dures constitute a safeguard for both the child and the parents, but it is important that compliance with them does not lead to unnecessary delay in securing the child’s future. The steps that have to be taken in accordance with AAR 12-19 and this part of the guidance should not be considered in isolation, or as sequential steps. The key duties of the adoption agency under AAR 12-19 consist of:  providing information and counselling to the child and parents (and other family members as appropriate);  gathering information (including on the wishes and feelings of the child and parents) needed to complete the CPR;  referring the report to the agency’s decision-maker or panel (see paragraph 64); and  making a decision whether the child should be placed for adoption. 2.17. The first two of these duties will be part of a continuous process. The possibility of adoption will not arise suddenly and unexpectedly; in many cases during the early stages of the local authority’s involvement there will be a need for ‘twin-track’ or parallel planning, including concurrent planning. In any case where there is a possibility that adoption may become the plan, it is incumbent on the local authority to ensure that the parents are aware of this possibility and provided with information about its significance, and information about the support available. Thus some of the duties laid out in AAR 14 (counselling and information for parents) will have been carried out before the review at which adoption is identified as the plan for the child, but further counselling will be needed after that point. 2.18. Likewise, the work that needs to be done in gathering information (AAR15) will have begun from the time of the initial assessment, and will continue with the core assessment and further ass