Stage 1 to 2 transition

[teekay88]

Hi everybody wishing you well with your ongoinf journeys.

My partner and I have stage 1 training booked in each weekend of September with what they are calling a prep review meeting afterward about a week later. We have also just completed our official ROI form DBS stage 1 agreement and started to arrange medicals etc

I feel quite unclear about what the process and timeline is for finding out whether we are authorised to progress to stage 2 after the stage 1 training. Is this prep review meeting just a chance to reflect on learning from the training or is this likely to be where they share their decision based on checks and observations in training etc?

I also know that it's possible to take a break during stage 1 and 2 but assuming we go straight ahead I was wondering your experience of how fast stage 2 starts going? As ever I know this is a how long is a piece or string q but any insight into the stage 1 decision process n timeline greatly appreciated. Thanks as always xxx

[Smudgymoo]

We had to complete a Stage 1 Workbook before we were allowed onto stage 2. The workbook was a massive piece of work and took us aaaages. Have you completed the workbook?

I will say it all takes time and there are often so many delays for reasons really out of anybody's control... It takes a long time - it's not a quick process!

[teekay88]

Thank you. Yes I am already realising this getting from first phone call to this point has been 3 months already and more if count the months when we'd made a previous enquiry with othet agencies so deffo a long game .

We've received workbook which is massive but have been advised this doesn't form part of stage 1. For now we've been told this is for our info and we may be asked to complete some sections by the assessing social worker if we get to stage 2 xxx

[topcat2014]

What I have learned is it is confusing, and takes a while.

We did ROI in November, and stage 1 courses in March. Then we did the workbook, and got accepted onto Stage 2 in May -

Stage 2 courses booked for Sept.

Panel for November. It turned out that workbook did need doing before the end of stage 1, but we didn't get told that till the end of stage 1 meeting.

Learn not to stress about timings, and you will go a long way..

[hidinginthenightgarden]

Agencies seem to do things differently so it can be hard to compare. Play the long game. It took 9 months for us to be approved and apparently this is quick!

[donquixotedelamancha]

It took 9 months for us to be approved and apparently this is quick!

If you are in Enlandandwales, it's not.

Exactly what happens in stage 1 and 2 varies by agency. Stage one is loosely made up of information gathering- having to do a big workbook is typical, though this often leads to repeating the same info in stage 2. Training usually occurs towards the end of stage one or start of stage 2, but can occur at any point (we did ours when almost finished).

The whole process should take 6 months from ROI to approval.
Despite the many posters who will tell you it was much longer for them, it really should take this long in most cases.

The most common (valid) reasons for delay are: further medical reports needed, work history abroad needs chasing, adopters choosing to pause or complex issues from prior partners need investigating. So it is entirely normal that it might take more than 6 months, but only for a reason.

In practice some agencies (often, but not always LAs) don't have the staff to do the work or don't have efficient systems for performing checks. So every staff absence and every extra check creates a delay. I know of an LA where almost every application ran over for years because they sent out the medical questionnaire (perhaps the most common cause of delays) towards the end of stage 2! They got round the statutory target by massaging figures.

@OP Stage 1 should not take 3 months without a reason. Ask.

Learn not to stress about timings, and you will go a long way.

If we'd done this it would have delayed DD2's placement by months. If you like to be laid back, then by all means be so; but this is the process by which you have children- ask as many questions as you feel comfortable with. There are certainly likely to be times when dealing with SW where you will need to be a little pushy to get a good outcome.

[teekay88]

Hey everyone, sorry as usual for the delay. thank you for your replies and especially don, thats really useful and practical advice.

Thanks for info, so we've been sent a workbook already and are just about to start stage 1 training so have been through a lot of the form filling etc already. We've specifically been told which is different to others on here that we don't need to fill out the workbook for stage 1 - its more to look at so we can start reflecting on some of the contents. they use an independent social worker and apparently they will decide along the way with us which sections they would like us to complete ahead of stage 2 visits on each "theme" depending on areas they would like to explore further with us. yes i think our training will take us up to what should be end of stage 1 but i suspect strongly that our medicals will hold us up.

Yes ive heard about the 6m process. the 3ms i refer to is from the very first point we put a phone call in (well after having taken a break from our first enquiries) to getting to this point now. a couple weeks of that was us not being able to make an earlier initial visit appt and some of it has been lull between having had the initial visit outcome and actually getting the welcome pack. i think theyre quite selective wit hthe 6m timeframe as weve been told when we recently signed the ROI (at beginning of when we got our stage 1 paperwork through) that thw timeframe would count from that - so they appear to try to get some "preliminary" stufff done outside of the timeframe which i do think is a bit misrepresentative but i was prepared.

thanks for reasons for delay - its good to know what may come up and for us i think itll be medicals because our dr is rubbish and also because we both have history of depression which i know they want to explore okus id imagine my infertility diagnosis. i would say tho that they have been very reliable with sticking to time scales and have never taken longer than they quoted - the SW weve been dealing with has a style that is supportive but transparent which weve appreciated as shes kept in touch which has been reassuring of how they will be thgrough the process.

thanks also for the last paragraph. i had been feeling bad about being pushy about a couple of elements already but as you say i think that they seem to respond to this in a positive way as commitment/determination and i also think that as you say this is a necessary part of the adopters side of the bargain. chasing things up, being proactive etc

Its all fun and games! hope all is well with you all xxx