Interagency Adoption Placements - Practice Guidance

Where a child from another agency is being placed with prospective adopters approved by another agency, the process following panel may vary from those detailed below and the worker(s) involved will need to familiarise themselves with the placing authority's relevant procedures.

The Costs Associated with Inter-Agency Placements BAAF identifies two standard inter-agency fee rates payable by Local Authorities when placing children for adoption. One relates to placements made with prospective adopters approved by other Local Authorities while the other relates to placements made with prospective adopters approved by Voluntary Adoption Agencies.In calculating the total cost of the placement it must be borne in mind that the identified rate is per child, although there is a sliding scale where sibling groups are to be placed together.Where an adoption allowance is identified at the time of placement, or prior to the making of an adoption Order, the payment of such an allowance remains the responsibility of the placing authority.Any financial support to the prospective adopter(s) associated with setting up the placement, including introduction costs, equipment etc. must be considered and agreed prior to placement.

The Process Prior to Panel Before a match linking a child with local adopters is confirmed the Social Worker for the prospective adopters must thoroughly read the child's file.The Adoption Support Plan  must be fully discussed between the agencies involved as well as with the prospective adopter(s) prior to the proposed match being considered by the panel.  The Local Authority in which the prospective adopter(s) live must also be consulted as a third party if they are neither the placing agency (for the child) nor the approving agency (for the prospective adopter(s)).The adoption placement report should be written by the child's social worker and/or the family finder. This report must be sent to the adopters before panel, they should be given 10 days to read it and comment.Papers should be prepared for panel.

Panel The social worker for the child and the link-worker for the prospective adopter(s) should both attend the adoption panel when the proposed match is considered. Where the link-worker for the prospective adopter(s) will need to come from a distance this should be brought to the Panel Administrators notice in advance so that it can be taken into account when a panel time is allocated to the item.

The Process Following Panel Once the proposed link has been recommended by the adoption panel and agreed by the agency decision maker, a formal inter-agency agreement must be drawn up, The Inter-Agency Agreement

• This agreement must cover the financial arrangements in respect of the proposed placement and should also detail the practice arrangements.
• A senior representative from each agency who is in a position to agree the financial terms/expenditure associated with the placement must be involved in drawing up the financial agreement
• The financial agreement is based on the BAAF Form H1
It is the responsibility of the placing authority to draw up the financial agreement and to ensure that it is signed by both agencies. The original should be held on the child's file and a copy provided to the prospective adopter(s)' approving agency to be held on their fileThe agreement of the practice arrangements can in some circumstances be combined with the placement planning meeting.A copy of the signed agreement or the minutes of the placement planning meeting should be provided to the prospective adopter(s)' approving agency to be held on their fileA copy of the signed agreement or the minutes of the placement planning meeting should be provided to the prospective adopter(s) prior to the placement being effected

Invoices Payment by the placing agency will be triggered on receipt of an invoice from the prospective adopter(s)' approving agency

• 1st invoice on placement (this is for 1/3 of the full inter-agency rate)
• 2nd invoice 12 months post placement or at the point of adoption, whichever is sooner (this is for 1/3 of the full inter-agency rate - pro-rata if less than 12 months)
• Subsequent invoices after each 12 months period, if no adoption order has been granted (these are for 1/3 of the full inter-agency rate)
• A final invoice at the point that an adoption order is granted (this is for 1/3 of the full interagency rate - pro-rata if less than 12 months)

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