Adoption

What is adoption?
Adoption is a way of providing a new family for children who, for many diverse reasons, cannot be brought up by birth parents.

It is a legal procedure in which parental responsibility is transferred to the adopters. Once an adoption order has been granted, the adopted child loses all legal ties with their birth parents and becomes a full member of their new family, usually taking the family’s name. The adoptive parent(s) has all the same rights and responsibilities as a birth parent.

We are looking for adoptive families for children who have particular needs and backgrounds. Anyone over the age of 21 can apply to adopt, regardless of gender, marital status, disability, ethnicity or sexual orientation. You could have your own children, or no children at all. Adopters need to be very child-centred, and prepared to accept the background and identity of the child.

Occasionally it may be best for a child to maintain direct contact with a member or members of their birth family, although for all children we encourage a regular exchange of information via an indirect system or ‘Letter box’.

What should I do next?
Have a look at our information leaflet, and either telephone or fill in our online expression of interest form. Once we hear from you, we will send you an Initial Enquiry form, which asks for more detailed information about you, your situation, experiences and interest in adoption. When we receive this form a member of the Family Placement team will get in touch with you to discuss things further and explain the processes involved.

The next step is for us to invite you to attend an Adoption Information Day. These are arranged across Berkshire and will give you the opportunity to have more information and ask questions.

Then we arrange for a social worker to visit you in your home to discuss your personal situation and come to an agreement whether or not you are in a position to take your interest further at this time. If this is the case you will be invited to attend Preparation Group Training.

On completion you will be allocated a social worker who will work with you to complete a home study assessment.This report is presented to the Adoption Panel and their recommendation is taken into consideration by the Agency Decision Maker.