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During the year ended 31st December 1967, we received 127 applications; 15 came
from the London Borough of Hammersmith, 59 from the Greater London Council area
and 53 from outside the London area. It was found possible to approve 35 of these
applicants.
During the first year all applications were considered without geographical restrictions.
This proved to be unmanageable and it is the current practice to refuse applications
from outside the Greater London area unless they are for "Hard to place"
children.
ii) Procedure:
Couples are interviewed jointly by the Adoptions Officer in the office for a preliminary
and general discussion about adoption and if they wish to proceed they are
given application and medical forms.
On receipt of the completed application form, enquiries are made about the applicants
of the Local Authority where they live; two personal referees; and the applicants'
General Practitioner.
If all is well further interviews are then arranged with each applicant individually
and at least one interview must take place in the couple's home, when the premises
are inspected. If the applicants have a child or children, there is at least one lengthy
home visit when the children are there and awake.
All efforts are made to meet members of the extended family if there is close contact.
Referees who should be personal friends who have known the applicants for at least
two years, are also interviewed.
When the Adoptions Officer is indecisive whether or not to recommend a couple as
suitable, her Senior Child Care Officer visits the home to give 9 "Second opinion*.
If it is considered necessary and helpful to have a man's "Second opinion*, the
Deputy Children's Officer is asked to interview the applicants.
iii) Health:
Completed medical forms are usually returned direct.by the examini ng doctor. If there
are medical queries further enquiries are made with the applicant's permission and
all reports and forms are submitted to the Deputy Medical officer of Health for her
signed approval. In some cases, the latter contacts other doctors to obtain further
information. No application is submitted to the Panel without the signed approval on
the medical form by the Deputy Medical Officer of Health.
iv) Rejections:
As can be seen from the figures given in 7(i) a large proportion of applicants are
turned down. While it is desirable and good adoption practice to give a couple the
opportunity to withdraw their application of their own accord this is not always
achieved.
All applicants are told at the initial interview that the Authority can refuse an
application without giving a reason. Nevertheless, if at all possible couples are told
why their application has been refused. However, in some cases where adverse
factors have become known to the Department in the course of their enquiries but not
through the adopters themselves^no reason can be given and a formal letter of
rejection is then sent to the applicants in which they are invited to discuss the refusal
in the office if they so wish.
8. Pre-adoptive Foster Homes:
The Department has a small number of foster mothers who are prepared to undertake
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