Sean and Kelly

There are lots of reasons that lead people to the decision to adopt.

In Sean and Kelly’s case, their decision came after experiencing fertility issues and going through unsuccessful fertility treatment.

They’re now the proud parents of a little girl they adopted just before her first birthday.

“Adoption was always an option,” said Sean. “When our fertility treatment didn’t work, we decided to look into it.

“We searched online and found Adopt Coast to Coast. We read about other people’s experiences of adopting with them, which helped us to decide to start the process with them.”

Adopt Coast to Coast is our Regional Adoption Agency and supports adoptive parents every step of the way.

“The process was good – more enjoyable than we expected,” said Sean. “The hardest part was waiting for checks and references.

“Our social worker at the time was really reassuring and helpful. They never raised expectations and were open and honest throughout the process.

“We also took part in training where we made some really good friends who had similar experiences to us.

“When we were eventually told that we could be parents, it was like a dream come true.”

Kelly added: “We had lots of information about our daughter before we met her, so we felt like we really knew her and on our introduction day she took to us quite quickly. By the end of our meeting, we were getting cuddles.

“I’d say if anyone is thinking of adopting, it can be a long process but it’s so worth it. If you’ve got questions or are unsure, make a phone call and find out more. Many of the things we worried about turned out to be nothing in the end.”

If you could offer a safe and loving home to one or more of our children, why not enquire today.

Find out more

If you think you could provide a safe and loving home for a child or children, please complete our enquiry form here or email us at adoptcoasttocoast@durham.gov.uk

Read more of our adoption stories on our ‘Our Children, our families‘ pages and watch our videos on our YouTube channel.