Adoption

What is adoption?

Adoption is a way of providing new families for children who are unable to live with their own parents or families. It is a legal process which joins a child permanently with a new family. All the rights and responsibilities of parents are transferred to the adoptive parents making the child a full member of the new family.

Who Are The Children?

The number of babies available for adoption nowadays is decreasing, but from time to time we do need families for children aged between 0 and 3 years. Some of these children have fairly straightforward backgrounds; others have backgrounds, which are complicated and difficult.

There are many other children who need new permanent families. They are either single children aged 3 years and over or family groups of children, usually consisting of 2 or 3 children but occasionally 4 or more.

We also need families for children of all ages who have physical and/or learning disabilities. What does not change is our particular need for families who can consider taking a child or children of school age upwards and larger family groups of siblings.

Some children needing families will be of African, African-Caribbean or Asian descent, of mixed parentage or from one of the other minority ethnic groups. We would wish to reflect their family of origin in their new placement whenever possible.

Why Do Children Need Adoption?

Children who need permanent families are usually already "in care" and placed with short-term foster carers. They will be unable, for one reason or another to return to their birth parents. Some children will have been neglected, had very unsettled lives, or have been subject to physical or sexual abuse. Emotional neglect can be as damaging as physical neglect and children have to learn to feel secure and to trust again.

What About The Birth family?

It is natural and right for a child to want to know about his or her birth family and, it is therefore important that adoptive parents are able to have an understanding and acceptance of the birth parents as part of the child's life whatever the circumstances.

The law requires that all adopted children must grow up knowing about their adoption and allows them at 18 years to have access to their original birth records. There is a move towards greater openness in adoption and prospective adopters will need to consider what degree of openness they can accept.

What Kind Of Families Do Children Need?

We need a whole range of families to meet the varying needs of the children we place for adoption. Because of the strains you might face it is helpful to have the support of friends and family for the "rough times" and with whom to share the good times. Learning to live with a new family can mean that children will test you to the limit. Children placed at any age may be resentful, ungrateful, destructive, over-pleasing, seeking attention all the time and some may show sexualised behaviour.

Adopters need stamina, patience, the ability to "stick with it" and a good sense of humour helps! Material considerations are far less important than affection, security and stability.

We are looking for people who can provide a child with a family for the whole of their childhood and beyond. You may be single, gay, straight, married, previously divorced, childless or already have children. You may be working or unemployed. Legally, no one can become an adoptive parent under the age of 21 years (the exception to this is step-parent adoption). Under 2002 Adoption and Children's Act, couples who are living together but not married or in civil partnerships can now both adopt.

Do applicants have to live in Herefordshire?

No. We welcome applications from people living in neighbouring counties, as we prefer to place Herefordshire children with families assessed and supported by Herefordshire.

Approved adopters living in Herefordshire are usually matched with a child from outside the county.

Herefordshire children are usually placed with families outside the county.

When an applicant wishes to adopt a child in the 0-3 years age group the agency does not normally accept applications from couples who are able to have their own natural family. Unless there are exceptional circumstances applicants will be expected to have completed infertility investigations and treatments. They will need to have reached their decision about this before applying to the agency.

What Happens Next - The Process

Following an initial enquiry:-

• Information is sent. If you wish to find out more having read the information sent to you please complete the enclosed form.
• Interview with Adoption Social Worker. Request for your written permission for Police, Health, Probation and Local Authority references to be taken up.
• On waiting list for a Preparation Course. County preparation courses are run periodically according to the needs of the agency. They normally run during office hours. We would ask you to inform us of any significant changes in your circumstances while you are waiting.
• Letter confirming place on preparation course.
• Attendance on preparation course.
• Formal application to the agency. Your application will proceed according to the needs of the agency and the availability of a social worker. This is likely to involve some waiting time for you.
• Prior to starting the homestudy, you will be asked to have a comprehensive medical examination, which will be undertaken by your GP and for which you will have to pay. The medical report will be submitted to our agency medical adviser.
• Homestudy commences. This normally takes 6-8 months leading to your acceptance or non-acceptance as prospective adopters by the Adoption Panel. There is now an Independent Review Mechanism where couples have not been approved by the original panel.

What Support And Help Is Available After Adoption

We are able, in certain circumstances, to pay adoptive parents an allowance to help maintain the child or children. This applies particularly to older children, family groups and children with disabilities who may not be readily adopted if an allowance were not payable. These allowances are broadly in line with the allowances paid to foster carers and are reviewed annually.

After the adoption order has been granted there is no obligation upon adopters to remain involved with the adoption agency. However, we do have a legal obligation to offer you support and help when requested and hope in the future to offer a more comprehensive post-adoption service. Our adopters also have access to help from the Adoption Support, a regional organisation of which Herefordshire Council is a member.

Resources

Herefordshire Adoption Agency Statement of Purpose

63 kb

Herefordshire Adoption Services Recruitment Strategy

Adobe PDF

90 kb

Herefordshire Adoption Agency Statement of Purpose for Children over 5

Adobe PDF

363 kb

Herefordshire Adoption Agency Statement of Purpose for Children under 5

Adobe PDF

178 kb

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