welfare of the child are paramount and under AAR 25 the agency must conduct criminal record checks on the prospective adopter and any adult members of their household. 3.25. Prior to Stage One, prospective adopters should be given an explanation of the statutory duty on the agency to conduct checks into their background and into the background of any other adult members of their household. The agency should make it clear that the prospective adopters will not be able to proceed to Stage Two where criminal record checks identify them or an adult member of their household as having been convicted of a specified offence or police caution in respect of a specified offence. 3.26. Where an agency will not learn the full history by conducting a criminal record check and other background checks on the prospective adopter, for example, where they have lived abroad for an extended period, it should decide whether it should carry out any other checks or take up additional references. The agency should ensure it has sufficient information to justify continuing with Stage One but not delay the approval process. If it decides not to proceed, it should provide the prospective adopter with a clear written explanation of the reasons why. 3.27. An agency may not consider a prospective adopter suitable to adopt a child if they or any adult member of their household has been convicted of a specified offence committed at 18 or over, or has received a police caution in respect of a specified offence which they admitted at the time the caution was given. In such circumstances the agency must notify the prospective adopter in writing, with reasons, without delay. 3.28. A “specified offence” means:  an offence against a child6;  an offence specified in AAR, Part 1 of Schedule 3;  an offence 