The dreaded Panel 😖

So, finally after coming down to earth yesterday, from what can only be described as an emotional rollercoaster, we can finally explain to you in detail what panel is and what happens. 

Oh ..  Did we mention we bossed it?? 😏😍🤣💙💚🧡❤🖤💛😭😍 

Basically panel is the big day you work so hard to get to, the deciding day that determines if your going to be a parent. I describe it as finally finding out your pregnant. The second you start the adoption process, your longing to get to this day and become an approved adopter 😍 ( tbh it still feels surreal 😍) 

All the questions, social worker visits , adoption training, the tears, the worries and everything else you feel along the journey leads to this day. Obviously your social worker does everything to prepare you for this and they wouldn't put you forward if they didn't think you was a capable potential adoptor,but it's still scary 😖.

Panel are a group of people ( around 8-10 roughly ) In a room all involved in the adoption sector, some are social workers, some are already adopters and some are medical assessors etc . They read your profile written by your social worker, then ask you questions to determine if your are suitable to be an approved adopter. 

We arrived at the building and met our social worker Sarah in a small side room where she explained what was going to happen. We talked about possible questions relating to our past and what our profiles say about us, then 2 panel members come in to say hello and explain what they intend to do. The 2 women that came and saw us where lovely and made us feel as ease ( believe me I was a nervous wreck 😖) 

We then followed them and our social worker into a large room where we are seated infront of the ten panel members, we all introduce ourselves and then they start. 

They first say how well our profile was written and how well it portrays us. Sarah did an amazing job with ours (we've both had a few rough times growing up, which we don't regret ) but she made it so positive and panel saw this .  They then take it in turns to ask a few questions, nothing scary , just general questions about us and what we would do if we are approved and placed with a child..you are litteraly in there 15 mins before you say your goodbyes and leave to go sit back in the side room for their verdict. 

Me, Craig and Sarah felt it went really well and whilst we talked , In came the 2 lovely ladies and straight away told us that every single panel member said yes 😍😍😍 that feeling is like a weight lifted from your shoulders and I couldn't help but cry 😭😍. 

The panels verdict isn't the final say as our profiles, minutes from the meeting and their verdict goes to someone to check all is well, but from what they said and what feedback we had ( which was all good ) we don't have anything to worry about 😍 ..  

We will receive a letter on the 3rd of January ( basically our certificate of approval) and then the next, exciting process can start..  The matching process 😍😍😍.

Looking at potential children to complete our family ... 

So who knows.. the next time we updated this blog .. we might just have some exciting news 💗💙😍.. 

Obviously everything we do now is confidential, any profiles of children we see, we cannot share their information, so please be patient with us and understand we need to keep things secret to protect the children. 

As soon as we have a match and all the correct avenues have been covered then we will speak with our social worker to what we can tell you. 

The exciting part of the journey is here and we really cannot express how much we want this 😍💙🧡❤💗💚 ..  

I say it evertime, but we really do thankyou all for your support 😍.