All children placed for adoption by us are unique and have their own needs and individual characters.

They may have experienced abuse or neglect and have extra needs or uncertainties about their future development. But they are children first who need stable, secure and loving families who will support them to reach their potential.

Matching you with our children

Matching is key to the long-term success of placements.

When we look for a family to match with a child or children, we consider the child's needs which allows us to find an adoptive family with the right skills and abilities to meet those needs.  

How the matching works

In order to support our children to become your children when we approach you about a match we will:

• provide you with detailed information about the child or children and their backgrounds, their health and development (including what contact arrangements are to remain in place with members of the child’s birth family after adoption).
• provide opportunities for you to meet with the child's social worker and foster carer
• provide opportunity for consultations with the agency medical adviser
• provide opportunity for you to meet the child as a 'friend' of the current carer - known as a chemistry visit. This allows you to get to know the child without the pressure for you or them of being introduced as the new parent. Your social worker will discuss and support you with this process

All of this will support you to make an informed decision about whether to go ahead with a proposed match.

If you and the social workers involved want to progress with the match, this will be presented to the Adoption Matching Panel.

Adoption Matching Panel

The Adoption Matching Panel will then make a recommendation about the proposed match, the Agency Decision Maker from the child’s local authority will make the decision about the match taking into account reports presented to the adoption matching panel and panel recommendation.

Once the match is agreed a period of introductions with you and the child will be planned during which you will be introduced to the as their adoptive parent/s.

During this time you will have opportunity to spend increasing amounts of time with them getting to know their routines etc initially in the foster carers home and then in your home prior to the child/children moving in with.

The timing and length of introductions varies depending on the needs and age of the child - during introductions your social worker will be in touch with you daily to check in with you about how you are feeling.