What reviews take place during the foster to adopt process?

Several linked reviews may take place during a foster to adopt placement. They check that the child’s needs are being met, that the placement remains suitable, and that the plan for the child’s long-term care is being assessed lawfully. The reviews are connected, but they have different purposes and are not all formal meetings with the same participants.

• Supervision of the placement: the child’s social worker and your supervising social worker will consider how daily care is progressing. This can include the child’s health, development, behaviour, routines, attachment, sleep, feeding, emotional presentation and response to your care. It is also an opportunity to discuss practical issues, contact with birth family, appointments and any support or training you need.
• Review of the permanence plan: the local authority will keep the plan for the child under review as assessments and legal proceedings develop. Foster to adopt is intended to provide continuity where adoption may become the outcome, but adoption is not guaranteed. The authority must continue considering the child’s welfare and all relevant options rather than treating adoption as automatic.
• Adoption assessment reviews: if you are being assessed as prospective adopters, your adoption social worker will review the progress of your assessment, the information gathered and any matters that need further exploration. This may include your capacity to meet the child’s needs, your support network, health information, family circumstances and understanding of the possible outcomes.
• Foster carer review: your approval as a foster carer is reviewed separately from the child’s individual looked-after review. This considers whether your approval remains appropriate, how you have met fostering responsibilities and whether any changes to your terms of approval are needed. The review may take account of training, supervision, records and feedback from professionals involved with the placement.

The exact timetable is set by the relevant local authority and can change if the child’s circumstances require closer oversight. The first looked-after review is normally held within 20 working days of the child becoming looked after, the next within three months, and later reviews at least every six months. Additional meetings can be arranged between formal reviews if there is a significant change, concern or decision to consider.

Before a review, you may be asked to provide observations about the child’s progress. Useful information includes changes in behaviour, health or development; what helps the child feel settled; responses to contact; important routines; and any concerns about safety or wellbeing. Keep factual records, distinguish what you observed from your interpretation, and share important information promptly rather than waiting for the next meeting.

Those attending will depend on the purpose of the review. They may include the child’s social worker, independent reviewing officer, supervising social worker, health professionals, education representatives, the child’s parents or other relevant adults. The child’s views should be considered in an age-appropriate way. You may be asked to contribute directly, provide a written report or discuss your observations with the social worker beforehand.

A review should result in clear actions, responsibilities and timescales. These might relate to medical appointments, early years provision, contact arrangements, therapeutic help, recording expectations, practical equipment or further assessment. Ask for any decision that affects day-to-day care to be explained clearly, including who is authorised to make it and when it will be reconsidered.

It is important to understand the limits of each review. A looked-after review can recommend or monitor a care plan, but it does not itself make the final court decisions about parental responsibility or adoption. The court, rather than the review meeting, determines relevant legal applications. Similarly, approval as a prospective adopter does not by itself create an adoption order.

If you disagree with a decision or believe information has been misunderstood, raise this with the social worker and independent reviewing officer, giving specific examples and any supporting records. You can ask for your views to be recorded, request clarification of the agreed plan and seek advice from your supervising social worker. Where a concern is urgent, particularly one involving the child’s safety, report it immediately through the agreed safeguarding route rather than waiting for a scheduled review.

Reviews should therefore be treated as working points in the foster to adopt process, not as one-off tests. They provide structured opportunities to share evidence about how the child is developing, check that responsibilities are understood and ensure that decisions continue to reflect the child’s welfare and changing circumstances.