Once you have been approved as a prospective adopter you
may be linked with a child almost immediately, or you may have to
wait for an appropriate child to be found.
The extent of your involvement in this process depends upon what
suits you best and what you have agreed with your social
worker.
Children waiting for adoptive families are represented by their
own social worker whose role is to find them a family who will best
be able to meet their needs. Therefore, if you express an interest
in a particular child you may well be considered alongside other
potential families.
When you are chosen as the most suitable family and if you
are still interested following further information sharing, the
match will go forward to be considered at an official 'matching
meeting'. Following this the
Adoption Panel representing the area the child is from will
then make a recommendation on the appropriateness of the
placement.
Once this decision has been formally made, a plan is made for a
period of introductions. On average the introduction period tends
to last between 10 and 20 days and it's at this stage that the
first meetings with the child can take place. The duration of the
introductions will vary according to the age and individual
characteristics of the child.
Providing these meetings are a success, the child can then move
in with you. Once the child has been settled in your family
and everybody is happy with the situation, you may apply for
an adoption order.
For further information please contact our
Adoption Team
