Adoption - judging your suitability

On this page you can find out more about how we judge whether people are suitable for adoption services.

What happens during an assesment?

Providing a permanent family for a child and bringing them up to independence is far from easy for anyone.

And as an adoptive parent, you face challenges over and above those of a birth parent, which is why we have to assess your suitability so vigorously.

We base our assessments on the rights and needs of children, and take into account what we have learned from the outcomes of previous adoption placements.

Like every prospective adopter, you will have different strengths and areas of vulnerability in relation to adopting a child.

We'll look very carefully at all of them.

What makes a suitable adopter?

It's important for you to know that we have no "blue print" for a suitable adoption.

However by the end of the assessment we expect you to have demonstrated that:

• You will have sufficient time and space in your life to devote to the parenting role
• You have the emotional capacity to bond with, care for, and nurture a child unconditionally
• You can understand, adapt to, and meet a child's changing needs throughout their childhood and beyond
• You are realistic about the possible problems and special needs which the child may present, and are committed to seeking out and accepting help from appropriate individuals, networks, or professionals
• You have a positive attitude to, openness about, and connection with the child's roots, and will share the birth and adoption information with a child in an honest, sensitive and supportive way
• You will be appropriately equipped yourself, or through identified others, to nurture a child's ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic heritage, and to meet the child's identity needs in a proactive way

Preparation and assessment is very much a process of self-examination, learning and growth.

So, we also take into account the extent to which you have been:

• Willing to commit yourself to the assessment process, and to assume personal responsibility for your growth and development
• Open to considering the potential stresses and setbacks, alongside the rewards and joys, of adoptive parenting

Contact us

To begin a discussion with us about adoption, please submit the register my interest form or phone our free phone number: 0800 952 2926.