Jessica Sale is an adoption social worker for a local authority. She places children with families and then offers support
Guardian Social Care Network, Guardian Professional,
My first appointment might be visiting a family where a child
has recently moved in – most of my visits involve just a short drive
When a child is first placed with an adoptive family, the support they
receive is fairly intense, but as the family gel together we gradually
reduce our involvement if things are going well.
In more complex cases we continue to provide support to adoptive families for many years. This could be anything from home visits, referrals to specialist services or financial support to therapeutic interventions or meetings with schools. In a few cases, the experiences of the children before coming into care leave them with such complex needs that help outside the family will be needed at some point.
Sometimes difficulties emerge years after the adoption order is made, but local authorities have a duty towards adoptive families until the child reaches the age of 18, and all our adopters are invited to our support group, even if the placement is going well. Adoptive parents can meet and share experiences.
Alternatively, I might prepare for a child moving to an adoptive placement and meet prospective adopters and the child and adolescent mental health service practitioner who has been working with a child, so the family can hear their perspective on the child's needs. Everything we know about a child gets passed on to the prospective adopters.
At lunch, I usually get to grab a quick sandwich in the office, in the car on the way to my next visit or occasionally in a local cafe with a colleague.
Back at my desk, my first task is checking emails and messages. I always hope there have been enquiries about my children – we are not able to place all of our children with adopters we have assessed within the council so we publicise them around adoption agencies all over England and Wales.
I might then have a meeting with a child's social worker, to plan family finding and keep up to date with the child's situation. Days can be quite long. Potential adopters might work in the day so need to be visited in the evenings, or there may be evening events to try to interest people in becoming adopters.
We always have many more children needing adoptive families than we have families waiting to adopt, so recruiting potential families is a constant challenge for us. There are a lot of myths about who can adopt so at recruitment events we try to get all the facts across.
If I don't have evening visits, I might go for a run, to mull over the day and think about my list of things to do – I don't know of any social worker who feels they have enough time to do the job justice and, with the current squeeze on resources, our caseloads are bigger than ever.
Getting out for a run inevitably leaves me feeling better, mentally and physically. I recently ran the Oxford half marathon and raised money for the Oxford Cancer Centre.
Weekdays are pretty full on so I try to make sure the weekends are my own, but every year we have an adoption party for all our families and I never begrudge giving up a Saturday for this as it is a chance to celebrate adoption with our children and families as they grow up together.
Why not join our community? Becoming a member of the Guardian social care network means you get sent weekly email updates on policy and best practice in the sector, as well as exclusive offers. You can sign up – for free – online here.
In more complex cases we continue to provide support to adoptive families for many years. This could be anything from home visits, referrals to specialist services or financial support to therapeutic interventions or meetings with schools. In a few cases, the experiences of the children before coming into care leave them with such complex needs that help outside the family will be needed at some point.
Sometimes difficulties emerge years after the adoption order is made, but local authorities have a duty towards adoptive families until the child reaches the age of 18, and all our adopters are invited to our support group, even if the placement is going well. Adoptive parents can meet and share experiences.
Alternatively, I might prepare for a child moving to an adoptive placement and meet prospective adopters and the child and adolescent mental health service practitioner who has been working with a child, so the family can hear their perspective on the child's needs. Everything we know about a child gets passed on to the prospective adopters.
At lunch, I usually get to grab a quick sandwich in the office, in the car on the way to my next visit or occasionally in a local cafe with a colleague.
Back at my desk, my first task is checking emails and messages. I always hope there have been enquiries about my children – we are not able to place all of our children with adopters we have assessed within the council so we publicise them around adoption agencies all over England and Wales.
I might then have a meeting with a child's social worker, to plan family finding and keep up to date with the child's situation. Days can be quite long. Potential adopters might work in the day so need to be visited in the evenings, or there may be evening events to try to interest people in becoming adopters.
We always have many more children needing adoptive families than we have families waiting to adopt, so recruiting potential families is a constant challenge for us. There are a lot of myths about who can adopt so at recruitment events we try to get all the facts across.
If I don't have evening visits, I might go for a run, to mull over the day and think about my list of things to do – I don't know of any social worker who feels they have enough time to do the job justice and, with the current squeeze on resources, our caseloads are bigger than ever.
Getting out for a run inevitably leaves me feeling better, mentally and physically. I recently ran the Oxford half marathon and raised money for the Oxford Cancer Centre.
Weekdays are pretty full on so I try to make sure the weekends are my own, but every year we have an adoption party for all our families and I never begrudge giving up a Saturday for this as it is a chance to celebrate adoption with our children and families as they grow up together.
Why not join our community? Becoming a member of the Guardian social care network means you get sent weekly email updates on policy and best practice in the sector, as well as exclusive offers. You can sign up – for free – online here.
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