Meeting my SW next week...

[Singleadopter87]

Hi, I made the first step and contacted my LA a few weeks ago, and got a phone call today to say a SW is coming out to do the first visit next week!
I'm beyond excited but also really nervous, what kind of things will she be asking/looking for?
For context, I'm a single adopter in my thirties, and have suffered with anxiety in the past and periodically due to work. I've figured out my coping mechanisms so feel I can confidently talk about that.
I have lots of experience working with children and spend a lot of time around them, the thought of adopting is making really excited and I don't want to mess this up! This has also happened so quickly, I was advised it would be up to a month before the initial contact and then another month before I found out if I would put forward to stage 1, so for this to happen after 3 weeks and for them to want to arrange a visit so quickly is a little overwhelming!

Just try and relax and be yourself. They will probably want to talk about your motivations, your understanding of children in the care system, probably a bit about your support network and plans for working after adoption leave
Good luck !

As @Ted27 says this will just be an initial visit to meet you and talk through the process in more detail - nothing to worry about. It’s just part of the process of getting to know you and your hopes and expectations.

They will also, probably, look round yoir home.

They'll want to see space for a child and obviously clean etc but not overtly tidy!

I did clean and tidy up, which gave me confidence but, as I say, they are not expecting pristine!

I have also had anxiety in the past and can talk about it. Well done for understanding it. Showing you've worked through it etc can be a strength.

Good luck.

We've just been linked with a little boy and are have matching panel and introductions next month. Both my partner and I have a history of anxiety and depression, both having sought help from medical professionals in the past. I was worried that this would be a problem but it wasn't. My social worker explained that the fact that we'd recognised that there was a problem, sought help and have developed coping mechanisms was actually a positive thing. Just be honest about what's happened in the past and I'm sure you'll be fine.

My first meeting involved talking about why we wanted to adopt, what child/children we were looking for, how we planned on coping with a child and they explained a bit about what would happen next. They also had a look around the house to make sure there was room for a child. They did note our cluttered junk room! Although we were dreading the meeting they were friendly and put us at our ease. Just remember that they need adopters and I'm sure you have a lot to offer a little one.

Good luck!

I'm a single adopter in my thirties, and have suffered with anxiety in the past and periodically due to work. I've figured out my coping mechanisms so feel I can confidently talk about that.
I missed this part initially - it’s good that you’ve got coping strategies in place, and that you know where your anxiety came from. They won’t explore that at the first meeting but will talk about it as part of the wider assessment. It’s worth now thinking about how those coping strategies might change if you became a parent - eg if physical activity is part of your coping how will you accommodate that while parenting a little one, what’s your support network like and how might you ask for help if (when) anxiety reared it’s head again.

Having mental health difficulties isn’t a barrier to adoption, knowing how to ask for help and being able to explain how, for example, you’d recognise you were struggling and how you’d get help is important.

Hope the initial visit goes well.

Thanks all, I am very excited but also keep thinking of all of the what ifs!