Adoption

Adoption is a permanent, legal arrangement where a child joins a new family when the court decides it is not possible for them to be raised by their birth parents or within the birth family. Adopters assume parental responsibility for the child who takes the surname of the new parents and becomes a permanent member […]
Thinking about adoption if you already have children

Families are made up in many different ways, and adoption is one way to extend your family. Considering adoption if you already have a child or children needs careful planning. The motivation to adopt may be for a number of reasons; you may be facing fertility or medical issues, or simply making a conscious choice […]
Your health and adoption

You need to have energy and will be expected to give care and support for your adopted child throughout childhood and into young adulthood. What the agency needs to know During the first assessment stage of the adoption process, you would need to have a medical. Agencies are trying to assess two things: your longevity […]
Success story: Baby Amy
Concurrent Planning carers made sure Baby Amy didn’t drift in the care system. She was born into a home where substance misuse by her parents threatened her safety and well-being, leading her to be removed at birth from her family by the courts. The local authority responsible for finding suitable care for Amy had recently […]
Early Years Pupil Premium: Pre-school support funding
Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) is additional funding for early years pre-school settings to improve the education they provide for disadvantaged 3- and 4 year-olds including, but not restricted to, those adopted from care. The funding goes directly to registered early years providers (including pre-schools, nurseries and childminders) that offer children the free early education […]
Thinking of adopting again?

Many adopters who have experienced the joys of helping a child to settle into their family wish to adopt again. There are many reasons for wanting to welcome another child into the family and adoptive parents will want to consider how this will affect them and the children already in their family. There is also […]
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Trans (LGBT+) and thinking about adoption?

From the earliest days of adoption in England, it has been possible for single people (regardless of sexual orientation) to adopt. Same sex couples could not adopt and although adoption agencies helped many couples by approving one of the couple singly, it took a change in law from December 2005 to allow adoption orders to […]
Single and thinking about adoption?

There is nothing unusual about single parenting – around 25% of households in the UK with dependent children are headed by a single parent. Many people plan to have children but as the years pass by they may not find the right partner. Others may be happily single and not looking for a partner. The […]
Fertility issues and thinking about adoption?

Adoption is one of a range of alternatives that you may be considering if you cannot conceive and give birth to a child. You may have experienced miscarriages or secondary infertility. Your options Couples and single people who have fertility issues are faced with a number of possible options including: Assisted conception (IVF and other […]
Concurrent Planning

Concurrent Planning is for babies and young children under 2 in care who are likely to need adoption, but who still have a chance of being reunited with their birth family. Concurrent carers are dually approved as both foster parents and adoptive parents and perform the role of foster carers while the courts decide whether […]