Adoption
Adoption is a way of providing permanent families for children
and young people who cannot live at home with their birth family.
It is a legal process in which all parental responsibilities are
passed from the birth parents to the adoptive parents and the child
takes the adoptive parent’s name. A child up to the age of 18 years
can be legally adopted in this country.
Who are the children who need adopting?
Adoption has changed a great deal over the last few years. There
are now very few babies placed for adoption. There is, however, a
greater need for parents:
- For children between the ages of 3 and 10 years;
- Who would want to parent a boy;
- Who could parent a child who may have special
health/educational needs;
- Who could parent a disabled child;
- Who could parent a child who’s behaviour may be
challenging;
- Who would want to parent siblings.
There is always a need to recruit adopters from ethnic minority
backgrounds because children need to be placed with families who
can reflect their racial, cultural and religious identities.
What about contact with the child’s birth family?
There is no secrecy surrounding adoption. All information about
children is shared with adoptive parents and it is recognised that
children have a right to know that they are adopted and have this
information passed on to them as they are growing up.
Adopters and their children may also continue to have some form
of contact with the children’s birth family. This contact could be
through exchanging letters, face to face meetings or a combination
of both.
Support
There is a legal requirement upon all adoption agencies to
support adoptive placements up to the point when an Adoption Order
is made. Again although adoption is hugely rewarding there are
times when it will be difficult, to help you through these times a
range of help and support is offered, including:
- Initial training which helps you prepare for adoption;
- A link/support worker who’s job it is to support, advise and
guide you;
- The child’s own social worker, at least until the adoption
order is made;
- Opportunities to meet other adopters, to share experiences,
problems and information.