LA won't support us through to approval panel

[Trealop]

Hi

I would appreciate some advice. DP and I are over halfway through the second stage of approval process with our LA. They have now told us that we can go to panel if we wish, but they will not support us. They have suggested that we withdraw.

I'm really upset and don't know where to go from here. The reasons that they're giving for not supporting us are facts that we made clear right from the start (matters that really should not be an issue IMO). It feels as if we've been led to believe that everything was going along fine, only to be told at this late stage that they're pulling the plug.

I'm wondering whether it would be worth applying through a different LA or even a VA? What are the chances of success? Would a failure with one LA mean a 'black mark' against us?

Half of the cases that were taken to the Independent Review Mechanism were successful (after a negative panel decision).

Whether you can get through panel without a social worker supporting you is in my opinion doubtful. What is the manager saying? Say you want a psychiatists opinion (if they are saying they won't support you on psychological grounds).

You really need to push them into being specific and saying that you want to continue with as much psychological evaluation as they feel approriate - I think they can bring in a second social worker is they choose.

Give them teh very clear message that you are both determined and will do whatever it takes. Change agencies if necessary and tell your that you totally understand that they will discuss your case with the new agency. That one way or another you will be going to panel with or without them and with or without their approval. You need to make clear that you would rather go to panel, lose and appeal than give up now.

I know this is very upsetting but if you want this you have to fight fight fight for it. Adoption is tough (though it shouldn't be this tough!). But ultimately unless you fight this with everything you have then it won;t happen.

Tell your DH that just because they laid the "blame" at his door doesn;t make it right or true and now he has to show (well you both do) what you're made of.

Sorry to sound tough but if you let this drift it isn't going to happen.

Kewcumber the SW did mention a psychiatric assessment but implied that we would have to pay for it as it's so expensive (thousands of pounds they reckoned?). What's frustrating is that the medical advisor initially supported our application (because DP's GP report said the memory thing had been investigated and was nothing to worry about). Now the SW is saying that the medical advisor has changed their mind and won't support us. This is AFTER we took some time out and made the changes they had requested

Now they're saying that there's been an accumulation of problems regarding DP's memory (which is news to us... initially the said it was not considered an issue). It feels as if they keep changing the goalposts to try and put us off. They have come up with increasingly difficult 'changes' for us to deal with...and we have done exactly what they've asked...and then they come up with something else

The latest communication says that we can request a meeting with the manager (which have requested before but they've ignored), so we will try that but take a more formal approach.

Does anyone know if we can ask for all our records? I was thinking that if we go to a different agency, or if we go to panel without their support it would be good to know what they've written about us!

I do not know for sure if you can request your records but I once asked our social worker if I could see what was written about us and she said yes, it was just notes of our various meetings. Not sure if this is the case for all areas, you can but ask, but check this is the right thing to do before doing it. Others may have different opinions.

I am so sorry to hear of your experience.
It actually sounds startlingly similar to what happened to a family in my local authority a few years ago.
Have you sought advice from BAAF?
They were enormously helpful to the people I know.