Reference for adoption-meeting with the social worker next week

[BloodyGoodRep]

I provided a reference for my friend and her partner who are hoping to adopt. The process seems to be going so, so slowly for them. I actually submitted the reference 11 months ago but I’m sure with Covid and everything things are just taking longer.

Anyway the social worker has called me and asked me to have a virtual meeting with her to discuss the reference further. I spoke to my friend and let her know but I feel really nervous about it for some reason! I really want to get this right for them as they will make the best parents and have so, so much to offer.

Does anyone have any ideas what questions a social worker might ask me? She said the meeting will be about a hour long.

Thanks

I think its quite normal for SWs to speak to referees, my SW spoke to all of my mine.

Try not to worry, they will want to discuss what you said in your reference, to try to get to know your friends a bit better.

Think our referees were asked things about us as a couple and as individuals, what we were like with their children and what they thought we'd be like as parents.

I was recently interviewed after a friend who has applied to become a foster career put me down as a referee. A lot of the questions went over information that I included in my reference - how long had I known her and so on.

Other questions included had I seen her caring for children, what did I know about her relationships with her family members, how did I feel that she would adapt to the role of a foster career. There were some questions (for example about her relationships with family members) that I felt that I didn't have the knowledge to answer. I just made this clear and the social worker was fine with this.

Where possible, I used my knowledge of my friend to highlight qualities that I felt would suit her for the role - for example, having seen her in a volunteer role, I know that she has a good awareness of safeguarding. I also know that her professional background would give her a specialist knowledge that would be beneficial to the role.

Thanks so much for replying. I’ve just reread my reference as it was so along ago since I wrote it, obviously all the things I said still stand but obviously with lockdowns I haven’t spent a lot of time with them this past year so things such as them spending time with my DS aren’t relevant right this minute but this won’t be a negative will if?

As I said I just really want to do my absolute best for them, they’ve been waiting for this for soooo long!

The circumstance of lockdown are highly unusual and the social worker should be able go through how things were before it happened. You sound like a lovely friend. Hope the meeting goes well.

Thank you! It went really well and she said that everything I said just confirmed what she already knew. So fingers crossed things will speed up a bit now 🤞🏻🤞🏻