Concurrent planning - Foster care

[oinker]

We have been advised that our little boys birth mother is 28 weeks pregnant and we have been asked by social services to consider concurrent planning. We would foster the new born sibling with a view to adopting. Baby would be removed from BM at birth. We have loads of questions regarding the pregnancy and baby. This is not what we are confused about. There is no doubt in our mind that we will agree to the concurrent planning/fostering and then adoption. We have always wanted a sibling group.
I'm after any advice re: Adoption leave etc...
I am currently on adoption leave for DS. Would we be entitled to further adoption leave once the fostering had ceased with the New sibling? My years adoption leave for DS ends mid October. I don't reckon that the new sibling would have been adopted by then. We expect a battle from Birth family.

Any legal advice/guidance would help.
I dont want to inform my employer just yet. I want to know where I stand first...
Any advice?

[hester]

Oh BLIMEY oinker!!

I'm afraid I don't know the answer to your questions - maybe the adoptionuk helpline? - but wow, you must be reeling.

I thought we were going to be in the same situation ourselves, but apparently not. (There's a whole, very strange story, behind that.)

[thefirstMrsDeVere]

You need to check. I do not think you are entitled to adoption leave if you have been fostering the child first.

Luckily my employers were not aware of this little fact (nor was I so till later).

Its all a bit hazy as it was 8 years ago (almost exactly, I met him for the first time in may )

hester I thought we were going to be in the same position a few years back but it didnt happen. How and why I and several social workers still cannot fathom.

But that is another thread.

[hester]

That's intriguing, MrsDeVere. We were told it was definitely happening, like right now, and then... nothing. No explanation, no apparent interest from the sws in working out what had happened.

[thefirstMrsDeVere]

Lack of funding, moving on to more vunerable families, b.mum knowing who to work the system better, new council house (no time to trash it), all new social workers so no-one around who was involved with the original case, b.mum no longer classed as a child.

Even now the sw involved with us at the time (from adoption team) cannot believe what has happened.

May still get the call one day. I try not to think about it too much.

[sshnapps]

depends on your company, the company i worked for treated adoption like maternity leave so there was a certain amount of service in between children you had to have completed.i have also heard some companys allow you adoption leave once the adoption is formalised after concurrent planning.
you will be paid whilst fostering anyway i presume.
i have a couple of friends who have been in your situation and when the baby has been born has been a different ethnic mix to their first child, which can cause problems both sides.
have they mentioned contact with the bm whils concurrent planning, this can be very tough, especially if she turns up for every meeting, social services tend to increase ontact the more she attends so be prepared.

[thefirstMrsDeVere]

THis might help.

Its seems to have changed since we got DS.

www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Moneyandworkentitlements/WorkAndFamilies/Adoptionrightsintheworkplace/DG_10029406

[RipVanLilka]

Oinker - I don't know the legals of concurrent planning, but sounds exciting!! I know there was at one stage when DS was in the womb, talk of concurrent planning. They phoned me, and asked about fostering him, because his mum wanted him to go to me, if she couldn't look after him. However, I refused, because I felt it would be too hard on DD2. I fully supported sending him home to his mum if she made huge strides, and would be delighted by that, but it would have been too hard on DD2 had that happened. I told them to come back when they had a placment order. They did, and he's eating breakfast right now!

Re telling employer. I wouldn't yet, because you have no concrete information. I know my employer would ask a load of questions I wouldn't yet be able to answer! But that's mine. I might wait a while. I don't know about fostering and SAP/adoption leave

Realmum12 - It sounds to me like you are in a lot of pain, so I won't engage. But the people who decide who the parents are is neither you nor me. It's the children/adult adoptees themselves. My children say I'm their mum, therefore I am. DD2 calls her other mum 'mum' as well, because she decided we are both mum. I go with what she wants

[oinker]

Thankyou all for your advice.

My head is spinning. Been up since 4 just thinking.
Going to compile my email to socialservices sone time today. We have so many questions which need answering.

[oinker]

Thank you Mumsnet!