Lockdown and intros

[Applevelvet]

After a few false starts, we're due to start intros on Monday (we're in a tier 1 area in England). Given the imminent national lockdown, is there any chance this will go ahead?

I was starting transitions during the last lockdown and it was a shitshow as nobody knew what was going on and there was nothing in place for this sort of situation.

I think I remember reading that transitions can happen during lockdowns but who knows. It’s dependent on lots of variables (including how comfortable the FCs are with it). Only your SW can really answer this for you.

Good luck and I hope it goes ahead if it’s the right time for your child/children and all involved. Lockdown definitely makes it harder (I persuaded a hotel to open up just for me so I could do mine, was very strange!!!) x

I think they may try and shorten them as the lockdown expected to start on Thursday

Thank you, I'm relieved to hear it's not an instant 'no'. I guess we'll have to ring first thing Monday morning to see what their stance is. The match is in a neighbouring county, which always complicates things.

It would be great to hear from anyone else who was able to proceed with intros during the previous lockdown.

We are still waiting for a match but I know our LA has gone ahead with intros throughout lockdown but have asked fc and adopters to self isolate for 2 weeks prior to intros

We are half way through introductions at the moment, I have seen in the gov guidelines that there is specific reference to allowing these processes to continue for adoptive parents so all should be fine, good luck x

All will be different agency and la's., Have too do a risk assessment then decide safest option. Have done transition we both isolated completely for two weeks., did virtual contact prior too this then normal transition but shorter. Move went well, are now risk assessing further transition. Hope all works as well as the past one, very early days.

Good news! We had a call first thing this morning to say we can start as normal, and they'll try to get a letter across to us confirming why we're travelling.
Thank you all for your helpful comments, you certainly helped to reduce my stress levels over the weekend!

That’s lovely news, congratulations.

Maybe use the time you have before intros start to prepare for being at home with a new little person. Not just the practical things like food, supplies and things to entertain your new arrival but also to really out in place support for yourself. I don’t know if you have a partner but if you do planning now for when you’ll get some time for yourself even if that’s an hour -drinking wine- reading, or friends that can call you (rather than you needing to call them) and folk you can just touch base with as need be.

It’ll be good for you and your child to have time close to home, but it does mean it can feel very intense, especially if you can’t meet friends for coffee once the little one is in bed.

If you’re a single adopter, have at least one person you can be completely open with and who will support you well during intros and don’t think that intros in any way reflects how your parenting experience will be. Intros is a very very strange time, some have had really experiences and some not so much but having your child in your home will be so very different.

Many congratulations, you’re starting the most exciting, scary, exhausting phase of your life but also the most lovely.

It is very stressful. Great to hear things are still going ahead despite the imminent lockdown.Wishing you all the best X