Review Mechanism is the only place to go for people who have been turned down by their Local Authority. From all over the country only about a dozen people get to IRM each year. They review your entire case, as presented by the Local Authority, and come to a fresh view at National Level. People with a very high level of expertise are used and a lot of scrutiny of the entire process is involved. Our panel lasted over 2.5 hours. At this Review we were recommended as suitable.

Fledermaus has summed it up neatly. The IRM thinks we are suitable and the LA does not. The IRM is a very in depth process demanding a lot of time and effort on all sides. Because of this and because of our personal wish to adopt I would like their decision to be binding.

Please continue to ask questions if more info is needed as I am aiming for clarity Smile

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sassymay · 18/06/2014 21:27

Hi The Sarcastic Fringehead, my post just crossed with yours, so if it doesn't answer your query please let me know Smile

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BrianTheMole · 18/06/2014 21:29

What reasons have the LA given op?

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Devora · 18/06/2014 21:37

So if you have IRM approval do you still need LA approval? Can you apply to an alternative LA, or a VA? Or is the IRM approval more of a recommendation to the LA that they should overturn their judgement?

I'm not going to ask you to disclose any personal stuff you don't want to, but is there a reason why the LA took against you? Is it a discrimination issue? Did you have a personality clash with the SW?

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sassymay · 18/06/2014 21:39

Hi BrianTheMole, A range of reasons were given, termed 'vulnerabilities' and these were then stated by Independent Review as being unevidenced. But some of these 'vulnerabilities' were re-iterated when we were subsequently turned down for approval by the Local Authority. Because I am replying on the Petitions' board (thus identifiable) I will leave it there, but you can PM me if you want more detail.

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Devora · 18/06/2014 21:44

Sorry sassymay, I've just remembered who you are - you've posted in Adoption before, haven't you? Wasn't the issue about your existing children's needs?

Have you contacted adoptionuk for advice? I'm wondering if you can take your IRM decision to another adoption agency?

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Fideliney · 18/06/2014 21:48

sass it is not clear (to me at least) from the petition wording whether the you are petitioning about your specific case or the general principle that IRM rulings should be binding. Can you clarify?

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sassymay · 18/06/2014 21:52

Hi Devora, the Independent Review Mechanism make a recommendation to the Local Authority to resume assessment or to approve (as in our case). As I understand it this usually leads to a resumption of assessment or an approval, but not in our case. The agency advisor was involved with supervision of our social worker, advising our original LA panel and advising our agency decision maker who ultimately didn't go along with the IRM. The problem with approaching another VA or LA is that our original Local Authority agency advisor is the first place they go for a reference.
To me it certainly seemed to be a discrimination issue and a culture/personality clash didn't help. But I suppose whether or not we get to benefit I have seen other prospective adopters suffer from these problems and would like to see a change in the system.
Off to bed now... thanks a lot for the interest Smile

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sassymay · 18/06/2014 21:54

PS for Fideliney need to work on petition wording then it is the general principle. Perhaps not clear because I suppose we'd like to benefit from that change Smile

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Fideliney · 18/06/2014 21:58

Jolly good - I think you'll find it easier to get signatures for a principle that for a specific highly personal case that people aren't familiar with Smile

Might be an idea to tweak the wording to make it clear you are an example Flowers

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sassymay · 19/06/2014 10:29

Thanks Fideliney, Change.Org have made a similar point and have appointed someone to help sharpen up the text next week so I'm hoping with their support we'll be able to reach more people Smile

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