Getting started
We’re right there every step of the way with you to make sure that you’re fully prepared and supported, and completely understand the process of adopting.
We can also continue to offer you support once you have adopted a child.
Once you decide you would like to hear more you will be invited to an information session or we will arrange to meet with you either in person at your home, or schedule a virtual meeting or telephone call within 10 working days. We will talk you through the process and what is expected of you, share the needs of the children whom we are seeking adoption for and gather some details about your circumstances, so you can make an informed choice about proceeding to the next stage.
If you decide to go ahead, you will receive a Registration of Interest form to complete and sent back to us.
On receipt of your Registration of Interest form, the Team Manager will make the decision as to whether to accept your interest and you will be notified of this decision within 5 working days.
This is where we carry out a number of checks, such as: At this point you will also be invited to attend our adoption preparation training. This helps you find out more about adopting, the children we have who are waiting to find their forever family and how you can best prepare for a child coming to live with you. We also offer support and training for your friends and family so that they know how they can support you during the adoption process and after your child comes home to you. Once the checks and training are done, the Manager will decide if your application can go ahead. Your adoption social worker will be your main point of contact. They will work with you to complete a Prospective Adopter Report, which helps us decide whether you are suitable to adopt. This will include your social worker meeting your referees, family and household members. Your social worker will also talk to you about your feelings towards supporting your future adopted child. You will need to think about – It’s important to be honest about your feelings with your social worker. It is common to have reservations about adoption, and you are encouraged to talk about them. Do you have questions about adapting your home, and whether you can afford it? Now is the time to speak out about these questions and anything else you’re concerned about. Your Prospective Adopter Report goes to an Adoption Panel, which will include an adopted person, adoption experts and/or experienced adopters. The Panel is chaired by an experienced social worker who is independent of the local authority. The Panel makes a recommendation on your suitability as adoptive parent/s. A senior manager called the Agency Decision Maker will then make the final decision whether to approve you as an adoptive family. Your adoption social worker will continue to support you throughout, making sure you get the help and support that you need and identify any types of training that you might need to help you. Adoption is a big decision and you can be confident that we are there for you throughout. Once your application is approved, we then match you with a suitable child or children, if this hasn’t already happened. We generally try to ensure that the applicants we accept for assessment have the experience and strengths that would enable them to meet the needs of the children who are waiting to be adopted. If for some reason your application is not recommended by the Adoption Panel, and you disagree with the reasons for their recommendation, you may request that it be reconsidered. You can request this either through the agency or request that your application is considered by the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM), an independent body. In these cases, the IRM undertakes a review of your application and then makes a recommendation to us. It is then up to the agency decision maker to make a final decision. Once you are approved as a prospective adopter, the next step is to be matched with a child who could thrive in your family. Your social worker is responsible for seeking a potential child for you, initially from across the North East of England. Some prospective adopters are matched with a child quite quickly, but for others it may take longer. Currently most approved adopters are being matched within 6–12 months. You will have discussed with your social worker the backgrounds of children that you hope to care for. Your social worker will have gained an understanding of your particular strengths, together with your experiences with children and the skills that will equip you to manage the challenges ahead. This will be detailed in your Prospective Adopter Report. Information about your ethnic and religious background will have been discussed and how you would support children from a range of different backgrounds. The independent adoption panel of the child’s agency will read through all the information in your Prospective Adopter Report and the Child’s Permanence Report, together with the Adoption Placement Report. These reports will help the panel to understand more about the child’s needs and how you will hope to meet them. This will enable them to decide if you are the best match for the child. You are generally invited to attend the panel considering the match, perhaps to talk about what drew you to the child. If the panel recommends the match, the child’s adoption agency will make the final decision about whether the match should go ahead. Once the right child has been found for your family and the child’s adoption agency has given its approval, an Adoption Placement Plan is prepared. This plans out a series of managed introductory meetings where you and the child can get to know each other. These meetings will be built up over time and at a pace that is right for the child and for you, leading up to them moving in with you. Stage 1 – background and training
Two months
Stage 2 – Prospective Adopter Report and approval
Around four months
Appeals - what to do if you don't agree
Matching
Finding out about the children waiting
The matching panel
Getting to know you – initial visits
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Calling us for free on 03000 268 268 will help us to put you in touch with our duty social worker