Fostering or Adoption

FOSTERING OR ADOPTION

>	Children Waiting for Adoption
>	The Kind of People we are Looking For
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Family Placement Service

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The Kind of People we are Looking for

We need lots of different kinds of families because the children who need adoptive placements are all very different themselves. They come from a variety of backgrounds and have different, often complex, individual needs.

We particularly need individuals and families who:

Have previous experience with children and can understand both the challenges and the rewards children can bring (this does not necessarily mean you have to have children of your own)
Have a strong network of family and friends they can turn to when things become difficult
Have the flexibility and tenacity to help a child through any difficulties; the ability to stick with the child come what may
Can accept a child's own background story and can help that child make sense of his/her family history
Can cope with delays caused by legal uncertainties
Are comfortable with a degree of contact with a child's birth family, as described above
Have space for groups of brothers and sisters
Can consider older primary school age children.
Can look after a child or children with physical disabilities, e.g. deafness, cystic fibrosis
Can look after a child with learning difficulties, including autistic spectrum disorders
Can meet the needs of children from black or minority ethnic backgrounds

Please note: If you have been undergoing tests, or treatment, for infertility then we ask that you have taken these as far as you want to and have had a period of 6 months between the conclusion of fertility treatment and registering an interest in adoption. This is because experience has shown that it is hard for people to think through the issues involved in adoption, if they are still involved directly in the process of dealing with tests and treatment for infertility. Likewise, we would not take anyone through the assessment process if they are pregnant or have suffered a recent loss or bereavement.