 adopters. It needs to compare their potential to provide a stable and permanent family for the child, based on the child’s permanence report (CPR), the prospective adopter’s report and other information it has collected and assessed. 4.22. The agency is responsible for considering and comparing alternative prospective adopters for a particular child. In its report to the adoption panel on the proposed placement, the agency should only propose one adoptive family (that is, one couple or a single person) as the prospective adopter(s). 4.23. Once the agency has identified the family it considers most appropriate as a ‘match’ for the child, it will need to comply with the requirements of AAR 31. The first stage is to provide the prospective adopter with a copy of the child’s permanence report and other information the agency considers relevant. This could include reports or summaries of reports on the child’s health, education or special needs. Photographs and a video/DVD of the child may also be helpful to the prospective adopter. The prospective adopter needs to understand and confirm in writing that they will keep this information confidential and return it to the agency if the placement does not proceed. There is no requirement to conceal the child’s identity from the prospective adopter; indeed to do so runs the risk that an existing acquaintance between the prospective adopter and members of the birth family will not be discovered until after the match has been agreed. 4.24. It is essential that agencies make available to the prospective adopter all material facts about the children that may be placed in their care. It is unacceptable for 89 agencies to withhold information about a child and provide a picture that bears little relation to the reality. The information