# Concurrent Planning



## KateLW (Mar 3, 2015)

Hi all,

Lovely that people are able to share their experiences on here.  We have been told we can attend concurrent planning training days in the next month or so.  I'm finding it difficult to find any posts relating to concurrent planning, is anyone going through this at the moment or waiting to be matched?  I know it's a risk to us and understand what concurrent planning is, it would just be nice to see if anyone else has also recently done this.  I won't lie, I am having lots of second and third thoughts!! 
Thanks
Kate


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## Thepinklady (Apr 16, 2014)

Hi Kate

Welcome to the adoption boards. There are some threads further back that relate to foster to adopt more specifically than concurrency. It really depends on where you are in the country as to whether your local authorise push foster to adopt rather than offer a unique concurrency project. Foster to adopt is very different to concurrency. Basically in foster to adopt the decision has more or less been made that the baby will be adopted but there is still a lot of legalities to get through before it can officially be placed for adoption. Therefore the baby is placed with approved adopters in a fostering capacity while these are sorted and then matched officially for adoption with them. It gets the baby settled at a younger age. There are risks with it as it is sometimes,though rarely, that alternative kinship carers might pop us and following an assessment they go to them. The risk in foster to adopt of the child not remaining with the foster carers is very minimal, around 2-5%. HOWEVER, concurrency is very different. The active plan in concurrency is reunification home although the social workers also admit that this is still quite unlikely. The statistics and risks jump to 10-15% chance of the little one returning home. 

My husband and I did concurrency last year. We were in fact one of the 10-15%. Our little one returned home to mummy after 9 months with us. This naturally was very difficult but we could not argue with the decision made by the social worker. We could clearly see throughout the 6 month assessment the efforts and changes mummy had made. She deserved the chance to parent her little girl. We are a year down the line now and are very much happy with that decision. We have remained involved and connected with the little one and her mummy and can see a very good family unit developing. We have since been re-approved for concurrency and are hoping to begin a second placement very soon. The experience did not put us off. We went into concurrency because we saw that it was child centred. The needs of the child were paramount. In our case the needs of the child were at the centre. Her need to be raised by her birth family if it was safe, right and nurturing were met. However, if that home has not proven to be safe and nurturing and she needed to be adopted her needs for good early attachments with us as what would have been her adoptive parents would also have been met. That said concurrency is not for everyone. We are quite emotionally resilient people, we have a strong faith and we knew we could handle the risks and uncertainty. I talk to couples all the time who are considering concurrency and share our story. I tell them that only you as a couple know what you can handle and whether it is right for you.

Let me finish with the positive. Through our journey and sharing with other concurrent carers we know that the the majority of the cases do go on to achieve adoption. I know many carers who whilst there journey was not smooth and had jump and bumps along the way have adopted or in the process of adopting their little ones. They all would say the two advantages have been having their little ones from very early in their lives so experiencing all the firsts, building very early attachments and also getting to know the birth family well through the regular contact. Growing up they feel they are in a better position to share the little ones life story with them. They can impart real and meaningful information about their birth families to them. 

If you want to pm me with more questions please do. My husband and I love sharing and helping other couples make decisions about concurrency or support them through their journey.


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## happypenguin (May 8, 2013)

Another Concurrent Carer here. We are at the end of the process having now adopted our LO. Ask away.....


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## IVFer2000 (Jun 20, 2016)

Hi we adopted through concurrent planning. Went smoothly for us luckily. A friend did it also which was a bumpier road but still worked out and she had her son right from birth. Ask away with questions if you need


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## Cazne (Jul 19, 2009)

hi, we were approved for concurrency and foster to adopt about 2 months ago.  We firmly believe it's the best possible scenario for children which is why we went for it in the end.  We didn't always feel like that - we actually did the training to help us rule out concurrency because we thought it wasn't for us - but the training convinced us otherwise!  Waiting to be matched at the moment.

I'd say do the training because it help you make up your mind about what you want and don't want and whether you think you could cope with it or not.  

Happy to answer questions
Cazne x


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