ly with the requirements of AAR 35.1 and 2, and to make at least a provisional plan for the placement, in anticipation of the expected consent or placement order. 5.2. If, before the child is placed, an application is made for the revocation of a placement order, the local authority cannot place the child without the leave of the court. An application for revocation can only be made if the court has granted leave under section 24(2) of the Act, and an application for leave does not in itself prohibit the local authority from placing the child. It is not however appropriate for a local authority to proceed with the placement when it is aware of the application for leave, and an attempt to do so in order to frustrate the birth parents’ application could be challenged in court by an application for judicial review. In Re F (Placement Order) [2008] EWCA Civ 439 the Court of Appeal stated that the appropriate course of action in such a case would be for the birth parents to request the local authority to delay placement until the application could be heard. If such a delay is likely to be prejudicial to the child’s welfare, for example if introductions have already started, the local authority should then apply to the court as quickly as possible for permission to place the child, under section 24(5) of the Act. 94 5.3. The agency is required to meet the prospective adopter to consider the proposed placement. A provisional draft of the adoption placement plan, as set out in Schedule 5 of the AAR, should form the basis for the meeting. Contact plans should be discussed at this stage. Contact between adopted children and their birth families can be beneficial, but research12 has also highlighted that any form of contact needs careful planning and support, and that children’s v