e parents have declined to accept counselling the agency should record this, and details of any offers of counselling it has made, on the child’s case record. The agency should also ensure that the parents’ legal advisers and/or independent support worker are aware of the situation. 2.32. In many circumstances, parents (and some of their family members) whose children are being considered for adoption may be hard to reach or to engage with because of their own additional needs, including learning difficulties, mental health problems, or drug or alcohol misuse2. Agencies should consider, perhaps in conjunction with specialist services provided for people with these difficulties, imaginative ways of engaging with ‘hard to reach’ parents. 2 Neil, E., Young, Julie., Cossar, J., Jones, C. and Lorgelly, P. (2010) Supporting direct contact after adoption, Adoption Research Initiative study. 40 2.33. It may be that at a later stage in the process the parents will come to accept the need for their child to be placed for adoption, or their opposition may be modified at least to the extent that they are prepared to discuss the issue. The agency should make every effort to maintain contact with the parents throughout the adoption process, through their solicitor if necessary, and should be ready to offer counselling at any time, even if this has previously been rejected. This is appropriate not only for the parents’ sake, but will also assist the agency in being able to provide the child and their adoptive parents with up to date information about the parents and, where appropriate, to consider future contact plans. In due course, if the child is placed for adoption, and an adoption application is made to the court, the parents will (unless they have already given consent and expli