Adoption, Fostering, Respite Foster Care, Post-Adoption Counselling and Pregancy Counselling. St Andrew's Children's Society.

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7 John's Place Leith Edinburgh EH6 7EL     T: 0131 454 3370
   
 

     Useful Links

Link to British Association for Adoption & Fostering.

 

Link to the Fostering Network Web Site.

 

 

Link to the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies Web Site.
What is Adoption?
 
 

Adoption allows children who cannot live with their birth families to be brought up in a loving and secure family environment.

Adoption is rightly about focusing on the needs of children but it is recognised that it also meets important needs for adults who wish to become parents to a child through adoption.

The children that we place come from very varied religious and ethnic backgrounds who have had many different kinds of family experiences so we need to recruit adopters from all walks of life who have a range of skills and strengths.

 
Criteria For Assessment
  
 

Below are the general criteria for accepting prospective adoptive applicants for assessment.
 (Click on a criteria heading for more detail.)

  
  - Age
Couples and single people aged of 21 and over. We do not have an upper age limit but it must be clearly demonstrated that the applicant has the space, energy and good health to meet the needs of children. It is likely that older applicants will be considered primarily for older children.
 
  - Religion
We recruit:
  • Roman Catholic couples and single people for children of a Roman Catholic heritage.
  • Couples and single people of all religious denominations for children of any religious heritage.
  • Couples and single people of no religious persuasion for children where religion is not a matching consideration.
 
  - Racial Origin
We recruit:
  • White couples and single people for children from a white racial and cultural background.
  • Black, Chinese and Asian couples and single people for children from black,Chinese and Asian racial and cultural backgrounds.
There maybe occasions when a trans-racial placement may be considered if it is thought to be in the best interests of a particular child, but this would be at variance to the normal practice of same race placements and would therefore need to be well justified.
 
  - Family Composition
We recruit:
  • Couples and single people who are childless.
  • Couples and single people who have birth children.
 
  - Gender
We recruit:
  • Males and females who are married or living together in a committed and enduring relationship.
  • Same sex couples living together in a committed and enduring relationship.
  • Single males.
  • Single females.
 
  Based on the panel’s recommendation, the agency decision maker will then decide whether or not to approve you. Normally, you will be notified of the decision within a week of the panel.  
  Assessment not taken up?  
  Sometimes an assessment is not taken up, this can be for a variety of reasons.
Possible reasons:		  
  • An applicant has a criminal conviction of a violent or sexual nature, especially if that offence was committed against a child.
  • An applicant, or someone else in the household has a serious, life threatening illness.
  • An applicant does not have suitable accommodation that would allow them to care for a child appropriately.
  • The lifestyle of an applicant was such that it would impede their ability to care for a child, e.g. their employment or hobby meant that they spent a lot of time away from home and that meant that someone other than the applicant would have significant caring responsibilities for a child placed.
  • An applicant has a child that they do not care for and is being accommodated and looked after by a local authority.
  • An applicant has a child under 5 living in their household.
  The Safebase Parenting Programme was introduced in 2010 and aims to inform and educate adoptive parents about attachment difficulties. This programme was developed from the experience of providing support to adoptive families and has proved its continuing effectiveness with parents reporting that they and their children continue to enjoy a better quality of family life.

The programme is in three parts:
  • Assessment of parent child interactions

  • 4 day training programme

  • Follow up support through groups and forums
The techniques used are practical and can apply throughout the child's life. Parents report they have gained skills and confidence to overcome difficulties and change challenging behaviour. 		 
 
Key Safebase Parenting Programme Aims are:
  • Educate parents about attachment difficulties
  • Help parents better understand themselves and their child
  • Demonstrate practical Theraplay® techniques and empower parents to use these and other tools to change their child's negative behaviour
  • Allow parents to meet others in a similar situation to exchange ideas and avoid feeling isolated
  • Offer parents long-term support by providing online resources and access to ongoing links through family days, helplines and a worker when needed

To view our video on Safebase please go to our home page and click the Safebase logo. 		 
 
  Examples of children we need to find new adoptive homes for:  
 

Kevin is 6yrs and his little sister is 2yrs. They have been in foster care for 18 months and because their parents take drugs and are not able to put their children’s needs before their own it has been decided that they cannot live together and that they need a new adoptive home.

Jodie is 3 years old and she was removed from her birth mothers care as soon as she was born because her mother has moderate learning difficulties and cannot adequately meet her children’s needs. Jodie needs adoptive parents but she has three older siblings who have been adopted by other families and it is envisaged that she will have some contact with them as she grows up.

 
 

 

  
What is the Process to be approved as an adopter?
 Up
  Initial Enquiry  
  Contact us by phone, in writing or by e-mail to make an initial inquiry about adoption. With this information you will receive an Initial Enquiry Form. If you wish to proceed with your interest you should return this form so that we can arrange for a social worker to visit you in your home.  
  Initial Home Visit  
  The social worker will be able to tell you more about adoption, preparation and assessment process and the checks we will carry out to assess your suitability. You should be as honest as possible with us at this point so that we can be clear with you about what the challenges will be. You will also hear about the kinds of children who need adoptive homes and we will ask you about your motivation and expectations regarding adoption.  
  Preparation Groups  
  If we feel that you have the potential to offer a child a safe and loving home you will be invited to attend the next available preparation group course. Attending these groups will allow you to find out about adoption in more detail, and do some very important thinking about making a lifetime commitment to a child. Our job is to give you a lot of information about adoption, including the sorts of children available. You have a crucial role to play at this time. You are given a chance to take a very honest look at what you want out of adoption and what you can offer a child waiting for adoption (many of whom may be very demanding). You will have time to think about all the important issues:  
 
  • What are the needs of an adopted child?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses as an adoptive parent?
  • Can you make the sort of commitment that will really make a difference to a child’s life?
  
  The Homestudy  
  When you have completed the preparation group programme you are then asked to consider whether you wish to formally apply to be assessed as a prospective adopter. You will be allocated a social worker to begin the homestudy process. It is at this stage that we formally begin to assess your suitability to adopt by building up a thorough profile of you. The social worker will make several visits to your home to see you together (if you are a couple)and individually and ask you detailed questions about your own family background, your childhood and your present circumstances.

You will also have a full medical examination with your own GP.

The home study is demanding, will address personal issues and will take several months to complete. Because we ask families to make a life long commitment to children, the agency must be sure you are right for the role. Just as importantly, you must be certain you can make a success of it.

At the end of the homestudy, you and the social worker will work together to produce a home study report. The report includes a detailed assessment of you as a potential adoptive parent, information about your health, Disclosure Scotland and local authority checks and your personal referees. A key part of the report will focus upon your strengths as a family and the kind of child or children you feel you could adopt. Could you, for example, look after a child with a physical or learning difficulty? What age range would you consider? And how many children would you consider?		  
  The Adoption Panel  
  The home study report goes forward to the Agency’s adoption panel. This panel is made up of social workers, other professionals and independent people. You will attend the panel along with your social worker to answer any questions from panel members. Once they have considered the report, the panel will recommend whether or not you should be approved as an adoptive parent. Remember, 94% of people who reach this stage are approved.

Based on the panel’s recommendation, the agency decision maker will then decide whether or not to approve you. Normally, you will be notified of the decision within a week of the panel.		  
  Matching you to a Child  
  Once you are approved, St. Andrew’s Children’s Society will begin to consider whether there are children waiting for adoption who might be a suitable match for you. St Andrew’s Children’s Society places children with adoptive families on behalf of Local Authorities throughout the United Kingdom. We place children who are referred directly to St Andrew’s by Local Authorities as well as children whose circumstances are featured in national publications available to prospective adoptive families.  
  The Adoption Panel  
  Once a child or children have been identified as possibly suitable for you, you will be given full information about the child or children’s background. If you want to proceed and a Matching Panel agrees that it is a good match, you will meet the child or children, as part of a gradual programme of introductions. Your adoptive child or children will come to live with you and become part of your new family. Remember, you are not on your own — St. Andrew’s Children’s Society will offer you support and advice after placement, and will keep in touch with you until the adoption is finalised. You should talk to your social worker about what adoption support services will be offered by St Andrew’s.  
  The Adoption Order  
  When your adoptive child has successfully settled in your family, you will be able to apply to the Sheriff Court where you live for an adoption order to be made. You can lodge a petition to adopt a child once they have lived with you for a minimum of 13 weeks. Once the order is made, all rights and responsibilities originally held by the birth parents transfer to you.  
  Adoption Support  
  Your social worker will visit you after the adoption order has been granted and will draw up an Adoption Support Agreement with you. This will outline what support you would like to receive from St Andrew’s and can be reviewed at any time in the future so that it continues to meet the needs of your family.  
For more information or to make an initial enquiry, which will be totally confidential, please call us or e-mail us.
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