The first important step is to contact an adoption agency near you by going to the South West Adoption Agencies Directory. This will give you links to the sites of adoption agencies in your area with contact addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for you to use. If you contact the agency, you will receive information about adoption.
If you and the agency wish to proceed, a social worker will the visit you at home to begin your preparation as adoptive parents. During this time you will be able to meet other adoptive parents and attend discussion groups giving you all the information you require.
Once the assessment has been successfully completed, a report goes to the agency’s adoption panel, made up of social workers, other professionals and independent people (often adopted or adopters themselves). You will have contributed to, and have had sight of the report, and will be invited to attend the panel if you so wish. The panel will then make its recommendation.
If you are approved, you and your social worker can start looking for a suitable match. If locally there are no possible children, then your details will immediately be referred to the South West Adoption Consortium. This happens as a matter of course six months after approval if you haven’t been linked with a child locally.
The National Adoption Register and Be My Parent can also be used to widen the search.
Their websites are www.adoptionregister.org.uk and www.bemyparent.org.uk
