Policies and Procedures / Social Services - Child Adoption
Dear Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council,
Under the Freedom of information act please can you send to me electronic copies of
A The policies and procedures which relate to social services removing children from the care of their parents.
B The criteria which has to be fulfilled to make a child eligible for being adopted out of a parents care
C What psychological assessments are used on the parents? (or other assessments) and a copy of a blank version.
PLEASE NOTE FOR CLARITY SAKE:
This FOI is made by the following organisation and not by an individual
This FOI Request is made by the Advocacy Fund which is an organisation and not by an individual.
ICO Section 8 Guidance states:
In the case of a company, it is not necessary to provide the full registered name. It will be acceptable to provide another name which exists as a real entity, such as a trading name.
Also under the guidance an email address is considered sufficient under the DPA for an address.
FOR CLARITY:
The Advocacy Fund is the Name of the organisation that is managed by Advocati Massa Ltd (Reg In England), who appoints it officers. Both are Not for Profit Organisations.
Both are real names in law and this FOI request is therefore compliant with the FOI Act and section 8 Guidance.
Please Forward all Responses to our Information Officer
Yours faithfully
Jane Clearly
Information Officer
The Advocacy Fund
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Dear Jane Clearly
I acknowledge with thanks your request for information held by Bolton
Council received at this office on ?????.
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Freedom of Information Team
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Dear Jane Clearly
Request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
In response to your request for information received at this office on
28.05.12, Bolton Council is happy to supply the information as requested.
Q1 The policies and procedures which relate to social services
removing children from the care of their parents.
A1 These can be found at:
[1]http://boltonchildcare.proceduresonline....
Q2 The criteria which has to be fulfilled to make a child eligible
for being adopted out of a parents care
A2 We would only do this where we had issued proceedings under s31
of the children act 1989 and the court had decided that the threshold
criteria were met and that the children could not return
to parents [ following comprehensive social work assessment ,
sometimes expert assessment and also input from the child’s guardian and
their solicitor] and that there were no suitable family
or friend carers for a child . Adoption would be the last
resort and the decision would be made by a judge.
Q3 What psychological assessments are used on the parents? (or other
assessments) and a copy of a blank version
A3 There is no blank form. A psychologist is only instructed if it
is agreed between the advocates for the local authority , child and
parents that they are needed . At that point an application is
made to the judge in accordance with the Practice Direction
regarding Experts We have to tell the judge who it is proposed should be
instructed , to comment on what areas , what the cost
and timescale of this would be . Generally , the application
under the practice direction is usually made by the solicitor for the
child.
Should you have any queries regarding this, please contact me.
Yours sincerely
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