We know how life-changing the decision to adopt can be, and the life changes don’t stop once the child arrives at your home.
We’re committed to making sure that all our adopted children and adoptive families are fully supported throughout the adoption process and beyond.
We understand that this is an extremely exciting yet emotional time for everyone concerned. We will continue to provide you with the support, help and advice you need as you get used to your new family, and being a parent to the child now in your care.
We’ll arrange for regular visits from social workers, and regular reviews of the placement to ensure the safety and well-being of the child. We will continue to offer support and assist in managing any impact on other people, especially if you already have children.
Once the child has been in your care for 10 weeks, you can legally apply for an Adoption Order.
We’re here to help you no matter how serious or trivial you think your question or issue is. Our aim is to provide you with all the support you need at every stage of your application. Your social worker remains allocated to you throughout this period, until the time the Adoption Order is made. From this point onwards, support will be accessed through the Adoption Support Team.
Adoption has lifelong implications for everyone involved and we recognise that adoptive families, birth relatives and adopted adults may require support at different times. We offer a range of adoption support services and advice.
If you want further information our telephone advice line is open to all those affected by adoption. You can contact us on 0300 123 6728, Monday to Friday, 9.30am – 4.30pm.
Once you have been successful in adopting a child, we're still here if you need us.
If you've been adopted and want to access your birth records, we can help.
Got questions about adoption? We're here if you need advice, information or support.
Our Adoption Mailbox Service provides a confidential and secure way of exchanging information between the birth and adoptive family.
Advice and support for adopted teenagers
