What type of children do we have that need adopting at Adoption Services East Midlands?
Every year we place, and continue to support, a substantial number of children with their adoptive families. Some need placements on their own. Others are in groups of two or more brothers and sisters who need to stay together.
While most of the children are White British we also have children from the diverse range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds represented in our area, including Asian, African, African Caribbean and mixed heritage children.
It is rare for very young babies to be placed for adoption and the majority of those needing families are aged between one and five years.
We always have some school age children and there is also a great need for adopters who are willing to take sibling groups of two or three children. Wherever possible we make every effort to keep siblings together. Some children will have brothers and sisters who remain within their birth family or who are adopted elsewhere.
Common Questions and Answers
Q: How old are the children? I have heard that it isn’t possible to adopt very young babies?
A: It is very rare for babies to be given up voluntarily by their birth families. Nearly every child we place has been removed from their birth family and due to the court process the majority of children we place are at least 12 months old.
Children needing adoption may be considerably older dependant upon their age when the plan for adoption is made, and the complexity of the court proceedings.
Q: What are the children like?
A: Many children placed for adoption are at risk of, or have experienced, abuse and/or neglect in their birth families. Some children may have physical or learning disabilities.
The one thing all these children have in common is that their birth parents are unable to care for them and they need a new, permanent family.
Q: What if I have children of my own?
A: Many people
successfully parent both birth and adoptive children together.
Some
children benefit from being placed within a larger family.
Usually we
would only place an adoptive child who is younger than your birth child
by at least two years.
Q: Will I be told about the child’s background?
A:
It is very important that you know as much as possible about the child’s
past.
The law says the adoption agency must give you all the
information it has about the child. This includes details about his or
her background, time in care, school history and any medical needs. This knowledge will help you to understand the child when they come to
live with you, help the child understand the circumstances of their
adoption and help you find the best way of supporting them in the
future.
Q: Will the child still see their birth family?
A: Although it is rare for adopted children to see their birth parents face
to face following adoption, all adoptive parents are required to
provide information for the birth family of their child via the Agency’s
Post Box Scheme.
Most children
benefit from continuing to have information about their birth family or other
important people in their lives.
Adults adopted as children have
expressed how important it was to them to know about their past and
where they came from.
The level of contact suggested depends on the
child and the situation and as every case is different this is something
that will be discussed before a child is placed with you. At the very
least it will be Post Box once per year.
Details about the Post Box scheme>>
Adopting Sibling Groups - the benefits
Most adopters come to the team wanting one young child. Prospective adopters are usually unaware that we have a lot of brothers and sisters that need to stay together who also need adoptive homes.
By adopting a sibling group adopters can have a ready made family and the children get to grow up with their brothers and sisters.
Sometimes we may have a single child to place for adoption but we are aware that a younger sibling may also become available for adoption too. In this instance we would generally approach the adopters of the first child to take any subsequent children if appropriate.
Applications from adopters wanting sibling groups will be given priority and you may find that you will not have to wait very long for a placement following approval.
If you choose to adopt one child and then come back for a second at a later date you will need to go through the approval process a second time. However taking on a sibling group is never easy and any adopters wanting to take a sibling group are advised to get as much hands on experience with children in the age group that they want to adopt as possible.
Further details
If you would like further details about the children we are placing, please feel free to give a call to discuss things further: 0116 299 5899
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