waiting

[ann0102]

how long did you wait to be matched after approval panel please?
I know I'm impatient, not good at this waiting game :( (sad)

5 months (but we knew about them for almost all that time - it made the waiting both easier because there was real hope, and harder because we were picturing a particular little face, with no guarantees we would get to meet them...)

Hi Ann

As I'm sure you have been told a million times there is no answer to the how long question.

Are you using Adoption Link to search for yourself as well, it can sometimes make it feel like you are doing something.

In answer to your question I have known some people be matched as soon as they have been approved, others have waited months. It's all about getting the match right for you as well as the child and no time limit can be put on that.

I haven't registered on adoption link yet, as I wasn't sure if we needed to speak to SW first as you need to give their details.

We were looking for an older sibling group (3-7) so were under the impression they still needed us. Gutted when 2 mins after approval our SW told us there were no children. We waited 2 horrendous months. Then asked to go nationally as it was unlikely anything would come up in a month. They said yes and we attended a BAAF activity day and joined adoption link. We found our own match within a couple of weeks. Things moved quickly at first with SW meetings and CAD then 3 months waiting for panel. Then another 2 months until we started intros.
All pails into insignificance when u get them but I too was ridiculously impatient so I understand your pain x x xx

It obviously is different for everyone dependent on where they are looking and what age/type of child they are looking for. However, if you've been approved in recent months it would appear the wait is lengthening due to the B-S case coinciding with the change to quicker approval for adopters, unless you are looking for sibling groups (particularly older ones, or 3 or more), older children or those with disabilities (although if you look at whole time it took under old system it is probably now similar)

Matching truly is the toughest part of the process, my heart goes out to you - we have friends who've been waiting (and still are) for 9 months+. I see a lot of stats with the adoption maps etc. for how long a child waits and how many adopters are approved in X time but it would be interesting to see a stat for how many adopters matched nationally within 6 months, a year etc. to give adopters a more realistic outlook.

And we were lucky, ours was just under 3 months, but it was for a sibling group just prior to the B-S case influence.

Five months. But then as JaquelineHyde says "... there is no answer to the how long question."

Good luck.

Iwishkidslikedtomatoes hit the nail on the head in that the biggest factor is the area you're in. Most la's will match their children with their adopters wherever possible so the children won't go into the national registers. We were very lucky in that we were linked as soon as we were approved but had to wait 4 months for the care proceedings to be completed then we had our 6 month old son placed.