Adoption

Adoption is a service for children who are unable to be cared for within their birth families. The legal process removes them from local authority care, and enables children to become a permanent member of a family life. 

You can watch this film which features a couple and their adopted son to give you an insight into what it is like and the benefits that giving a child a loving family can provide.

Thank you for your interest in adoption.  The following pages will provide you with some of the information on what is involved in adopting a child as well as how you can apply to become an adoptive parent.

We have around 80 children currently living in foster homes or children's houses who need permanent families, either through permanent fostering or adoption. The children are of varying ages, from babies to older children, and they have all experienced lots of changes and uncertainty before plans have been made to place them on a permanent basis.

All kinds of people can apply to be adoptive parents but you need to be over 21 years of age. You can be single, married or in a civil partnership, divorced, widowed or cohabiting. You don't need to own your own home or to be in a particularly well paid job.  You do need to have the ability to offer a stable, loving home to a child and understand that this child may need extra support and help throughout their childhood to compensate for their early experiences.

Adoption is a life long commitment and involves additional challenges to those faced by all birth parents. We especially need to hear from people who can consider older children, family groups and children with disabilities or other additional needs.

We hope this information will help you decide whether you could become an adoptive parent.