Anyone else waiting to be matched?

[hester]

And could do with a bit of mutual support?

Cos it's doing my head in a bit...

Well done, PurplePillow.

We are meeting social workers next week about a potential match...

Oh good luck hester sending to your family, I really hope it happens for you and all goes well

ooh exciting Hester. Good luck!

any news hester?

Hi - am quite new to MN, but was just skimming the threads and found this one - hope itall goes well with meeting littlie's sw, Hester.

Thanks, everybody, and welcome to MN sterrryerryoh. I think I've found my daughter

She's a little one, six months old, and very very cute. The social workers have said they're happy to proceed with us, and are coming back in a few days with the foster carer to start planning...

I'm still slightly confused by the process. Presumably, at the stage the child's social worker say they want it to happen, the odds are that it will? We are having the planning meeting before Panel, so does that mean Panel is a bit of a tick box?

I can't believe it, after all this time. We hope to be doing introductions by August.

oh hester that's wonderful, I'm so happy for you and your DP

re planning meeting - IME you would have a meeting with the child's sw before matching panel and then the planning meeting.

if the child's legals status is secure, i dont know why you have to wait til august for introductions. that seems like a long time for such a young baby

please make sure you ask lots of questions about the child and her background. i know its easy to fall in love with a photo / video but you need to get as many fact as possible to enable you to make a good decision. if you get a chance to meet the birth parent/s or SW I recommend that you take it

Thank you, Kristina. We have looked into the background as much as possible. Inevitably, she hasn't had the best start in life and there are various reasons to think she may have problems later. But, as I'm sure you'll understand, that has been the case with all the children we have considered to this point and when you are adopting such a young child you just have to accept a high level of uncertainty. So far she is developing well, but of course that is no guarantee of anything. So it feels wonderful and exciting and very, very frightening all at the same time.

We have met the SW, but I very much doubt we will be able to meet the birth parents. Which is a shame; I think it must be much easier for the child if you met them, connected with them, can describe them.

Hi Hester, I've just spotted this and wanted to give you a . It's such an exciting yet frustrating time toward the end isn't it? All the very beat to you and your DH.

hester - that's fab news! If you're meeting the FC, in my experience that's def very positive. We met the FC before MP, but we had our planning meeting AFTER Matching Panel, although looking back MP was a bit of a foregone conclusion, our LA were still v cautious not to jump the gun!
Our little boy was 5 months when we went to MP, and we started intros 9 days later. He moved in with us 5 days after the start of intros. They said it was so quick as he was so little and therefore in everyone's best interests to place him ASAP - at your meeting with SW and FC, could you ask why it will take so long for intros? Do you have a date for MP yet? From finding out about our boy, to him moving in was just 9 weeks - but it felt like forever! So exciting for you - lots and lots of luck!

Hope all goes well for you hester