Adoption: If You Wish To Adopt

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Adoption

If You Wish To Adopt

Adopters are viewed by the Local Authority as an important and valuable resource for children in need of adoption. As a result, great care is taken in the training, assessment and support of all applicants. We welcome applications from all areas of society and do not discriminate in any way. Anyone who contacts us will be able to talk to a social worker experienced in adoption practice. An information pack is available and will be sent to anyone who wants to know more. Click here to request an information pack.

Can I adopt?

Prospective adopters must be 21 years of age or over, but there is no upper age limit. We are looking for healthy adopters with the energy and lifestyle to care for a child into adulthood. For that reason, children will usually be placed with adopters within the usual age to parent a child of that particular age.

All adopters have to have a medical examination and any health issues will need to be considered before an application is accepted.

All criminal convictions must be declared from the outset and some offences automatically exclude an individual from adopting. CRB checks at an enhanced level are undertaken as part of the assessment process but any offences should be discussed with us at the earliest opportunity.

Applications are welcome from those in stable and permanent relationships, including those in same sex relationships. Applications are also welcome from single people, who can also adopt.

Disabled people are not excluded and sometimes experience of disability will be positively welcomed.

We offer a service to all our residents and also welcome applications from those living outside of Bournemouth, particularly from people wishing to adopt older children, sibling groups or children with special needs.

Who are the children who need adoptive homes?

Up to 4000 children in the UK currently need a permanent family through adoption. These children are from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, and some need to be placed with their brothers and sisters. Disabled children or children whose development may be uncertain, also need adoptive homes. Some children will have been abused or neglected, and most will have had many moves and insecurities in their lives already which will affect their behaviour and development.

The average age nationally at the point of the adoption order is now about 4 years old. There is a particular need for adoptive parents for school age children, groups of brothers and sisters, and children with special needs.

The majority of children placed for adoption will have been removed from their parents through the court system. All of these children will have had their plan for adoption approved by the court. These children come to adoption with their own identity, background and family history, all of which will impact on their adoptive home and require understanding and acceptance by their adoptive families.

Most children will need to maintain some level of contact with their birth parents in order to promote their self-esteem and identity. In most cases this is achieved through indirect letterbox contact, but it can sometimes be through ongoing direct contact, if this is agreed as best for the child. Other children who are adopted will need to remain in contact with grandparents or brothers and sisters living elsewhere.

What next?

After an initial discussion with an adoption social worker, you will be invited to an information evening to hear more about what adoption involves. We can then offer to visit you at home to talk through the assessment process and any specific issues relating to your enquiry. We can also arrange for you to meet a family who have experience in adoption.

If you decide to apply to adopt a child we will get to know you and make a joint decision about whether adoption is right for you and about the kind of child or children you are best able to adopt.

You will be asked to take part in preparation workshops to explore exactly what is involved in adoption which will give you the opportunity to meet other adopters who are thinking about adopting.

All applicants undergo statutory checks carried out through the CRB, children’s services, NSPCC, health, education and probation services. Certain offences automatically preclude the person being approved as an adopter. Personal references e.g. from friends, family and previous partners, and employers are also taken up.

All prospective adopters undergo a medical examination carried out by their own G.P.

You will have the opportunity to contribute to a written report which is considered by the adoption panel, a group of people experienced in adoption and child care who make recommendations to the Adoption Agency. These recommendations are passed to the Head of ChildCare and Family Support Services who is the decision maker in Bournemouth.

Adoption Support

The value of adoption support has been recognised more in recent years as being crucial to the success of adoptive placements. A child’s need for explanations and knowledge about their background will grow as they get older. Their behaviour and development will reflect the impact of poor and abusive parenting in their early years.

The local authority also has a responsibility to the birth parents of children placed for adoption and will provide support and counselling to them.

We operate an Adoption Letter Box service to facilitate the exchange of photographs and letters between adopters and birth family members. In some cases, direct contact continues with birth family members or others of significance to the child after an adoption order has been granted. This will always be considered from the perspective of the child and in his or her best interests.

The changing face of adoption

Adoption has changed markedly over the past 30 years. In 1970, 20,000 children nationally were placed for adoption. The majority of these were babies. Since then, society’s views and attitudes have changed and this figure has decreased greatly. In 2005/6, 3700 children were adopted from care in England and Wales.

Adoption by foster carers

If foster carers have looked after a child for a long time and they would like to adopt, the same thorough enquiries have to be made as are made with any other adopters. It is still very important to be sure that it would be best for the child to be adopted by that family before adoption can be recommended and an adoption application made to the court.

What next?

You can contact us for further information by:

· Phone 01202 456743

· E-mail to adoption@bournemouth.gov.uk

In writing

The Adoption Services Team

Child Care & Family Support Services

North Bournemouth Office

27 Slades Farm Road

Bournemouth

BH10 4ES

(Please remember to include your full name(s), address and telephone number).