Adoption Support

Adoption Support Services Regulations 2005

On 30 December 2005 the Adoption Support Services Regulations 2005 came into force (see tinyurl.com/q5s5k) The regulations require private organisations and individuals offering adoption support services to register with the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), the independent inspectorate for all social care services. The regulations apply only in England. The extent to which psychologists in private practise will come under these regulations is not yet fully understood.

The Society's understanding is that the requirement to register covers not only adoption agencies, but also private persons and organisations that offer support to people involved in the adoption process. Such support could include:

• counselling in relation to adoption
• advice and information about adoption
• therapeutic services for children who have been adopted
• relationship support bewteen adopted children and adoptive parents.

on March 21 BPS President Graham Powell wrote to Tim Gardner of the Adoption Support Team at the DfES.

The reply from the Adoption Team made it clear that psychologists holding themselves out as directly providing adoption services must be registered. The fact that a person is already registered as a psychologist was said to be ‘not enough for providing adoption services to potentially very vulnerable people’. So chartered psychologists will need to register with the CSCI before offering adoption services as statutorily defined.

However, the letter explains that psychologists in private practice doing work on behalf of ASAs, local authorities or registered adoption societies are not caught by the regulations. So undertaking referral work from exempt or registered bodies will not mean a self-employed psychologist having to separately register as an ASA.

On the question of an adoption issue becoming apparent in the course of therapy or counselling, the Adoption Team said: ‘It was not the intention of the Regulations to cover any individual or organisation who may from time to time be providing services to those affected by adoption, but who are not seeking services in relation to their adoption. And we do not consider that a counsellor in this category will become an adoption support agency within the meaning of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (and need to be registered), unless it becomes a purpose of their practice to provide adoption-related counselling.’

The position on interim arrangements while awaiting registration was made clear in the Adoption Team’s letter. Anyone applying for registration after the regulations came into force (on 30 December 2005) may not offer adoption services pending notification of whether the application has been approved.