Preparing and Assessing Prospective Adopters

The practice guidance is designed to assist practitioners as they assess prospective adopters, whether they intend to adopt a child from this country or from abroad. The term 'practitioner' in this guidance means the social worker who assesses prospective adopters.

The guidance should be applied in the context of the relevant regulations and statutory adoption guidance for adoption agencies in England. Where there are direct links to the statutory guidance, these are cross referenced.

This guidance is not statutory and does not place duties on adoption agencies as these are set out in the statutory adoption guidance. It provides advice for practitioners to guide them through the preparation and assessment of prospective adopters.