Children's Services

Adoption

Adoption is a legal process by which a child becomes the responsibility of a new family. This means that parental responsibility passes from the birth parents or the local authority to the new family. For many children, adoption may be their only chance of experiencing family life.

The majority of children placed for adoption will have been removed from their parents through the court system due to maltreatment in one form or another. These children come to adoption with their own identity, background and family history, all of which will impact on their adoptive home and require understanding and acceptance in order to increase the possibility of a successful placement.

People wishing to adopt

Adopters are viewed by Barking and Dagenham as an important and valuable resource for children in need of adoption. As a result great care is taken in the training, assessment and support of all applicants. We offer a service to all our residents and also welcome applications from those living outside the area.

We are looking to recruit families for a number of children. We have toddlers and children up to 10 years, from all different ethnicities and cultures, and we are always hoping to find families who could offer a home to more than one child, enabling brothers and sisters to grow up together. We also need families who could parent a child with disabilities. All our children have had a rough start and deserve the love and stability of family life.

Many have had to parent younger siblings, or even drug or alcohol dependent parents, so they need a home were they can have fun and learn to really laugh again and just be children. They will need consistent boundaries and unconditional support in developing to their full potential.

You don't need to be an experienced parent, be married, or be under 40!. You don't need a big house or a huge income. You can be of any culture or religion and you may, or may not, already be parents. You do need to be people who genuinely want to be parents and who will enjoy having a child or children in their home. People with 'stickability', people who can go that extra mile.

Is adoption a good idea?

It is the basic right of every child to belong to a family. If children cannot live with their birth families, for whatever reason, local authorities have a duty to:

Make sure they reach their full potential
Give them a fresh start; and
If appropriate, find another permanent home

Adoption continues to provide an important service for children, offering a positive outcome. Research shows that adopted children make a very good progress through childhood and into adulthood compared with children brought up with their own parents. They also tend to do considerably better than children who have stayed in the care system throughout their childhood.

If you have any further queries please feel free to contact us at the address shown. Anyone contacting us will be able to talk to a social worker experienced in adoption practice. An information pack is also available and will be sent to anyone who wants to know more.

Post adoption support

The value of post adoption support has been recognised more in recent years as being crucial to the success of adoptive placements. A child's need for explanation and knowledge about his or her background may grow as they get older. Their behaviour may increasingly reflect the impact of poor or abusive parenting in their early years.

We will support all adoptive placements through our own services or those of a families adoption agency. We also have a responsibility to the birth parents of children placed for adoption and will provide support and counselling to them.

Adoption UK

Adoption UK is a national self-help charity providing information, training and encouragement to adoptive parents. We are continuing to expand our network of support groups locally for adoptive parents in partnership with Barking and Dagenham Council and Waltham Forest Council starting this Autumn.

Adoptive parents needed

To participate in local monthly group meetings for prospective adopters and adoptive parents
To encourage and support each other
To identify particular issues for workshops and training

For further information contact Sharon Moore or Lynette Lee-Messenger, Post Adoption Support Services, on 020 8227 5864 or email sharon.moore@lbbd.gov.uk or lynette.lee-messenger@lbbd.gov.uk.

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Post Adoption Support Services also provide services for birth relatives and adoptees. Contact Sharon or Lynette at the contact details shown above.

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