The purpose of this article is to define, describe, and apply social work models to my recent placement experience and an initial assessment that I observed. My twenty-day internship took place in a Christian voluntary adoption agency, based in England. They do not have a contract with local authorities in Wales, but work with them as and when their help is needed to find potential families who can adopt children. Although they are a voluntary agency, they work under the Adoption and Children Act 2002, the Children Act 2004 and the Care Standards Act 2000 . Potential adopters contact the agency themselves. The agency offers a non-discriminatory approach; they do not judge people based on their age, culture, sexual orientation, marital status, or ethnicity. Many children awaiting adoption come from diverse backgrounds. Potential adopters must be able to provide safe and secure loving environments for children to grow and thrive, Children Act (2004). By contacting the agency, they receive an information pack, in a format that suits them. They can then, if they wish, contact the agency and request an initial evaluation of a candidate for adoption. The first assessment I observed was that of a single candidate who I will call X. She was of Welsh origin, but not Welsh. speaking, white, thirty-nine years old, divorced and employed with her own home and a supportive family. She also had a sister adopted from Pakistan. Historically, singletons have been considered unsuitable for adoption and used only as a last resort (Rosenthal & Groze, 1992). However, "single parents have a high level of emotional maturity, have a great ability to tolerate frustration, and are not overly influenced by the opinions of others...... middle of article...... Koprowska, J (2008) Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Social Work (2nd ed.), Exeter: Learning Matters.Lane, M (2006) Adoption Law for Adopters, Oxfordshire: Adoption UK.Milner, J and O'Byrne, P ( 2009) Assessment in Social Work (3rd ed.), Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. Moss, B (2008) Communication Skills for Health and Social Care, London: Sage Publications Ltd. Parker, J and Bradley G (2007) Social Work Practice (2nd ed.), Exeter: Learning Matters. Roscoe, K and Madoc-Jones, I (2009) 'Critical social work practice: a narrative approach'. IJNP, Vol (1). p12.Slade, J (2006) Safer Caring (2nd ed.), UK: The Fostering Network.Stepney, P and Ford, D (2000) Social Work, Models, Methods and Theories, Lyme Regis: Russell House Publishing. Thompson, N (2003) Communication and language: a handbook of theory and practice, Basingstoke; Palgrave MacMillan.