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Anyone adopted or thought about it? (also in toddler)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!



OH and I have often thought of adopting, but until now we felt we weren't settled/mature enough to go through the process. Also, financially we're able to afford another child now, due to a change in circumstances. Our LO is coming up for a year old and so we have been talking about it more recently. So I thought I'd see what experiences you've had with it.



I've always been concerned about our suitability. To give you an idea, OH is self-employed, I work part-time as a nurse in A&E, our LO is nearly 1, we own our own house, we're not well off but we have everything we need, love and laughter in our house is constant...reading this back I'm not sure what I'm concerned about but Social workers always make me feel like a silly little girl IYKWIM!!!



So, really what I want to know is; is the process the nightmare its thought to be? How long does it take to get approved? Its all quite daunting. Obviously its early days and OH and I are still very much discussing the idea of it, but I'd love to hear your experiences and any pointers would be great!



Hope you all have a lovely day with your LO's around you, enjoy every minute



Liz xxx

Replies

  • Hi Liz my brother and sister in law have just adopted two children and it took a total of 3 and a half years! Any questions you have feel free to message me on facebook and i will do my best to answer.

    Oh and BTW my brother and sis in aw both work very long hours and shifts and that didnt effect it in anyway



    xx
  • Thanks for the reply dinky, I know the process can be long, but I think we're going to give contact social services in the new year and find out exactly what's involved. Might take you up on your offer once I know a little more - hope you don't mind!



    Thanks xxx
  • Of course not anything i can help with i will try my best to answer, we were really close through out the whole process so know a fair bit about what they had to do.



    Good luck with it, it is amazing to see what a change they have made to the lives of the children they have adopted

    xx
  • just wanted to say what a lovely thing to be considering x
  • Hey,



    I work in this area on the legal side and what an amazing thing to do. I act for parents whose children have been removed and the difference just being in foster care does is astounding. To offer a forever family is wonderful.



    In terms of process you first have to be approved as an adopter which can take some time but all local authorities differ. Once approved you have to be matched to a child. The more flexiable you can be the more likely you will be matched quicker.



    By that I mean if you only want a baby it is unlikely to happen as babies are usually over a year old once care proceedings have been concluded. But if you can look after an older child or a sibling group the more chance you have of being matched.



    I sometimes find some adopters don't want chldren with behavioral/emotional problems which I find a very naive approach given what these children have experienced.



    Sorry, that was a bit longer than I planned!xxx
  • Hi



    I also work in adoption and you may find that your LA will have guidelines regarding the age of your LO. What I mean

    to say is the LA I work for would stipulate that your LO would need to be 3/4 years old at the time an adopted child is placed. This would take in to account the length of the assessment process and the age of child you are offering for.



    This is to enable an adopted child coming in to build attachment and for your LO to have an established position within your family.



    All LA's vary though.



    S x
  • G/C from DIS just wanted to say what an amazing thing you want to do. Don't be put off by the process, its long and hard but it will be so worth it when you can give a child that needs a home a stable upbringing. It sounds like you have a lovely well balanced life. Good luck x
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