Just been approved....Help!

[MissHL]

Im new to this site, please bare with me! I'm not sure of the abbreviations or anything So, me and my partner have just been approved for 1-2 children under 5 and are just waiting for it to come through in writing and then the finding a match will begin...but what do I do in the mean time?! Can I prepare anything ready for linking panel? Can I do anything to my home? How long does it take to find a match? Please can someone give me some idea of what is coming next?!

Hi MissHi,

The matching process can't be asked how long is a piece of string. I know people who have been match before panel and people who have waited a few years.
I would start sorting out the house and get rid of anything that you don't want. Did the little bits of DIY that you haven't done.

Go out with your partner for meals or a short break away. Enjoy just being the two of you before your new chapter starts.

Good luck x

@Allgrownup3 thank you xx

Assuming your home is habitable, just carry on as normal. If you need to decorate bedrooms you could start on that but bearing in mind you don’t know who you’re decorating them for (so honestly, I’d only do that if I was having to remove terrible wall paper or carpets or something - if it was just straight up repainting in pink, I’d leave it. Pro Tip: paint in neutrals, when you know who is coming use decals to make it right for them.)

You can buy everything you need once you know who your DC will be. We were approved for 0-5 and had been told it would likely mean 4&5, but were surprised with 1&3. So if we’d have bought anything early, it would have been wrong.

Declutter, empty lofts, clear out cupboards - when the DC come you’ll need the space but not have the time or energy.

We were linked within a week of approval and DC placed 3 months later, but I know other people who’ve waited years. So who knows?

Take a holiday, drink some wine, bank some sleep. 😀

Ooh exciting congratulations
I really recommend buying the A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting by Sarah Naish and Therapeutic Parenting in a Nutshell.
Oh and of course have some lovely meals out and lie ins. Exciting times ahead!

@tldr how exciting that you were linked early!! We have already decluttered and the bedroom is all ready to be decorated and personalised, I was just wondering if theres anything I need to prepare that I will need to take to linking panel when it happens?

@swizzlestix thank you!

Another vote for decluttering. Took us 9 months from approval to moving in. Of which 4 months to being approached by child's as. Has been with us for 4 days

Hi,

I wouldn't get anything ready for your link because it might need to be very specific. I purchased a handmade dolly, only to find out, now we're on the other side of the the family finding process, I've no use for it for the link. I'm going to have to keep it as a Christmas gift instead.

We where approved & 5 days later approached by LOs family finders... that was in May & intros start next week!

Best of luck to you & your partner.

I would home in on the above comments about sleep, and spending time together. Also, if you can finish work at least a week before (I'm working right up until the day before & it's killing me because I've no free time to get focused)

I'd take the time to really think about how you're going to meet their needs on a practical level and check out alternative ways to do that. We've tended to react to problems rather than plan for them. So my LO now has 3 different nightlight options in her room because of this. We got the traditional plug into a wall socket for when she came home aged one. Then we got a grow glo clock to help her stay in bed in the mornings. It can also be used as a nightlight so that's number two. Finally when we switched her from cot to toddler bed we found she needed a nightlight she could control so we got her a battery powered elephant with a timer and choice of 5 colours. She also has 2 torches because the first one is more of a toy than a torch and she likes to play with shadows while in bed.

Other things we've got that we never thought we'd need are 3 step stools (upstairs bathroom, downstairs toilet and kitchen) so she can use the toilet, wash her hands, get in and out the bath independently and help prepare meals. We've also got an additional mirror in the bathroom at her height so she can see to wash her face and brush her teeth as the one we use on the bathroom cabinet is too high unless we open the door and she stands on the toilet.

As your approved 0-5 and any child placed with you will be working at a much younger age, you could decide on where you need child safety locks, what kind best meets your needs and install them. For example we have a screw in one that you turn a knob to open the catch when the doors partially open on the fish tank cabinet where the filter is. This is so we can access it quickly when I'm doing fish tank maintenance without needing a key. We have a magnetic locks in the kitchen on the cleaning cupboard and the plate cupboard which can be left unlocked with the door closed but need a special magnet key to open them. Finally the computer desk has a spring loaded push down with your finger lock for easy access because it keeps her out and hubby can open the doors easily.