# Timescale from date of placement



## A J (Oct 2, 2011)

Can anyone help? We have had a little pink placed with us since 18/4 and understand that we can legally apply to court after 10 weeks. However, at our first review (which went very well) the 2nd review date was set for the middle of August. This is to fit in with all SW holidays, part time workers etc but it isn't good enough! They are trying to persuade us to wait until then when they all have the paperwork ready & the court application can be taken in by them....we're paying for it.
Is t worth us putting in the application ourselves at 10 weeks (which will be June 27th)  instead of waiting out the almost 20 weeks they are running by? It has taken them 2 and a half years to get us this far- we will be over 3 years in the system from beginning to end which seems ridiculous. I feel like writing to the Queen & David Cameron, telling them exactly how it is-new legislations or not- yeah, I am miffed. 

Has anyone gone against their SW's and put their application in?

Despite all this we have the most gorgeous little girl who we love to bits, who is our world already & we are more than ready and willing to make it permanent. 

AJ x


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## Waiting_patiently (Dec 4, 2013)

Hiya, congrats on finally getting your dream, I totally get how frustrating it is and would want to do it regardless like you, however they have to fill in lots of the paperwork so my worry would be that it wont be done anyway if there not doing it in time so you would still end up waiting, as hard as it is maybe just think of what you have now and not let the 'system' ruin such a special time, go with it and enjoy your new family and before long it will all be in the past thankfully xx


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## A J (Oct 2, 2011)

Thank you so much for replying. I know, I am letting it ruin things a little for me.
I just have a bit of a dilemma. I have an apartment in Spain which I need to go to by the end of September- money needs to go into bank, place checked on etc. 
Our SW was originally keen to get all the paperwork in place, knowing this timescale & it is possible to do & a passport applied for LO to enjoy a little holiday with us. However, now it looks like I will have to go it alone meaning DH will have to take annual leave and not use it for us as a family.
AJ x


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## Tictoc (Aug 20, 2015)

Once you submit your a58 the local authority has a timescale given by the court in which to submit their paperwork. Basically if you submit you force LA to pull their paperwork together too.

Personally I would try to nicely tell them you can't possibly wait, you understand they have other pressures too and so you will submit yourselves so they don't need to worry about that. I have always submitted on the first day I am allowed. This time we are waiting for placement order (on foster to adopt) and the SW has already asked me jokingly to give her a week to pull paperwork together as we can submit of adoption order as soon as PO issued.


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## A J (Oct 2, 2011)

Thanks TicToc, I think I remember something being mentioned about a timescale being given by the courts- 4 or 6 weeks- I can't remember exactly, but I am going to email our SW and LO's SW to tell them our plans. They have plenty of notice then of our intentions.
DH and I were so overwhelmed at the review that the actual logistics of the timescale didn't become apparent until after.

I hope they pull their finger out with you and get things moving along. Our LA won't consider foster to adopt- I did ask about it last year...pants! Its the way forward, good luck
AJ xx


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## crazyspaniel (Sep 12, 2012)

Even if you do apply earlier you will still have to wait for a court date, there is then often a second date and celebrations  hearing after this...then you need to apply for long adoption certificate then for passport so it could still be tight?
Why don't you ask sw to apply for passport now that way you'll have one by September whatever happens. 
We've done this and will just change her surname once order is finallised. Plus this means ss pay for it


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## A J (Oct 2, 2011)

Crazy spaniel...thank you for your post which got me thinking.

I emailed our SW to tell her we are putting in an application at 10 weeks and asked her about applying for LO please passport. She tried to put me off the application by saying they have no control over dates, still have to wait fir new birth certificate etc (everything we already know) and has told me to contact LO's SW re applying for a passport now which I will do tomorrow.

However, she will have to contact birth mother (and father as he has parental rights) and it seems likely that BM will contest at court, BF not interested, so not sure if she will agree to the application. However, it's worth trying

AJ x


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## Nicola30 (Jun 13, 2011)

I think even if you apply at 10 weeks you might still find it a tight turnaround. We were placed with our DD on 24/03 last year and never got celebration hearing until 06/12. That was with no contest from the BPs and we applied at around 14 weeks.
Good luck!


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## ritzi (Feb 18, 2006)

AJ f2a doesn't exist in Wales at all....its simply not possible   . your best bet would be to get sw to apply for a passport for her in the old name, then you can change it later. i don't think you'll get the turn around you need otherwise......you also risk upsetting ss if you push for the AO before the 12 week review, and they need to fill quite a bit of the paperwork in   . keep them onside as much as it irks you...
i hope its going well


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## Lous mummy (Jun 16, 2014)

AJ, I'm not sure why your SW is so keen to wait for that review before you submit, it really shouldn't make a difference as they can still do it whilst the paperwork is with the courts, I had my LO placed in Jan and I filled in the paperwork for court at exactly 10 weeks, my SW then sent it all off for me and she told me that her and LO's social worker then get 28 days to do their reports, luckily for me they are very proactive and had it done in about two weeks so I'm literally just waiting for dates now. 
As for a passport, I plan on taking LO to Spain in September and as there were no guarantees that I would have adoption order and be able to apply for a passport in time LO's social worker has done this for me instead, it just means that it will arrive with her birth name on it.


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## A J (Oct 2, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and advice- I really appreciate it all. And excuse the spell 'check' errors which I only spotted at a later date  

Waiting for LO's SW to get back to me re passport application as seems that would be the best bet. She only works 3 days a week, ours 4 days so things are slow. Hence, the 12 week review is actually 19 weeks. Really peeved me @ 1st review when they were trying to set a date... it went around in circles, one couldn't do this date- don't work on that day, others on holiday, they even decided to take health visitors holidays into account & I had only met her once before for 5mins! So, tbh, I don't care about upsetting them by putting in an application at 10 weeks to take our needs into account. Surely LO would benefit more from the little 'home from home' family  break than staying at home with DH by themselves? 

Lous mummy....I don't think they are keen to bring it forward as they have less time to complete paperwork in the time they have- all being part time, with holidays!

Ritzi....dont actually know that much about the court process (ie paperwork ) apart from seeing the application form online. SS  previously said, not to worry about it & that they would complete it with the rest of their paperwork. Well, I don't think there's anything on it that I can't do? Some addresses- birth parents & birth certificate which we were promised on placement date & still hasn't materialised. You have a lot of experience with the system in Wales- any specific advice?

Hopefully I will have some contact from LO's SW early this week- she has only done one adoption before & working part time,  so seems to struggle with some things   

AJ xxx


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## becs40 (Apr 9, 2013)

If you're going to take lo away then personally I'd get SS to apply for the passport now and save yourself the stress. The timescales are very tight and that's making the assumption the order is granted on the first hearing - more often than not it's not for a whole host of reasons! If you had to go to a second hearing it's even less time to apply for passport or get ss to do it and it would put more stres on to get it sorted.
Personally I'd think really carefully before taking her away, that's still quite early into placement. Our son was placed at 6 months and we did our first weekend away when he was a year old so he'd been with us 6 months and was very settled. It was absolute hell! He was so distressed and upset, he barely slept at all the entire weekend and we were exhausted. Obviously in was the first time since placement he'd been away from home to a new environment (we had stayed the odd night at my parents with him but he was used to their house and napping there etc) since placement and it just triggered that fear for him that he was losing it all again. It took us a good couple of months to get back on track and with hindsight I'd never do it so soon. We've since been away again in March this year so 15 months after placement and the difference was enormous.


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## ritzi (Feb 18, 2006)

AJ - the SW will need to fill in the BP address'...they are not really allowed to give them to you so unless you can find them on LO's paperwork somewhere you may find SW wont give you them  - to protect BP's confidentiality. 


You may also find they do not hand over the birth certificate easily - you are not the legal guardian yet and SS will remind you of this if you push too hard    . Tread lightly i think....ask again and say you need it to open LO a bank account and for the court paperwork. They should hand it over, but may be a little nervous especially if sw fairly new to adoption   



The paperwork can become very complex if there are siblings involved. are there? if so the SW will need to do that bit as they ask which order each child has etc -  obviously much easier for you if not!


Our LA also ask not to submit paperwork before the 12 week review - i think its a regional thing    frustrating but just go with it, the passport is the most important thing here as you won't make the turnaround anyway i dont think....


does that help?  i know its not what you want to hear


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## A J (Oct 2, 2011)

Thanks everyone for helping me think this through. 
I can pick up birth certificate tomorrow- they were always willing to give it & need it for child benefit application....they are just so slow!
LO SW has agreed to get us a passport- we need to complete form & give her photos. I thought BP's have to sign, but don't think they do by reading the guidelines- can ss do it as they have parental responsibility maybe?
I expect they hope we back down with court application, but still think we will proceed. We have both BP's addresses on paperwork already & will just check with SW that they haven't moved.
It actually feels quite liberating, being able to put some action in by ourselves and not play their way
AJ xx


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