Childcare volunteer experience when you already have a BC - does it make a difference at matching?

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At the outset of my assessment my SW made it very clear that even though I already have a 5yo BC, this does not exempt me from the requirement to gain additional childcare experience in some capacity. Even though she's perfectly happy if the experience is an hour a week at a local school (i.e. a very limited period and with a completely different age group and social demographic from my potential future AC). Sigh.

A couple of months ago I reached out to a local primary school to offer my time as a volunteer, and it took them a few weeks to come back and say that they don't need any assistance. Over that period my SW hasn't followed up on the volunteering requirement even once, and I'm very tempted to just continue quietly ignoring the request and wait until I'm chased on it. (Obviously at some point she'll bring it up again and I'll have to do something then, but I'll have saved myself months of volunteering by then).

My question is - would not having any volunteering experience on my PAR impact the number of family finders who are interested in me during matching? I really struggle to believe that a SW looking for a family for an 18mo of the same ethnicity as my BC and I, would be so put off by the fact that I have no school volunteering experience that they would decide against me on that basis. Similarly the chances of a SW who reads my profile and feels it's a maybe, being swayed to a yes by my hour a week spent in a school, seems equally unlikely.

Would you bother with actively pursuing a volunteer placement now, or wait until my SW chases? I just don't see any benefit from it at all.

(Can I just add that I think volunteering is a wonderful contribution to society and I already volunteer several hours a week sharing my professional skills with a charity that wouldn't otherwise be able to afford this type of advice. One of my many issues with the childcare volunteering is that I'm a single Mum who works full-time, so I'm pretty busy!)

Your plan sounds great. I can’t imagine it’ll make much difference at panel, especially as you have BC.

You can legitimately tell SW if she follows up that you’ve tried finding somewhere to help at. I can’t imagine she’d hold up par or panel waiting.

Its probably not just about volunteering in a school. Maybe she is getting at experience of children with special/extra needs?

To be fair, everyone going though the adoption process is busy, if you use that as a reason SWs are likely to turn round and ask how are you going to fit in the demands of a second child who may have additional needs. I struggled to find somewhere that would fit in with work. In the end I created my own opportunity by approaching the school next door to my office and offering to set up a lunchtime gardening club. All the kids who came had extra needs of one sort or another. I ended up running it for 3 years and left then with a functioning garden that they could continue with.

Thanks for the responses!

Fatberg I appreciate the vote of confidence!

Ted I get your point, and there are numerous time-consuming activities I've already engaged in as part of this adoption process which I made time for because they're important and useful. Making time for something that seems to have so little return is what makes this painful.

I absolutely take on board your point about special needs, but the SW has already said it's not necessary for me to find somewhere where they look after SEN children. I have also stipulated that I wouldn't be able to take on a child identified as having SEN from the outset (whilst recognising that there is always a chance SEN will be identified later on).

Your garden sounds like a lovely idea, and I'm sure it made a big impact to the school. I hope your AC got a chance to see it at some point?

We were never even asked to get experience. Having a child was counted as experience!

getting though adoption is all about daft things with no much return!

the whole child care thing is a bit of a joke even if you dont have BC because a few hours volunteering is nothing like living with and parenting a child. I loved my garden club, I'm not saying I didnt learn anything but it was marginal.
Yes he did get to see the garden because I sent him to that school, and we eventually got an allottment which he loved.

DH and I had no experience with children and weren't asked to get any either. It was never mentioned at panel either. Good luck!

Think it depends on the Local Authority. Our first SW asked me to get experience so after looking around for a while, found one in the library and volunteer an hour a week during term time. Our second SW followed up without it being brought up again; by then at least 8 months had elapsed between the request and them following up.

I think some of it is about gaining experience and some of hoop jumping and am never sure which. Could you not reduce one of your other commitments for a while and concentrate on seeking more experience?

We were also told that it looks good on the PAR, as they're looking for outstanding candidates and this could be the difference. Good luck!

It does look good at matching if you have had contact with 'more challenging' children- it was brought up several times that I did. So, if you're going to do any volunteering, I would go out of your way to make it with less mc kids, if you can.

I am planning to help out at Beavers if it comes to it - as they are on Saturday.

Have DD(11), but will go through the various hoops that I have to (I suppose..)

We already have birth children, and have just been approved at panel. During assessment I was asked to get some child care experience as our youngest is now 12 . I approached the two closest primary schools, and like the OP was told by one they didn't need anyone, and by the other that it wasn't their policy to accept help from people without children at the school. We told this to our SW and she said that was fine, and she didn't mention it again until just before our panel.
She asked us to fill in a ;childcare experience' form mentioning a few times we'd recently looked after friends children instead, and that was that. It wasn't mentioned at panel either.

Thanks everyone! Some excellent points and lots of reassurance. Very jealous of the posters who weren’t asked to get “experience”!

This is supposed to benefit you - and your future child.
hopefully you can find an opportunity somewhere that will do that.

On these boards now it looks like people are simply trying to 'tick the boxes' and get through the assessment to panel.

The home assessment is so much more than that - it should be about helping you see children in a new light, helping you see the stresses and strains - and letting your SW see what you find stressful etc....

one hour a week isn't a lot, and yes you already have a BC - but your SW will pick up on your reluctance and to do this and question why - maybe not to you, but perhaps in supervision with her manager.

and while you say you've asked for no SEN children - ALL adopted children come with some level of additional needs, they have trauma that other children do not have, they need a level of care - certainly initially that others do not need.

hth

I don’t think that you will be disadvantaged at matching because you haven’t volunteered at a school.

But I do think you will have some problems at matching if you want an 18month old if you are a single mum working full time. It’s likely that preference will be given to a family where one parent will be at least part time if not a SAHP.

Many adopted children cannot cope with even part time childcare, let alone full time.

Of course this only applies if you are competing against other families. If you are, for example, of an ethnicity and / or religion that is in high demand and low supply, then it won’t be a problem. Or you are a social worker or adoption Solicitor.

Yes my husband was made to get the experience and at panel they bought it up at praised him for it! Even listed it under the positives. I think it was done as another way to prove your determination and commitment . He volunteered with 5year olds. Our child was 9months old when adopted! My husband maintains that it was not remotely helpful but he did enjoy it!

And we were willing to jump any hoop to have our child. She has been worth every bit of aggravation. Go and do the experience, keep an open mind and enjoy it. Perhaps it will be of benefit to you, the only way it helped my husband was he suddenly had to start building relationships with strange children. That is what the beginning of placement with your child will be like! So I guess it was useful in one way.

On our first meeting with the SW (before we were allocated one) I was told to get more childcare experience, even though I'd previously looked after my 5 year old niece. So I asked friends (and have since looked after ones 2 year old), and also volunteer at the local school (age 6/7) one afternoon a week. I actually really enjoy the volunteering, and even though the age range isn't what we'd be looking for I'm learning a lot about what kids get taught, how they behave etc, plus there is one child with autism in the class so I can learn a bit more about that behaviour, which is something I'd never experienced before.
Oh, and our allocated SW has never mentioned me getting childcare experience at all, and we are almost at the end of stage 2!

I want this to be seen as a positive thing when we go to panel, that I was willing to listen to their advice and do what I could do get that experience, plus as I said, I'm really enjoying it! ☺

We helped out at our local Athletic Club, was still there 20 years later even trained too be a national coach, Seen many children reach National potential, including our children.