Adoption
For those children who are unable to return to their families it may be that they will be considered for adoption. Carers come forward for a variety of reasons, they may be unable to have children of their own or may simply be keen to offer a child an opportunity to grow up in a family that they would not have the opportunity to do otherwise. It is true that over the years the number of babies and very young children being placed for adoption has decreased however we still need carers for this age group and more increasingly for slightly older individual children or small sibling groups. Once again, the team welcomes the chance to talk to anyone who feels they could offer any of our children a permanent home.
What is Adoption?
Adoption is the legal process by which children, who cannot be brought up by their own parents, become a full and permanent member of a new family. Legal parental responsibility is transferred to the new family by the granting of an Adoption Order by the courts.
The Children who wait for Adoptive Placements
As previously mentioned there are very few babies needing adoptive placements today. The majority of children waiting for adoption are over 4 years of age. The impact of their early history may affect their development, their health and their education. Some children need to be placed with brothers or sisters and so applicants who are able to care for older children or small family groups are particularly welcomed and may be prioritised.
Families for children with a varied range of special needs are also required.
Children come from many different cultural, ethnic or religious backgrounds and require families who can respond to these specific needs.
Most children placed for adoption will have memories of their previous family. Adopters need to be able to accept this and help the child understand their birth family history.
Who Can Adopt?
Adoption can be complicated and demanding. As such we prefer to consider people who are over 25 years old, as we believe that maturity and life experience are essential to cope with the demands of parenting by adoption. Adoption can add an extra dimension to parenting and can be a challenging yet highly rewarding experience.
As with fostering married couples and single carers may apply to adopt. The assessment will look at the stability of the couples relationship and the skills they can bring. Single people can adopt under current adoption law. Many single people also have particular skills and experience that can be offered. Unmarried couples cannot at this time apply to adopt jointly. This said, one partner may submit an application supported by the other. This also applies to gay and lesbian applicants.
Families who already have birth children can adopt. However, there should be at least 2 years, or preferably more, between the age of the birth child and the age of the child they wish to adopt.
Carers often come to adoption when they have been unable to have a child naturally and when fertility treatment has failed. We would ask that applicants have completed all investigations and treatment prior to making an application to adopt. Couples who are unsuccessful with this treatment need to have a period of adjustment in their lives before contemplating adoption. Trying to cope emotionally with both processes at the same time is inadvisable.
Becoming an Adopter
Each adoption applicant receives a 6 week preparation course during their assessment period to provide them with the knowledge and information that is essential in gaining a realistic picture of what's involved in becoming an adoptive parent.
Becoming an adoptive parent requires:
Flexibility. Patience. Understanding of the child's background and history and possible future needs with regards to birth family. Sensitivity to the child's needs. Commitment and dedication to the welfare of the child or children you adopt. Making the decision to become an adoptive parent is one that will have taken most people a long time to reach. We are aware that when the final decision to go ahead is made that the majority of applicants are keen to progress as quickly as possible. We will endeavour to action your application as quickly as possible however due to the fact that we may need to prioritise some assessments to meet individual children’s needs, it may be some months before your assessment/homestudy will begin.
Your Journey
If you are interested in finding out more contact the team on 445273 or email: familyfinding@health.gov.uk. Initially we will arrange for one of the team to visit so that we can find out more about you and vice versa. If you then wish to proceed you will be asked to complete an application.
Once the application is received we can start to process your checks and references before you are allocated to a Social Worker for your assessment/homestudy. We will undertake an assessment process that provides you with information about fostering and lets us get to know you. We carry out a criminal records check as well as checks within the Social Services, the Health Service, the Education Department and a register which lists those prevented from working with children. We would also need to carry out a standard safety check on your home. Furthermore, applicants are asked to provide details of a number of referees who would be ask to comment on your ability to look after children.
The study usually takes between 3-6 months to be completed and training is also undertaken during this period. Once you and your assessor are both happy that the time is right your application will be presented to our panel for approval.
