BMI Criteria for Adoption - Find a freedom of information request

1. What weight or BMI criteria does the council have for prospective adoptive parents?

2. What weight or BMI would preclude a prospective parent from adoption under the council’s criteria?

3. How many families (defined as a single adoptive parent or an adoptive couple) did the council reject for adoption because they failed to meet its weight or BMI criteria in 2019?

4. How many families (defined as a single adoptive parent or an adoptive couple) did the council reject for adoption because they failed to meet its weight or BMI criteria between 2015 and 2019?

1. Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) follows the guidance from the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) and the chief medical officer regarding weight and for applicants with a BMI over 40 would suggest that they need to make efforts to reduce their weight before applying.

LCC follows the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on cases where prospective adopters have a BMI which is over 40 (morbidly obese) and where we have cause to be concerned about this impacting upon their ability to parent a child. There is no clear weight limit, and weight is just one criterion, but in these cases we will suggest to prospective applicants that it would be of benefit to their application for them to lose weight so that by the time the case goes to panel they would be able to evidence sustained weight loss. LCC would also suggest that they get an early medical.

2. There is no weight which would definitely preclude anyone from adopting, see above.

3. No families were rejected by Lincolnshire County Council because they failed to meet its weight or BMI criteria in 2019.

4. No families were rejected by Lincolnshire County Council because they failed to meet its weight or BMI criteria between 2015 and 2019.