Contesting Adoption Order

[BAdopter]

We have just been notified by the family court that bps are contesting the adoption order. We were not expecting it (due to them never contesting previously and saying there weren't this time...) But I'm surprised how I feel about it.
We've had LO for over 6 months now and even the tiniest chance of them not being with us just is unthinkable.
Just looking for reassurance really... How common is the contesting and what is your experience of this time?
Our SWs were good up until a few months ago, they don't even respond to emails now! Hoping they offer some reassurance but not holding my breath.
Cannot wait to know LO is ours forever.

It's very common for birth parents to contest as a final "we tried" method, even if no changes have been made to their life style or situation. I think it just makes them feel better. It delays things but ultimately you won't lose your child.

Honestly it doesn't really mean anything as by the time the child is placed with you it will have been proven over and over again that the child needed to be adopted. BP won't have had enough time to prove they have changed and can keep that change up.

Please don't worry, I've never ever heard of a child going back to BP at this stage.

By the way, BP contested with us because nobody explained the paperwork and they ticked the wrong box.

Someone much cleverer/more involved in social work may come along and correct me but for a child to be put into care, initially they get an interim care order from courts which would put them into foster care. I would say this is not done lightly. Then they go through the process to get a placement order for the child which would mean they can be put up for adoption. There are normally several court dates before a placement order is granted as the social workers have to explore every possible outcome before that placement order can be granted. By the time a child comes to live with you, there is really no way that they will go back as all the checks will have been done at the placement order hearing.

Initially, the birth parents are not appealing the adoption but they are asking for the chance to appeal, which tends to be refused but in some cases it is allowed. Just because it is allowed it doesn’t mean that it’s likely to go through, it’s just that the judge is willing to hear them out.

It would not be in a child’s best interest after all of this uprooting and change to go back to the birth parents after such a short period - 6 months is likely not enough time to demonstrate they have made the changes required for the child to be safe and also, the birth parents had several opportunities at the previous hearings to demonstrate the changes required.

Again, someone who knows the social working process better may come along and dispute this but this is my interpretation of what happens.

However I do know how scary it is. I planned an escape route which is ridiculous as we’d be caught at the service stations doing a wee within 20 minutes….!!