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Adoption

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on adoption.

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Original poster

Hoping to adopt - local auth versus other agency???

24 replies

Lizzi04 · 27/06/2006 17:13

Hi all.
Am new to this so excuse me if I don't know the lingo We have one girl almost 4 and due to a condition that I have which is made worse by pregnancy we'd like to adopt. Our local authority is very short staffed and they've said it'll be at least August before they can come back to us to take it any further. I was wondering about trying one of the other agencies that are non local authority. Has anyone got experience of this? Is it true that the ss have better access to children? We'd need to adopt age birth to 2.5 really with ours being nearly 4.

OP posts:

suejonez · 27/06/2006 18:25

I'm going international rather than domestic but know other adopters who used voluntary agencies rather than LA. Catholic childrens society and Thomas Coram both come highly recommended. You need to ring a few up and talk to them, it will give you a better idea of wihch you like/don;t like etc.

Not true SS have better access to children - many children are not allowed to be adopted within their own borough (due I guess to the risk of bumping into birth family). Also VA's will have access to more than one council's waiting children.

The adoption process will take some time so your age range would probably be more likely to be 0-4 with the proviso that they expect at least a 2 yr age gap between DD and next child.

How quickly you get matched depends on where you are in the country and what age child you are approved for - longer wait for children under 5 on the whole but not always.

There are other adopters on here who can give you better info on the domestic timescales etc.

Good luck

april74 · 28/06/2006 07:36

We went to our local authority who advised us to try another one in the consortium as they will see us quicker and they don't place children in the same authority.

Call your near bouroughs and see if they can help you. Good Luck

Agree that 0-4 is what to aim for as if your just starting you probably have a few years to wait.

suejonez · 28/06/2006 09:28

April74 - did you get a panel date? Weren't you expecting to go to panel around now?

Original poster

Lizzi04 · 28/06/2006 14:16

Hi all
Many thanks for your replies!! Very helpful. I know why they have to do all the checks and interviews, etc but boy it does take a long time, eh?! To think that if all was well and I was having kids of my own it'd be done and dusted in months but with this I'm looking at years!! I'm SO impatient normally too. Better knuckle down and be prepared to wait I suppose! I have now emailed a couple of neighbouring LA's but will also look into some voluntary ones (Thanks Suejonez for your suggestions!)

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Patttsy · 29/06/2006 14:49

Hi Lizzi04, we had a domestic adoption through an agency and I guess it all depends on the agency. (We were recommended this agency from a friend, who had successfully adopted through them)

Found our adoption agency was great. Timescale was very short, but there were special reasons for that. (Ds came to be with us 5 weeks after approval).

Our ds came to be with us aged 8mths.

Maybe worth doing some research into the local authorities and agencies. Also you are not limited to the local agencies, you can be approved by local authorities and agencies further afield if you wish.

The whole process was amazing, and very positive in our experience, but I realise that not everyone is so lucky.

(Hi suejonez)

Patttsy x

suejonez · 29/06/2006 15:19

are you following me Patttsy?

Original poster

Lizzi04 · 29/06/2006 16:48

Hi Patttsy!! Thanks for your reply. I thought you could only be approved by one place at a time. Have I got that wrong? Are you at liberty to tell me which agency you were advised? I am in West Yorkshire and have emailed all our local ones. Only two of the four I've emailed have replied and I have also emailed the catholic society one out of interest.

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suejonez · 29/06/2006 16:55

To answer on behalf of patttsy yes you can only be approved by one agency/LA at a time but when she says "you can be approved by local authorities and agencies further afield if you wish" she means that you can choose who your approving agency is, you don;t have to go to LA or a local agency. You can go to any approved agency who are prepared to take you on.

FYI, the Catholic Society came highly recommended by two friends of mine in completely different parts of the country

Original poster

Lizzi04 · 29/06/2006 17:05

Ooh many thanks for that Sue. I'll keep everything crossed that they reply soon then. I think my DH is concerned that the LA will have better access to the tyoe of child we are looking for. He seems to think that the outside agencies will only have the harder to place children on their books but I am getting the impression that's not the case. It's just so hard getting people to reply to me from these places!

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suejonez · 29/06/2006 18:44

Have a look through all the adoptions threads (there's not that many) I think the LA/VA question has come up before and it was refuted then that LA's had some kind of special pool of children available and lcaol parents get them first because most will NOT place children of their borough with parents of their borough so the argument holds no weight at all (tell your DH!)

cleaninglady · 29/06/2006 19:46

Used to work for LA and involved in adoption panel so a bit of info!
All children have to be approved at panel to be put up for adoption and LA's tend to be the ones to do this which is why a LA would have a bigger/varied pool of children approved for adoption. All children are then put on a central register which all LA's have access to so its your approval as adoptive parents that is done by either your LA or a nearby one bearing in mind your assessments would be easier if doen locally and then you being presented at panel for approval. Once approved its the matching process that dips into the central register looking at locally available children first as this is not necessarily a problem in some cases then further afield when necessary but its the matching rather than the locality that is looked at first. hope that helps good luck

Patttsy · 30/06/2006 09:17

No, Suejonez, maybe your anticipating my next postThanks for replying on my behalf!

I can only really go on MN when I'm at work, and unfortunately sometimes (but only sometimes), I have to actually do some work.

(highjack over)

Back to thread...

Some LA authorities have a policy that once approved you can only consider LA children in their care for say the first 6mths, then subsequently you may go countrywide (so to speak). With AA (adoption agencies) this is not the case (as they don't have any children in their care) so you are able to be considered for any child/children on the national adoption register (once you are approved to adopt). It might be a point to consider.

Original poster

Lizzi04 · 30/06/2006 10:09

Oooh this is all so helpful!! Thank you all so very much. Thanks to Cleaninglady for the insider info too . I have emailed around a fair few places now and am waiting for a response so I'll keep you all posted. And get your point cleaninglady about the locality of the assessor for ease of home visits, etc. Many many thanks!!
And Patttsy, I work from home and should be working too!!!

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Patttsy · 30/06/2006 10:11

But work isn't as much fun as MN is it Lizi04? (the money is though!)

keep posting Liz

Original poster

Lizzi04 · 30/06/2006 18:00

How true that is Patttsy!! Good news, 2 of the other LA's have rung this aft whilst I was out. My Dh was working from home so he's chatted to them both and says they both seem really good and willing to come and see us. We are just waiting on the 2 vol agencies and then we'll make a decision who to go through. Lets hope this is the start of good things!!!

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suejonez · 30/06/2006 21:47

It's exciting isn't it Lizzi04, getting the process off the ground.

Original poster

Lizzi04 · 04/07/2006 16:39

Hi all. I'm totally confused now!!! We've heard from neighbouring LA's but our local authority has contacted to say it'll now be a couple of months before they can take us on and it may be after Christmas before we can go on training!! This seems a very long time. I said that this was disappointing and that we'd have liked to get things moving but the lady I spoke to seemed a little negative about us considering elsewhere. Don't want to shoot myself in the foot!! We have lots to think about I reckon.

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LilyBongo · 04/08/2006 19:49

Hello you! Tis I!

Original poster

Lizzi04 · 04/08/2006 20:08

Bonjour Lily!!

Any news?

OP posts:

LilyBongo · 04/08/2006 22:08

Don't be daft!

MamatoHoney · 05/08/2006 11:27

hi lily and lizzy i wanted to jump in as well and say how are you lily i have done the letter and feel proper pi off about it but i dont feel i have any choice at the moment my hands are tied best wishes mama

MamatoHoney · 05/08/2006 11:29

that should say pi off not pi excuse the grammer

MamatoHoney · 05/08/2006 11:30

its done it again you know what i mean

LilyBongo · 07/08/2006 20:46

Hi Mama,
hang on to the letter - why do their work for them, if they pulled out all the stops and did a right job they wouldn't have to tidy up!
How was the barbi - hope it went really well and hubby excelled with the cooking
STILL not heard a peep - must mean that there are no children in the system in need of a new family! .
Be nice to catch up again soon.
L xxx

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