Adoption
Make adoption a positive option!
Adoption can change the life of a child in need of a secure and loving family. We are interested in hearing from you if you can offer a family life to toddlers, brothers and sisters, a child with special needs, or older children. If you are childless, already have children or have had children and they have left home, and you are considering adoption, please look at our list of frequently asked questions below, and then contact us for an information pack.
What is adoption?
Middlesbrough Council looks after children and young people who cannot live with their own families. Most of the children we look after will spend some time in foster care and then return to their families but for a small number this is not an option.
Whenever possible, we will place these children for adoption which means that they will become a full member of a new family and a legal order will be made transferring all the parental responsibility for the child to the adopters.
Who are the children who need adoptive families?
In June 2010, we carried out a study of all the children who have needed adoption placements over the last 5 years. Using information from this study, we can now say that in a 'typical' year, we will need adoptive placements for 22 children:
- 9 of these children will be under the age of 2
- 9 of these children will be aged 2 - 5
- 4 of these children will be over the age of 5
- 11 of these children will be single children
- 11 of these children will part of a sibling group of 2, 3 or 4 children
- 18 of these children will be of white British ethnicity
- 4 of these children will be from the black or minority ethnic community
- 2 of these children will have special needs such as medical problems or a learning disability.
These figures are in line with national trends. In the year ending March 2009, there were 3,300 children adopted from care but only 80 were under 1 year old. The average age at adoption was 3 years 9 months. If you are interested in looking at some profiles of children from throughout the UK who are waiting for adopters, please look at the Be My Parent website
What families do you need?
We welcome all enquiries but our main need is for adopters who can take children who are over the age of 2, as the majority of children who need adoptive families are in this age group. We will give priority to applicants who can consider children over the age of 2. We are also in need of adopters who can consider sibling groups of 2, 3 or 4 children. If you can only consider a very young child, then you may have to wait longer for a placement.
Who can adopt?
We believe that there is no such thing as an 'ideal' adoptive parent. Being a parent to a child who has not been born to you gives an extra dimension to family life and you will need to have understanding, patience and commitment to the task; all things which every parent should have - but a bit extra as well!
You have to be at least 21 years old to adopt and couples in a relationship should normally have been together for at least 3 years.
We accept applications from within reasonable travelling distance of Middlesbrough, which we say is about 100 miles, but we do not accept applications from people who live within Middlesbrough. This is because we find that social workers prefer to place children some distance away from the area where the birth family is living. If you live in Middlesbrough, we recommend that you make enquiries with neighbouring authorities such as Stockton, Redcar & Cleveland or Hartlepool as they may be looking for adopters outside of their own area.
What sort of checks do you do on adopters?
We must make sure that children are safe. This means that we will check your details with the Criminal Records Bureau and other agencies and you will also be asked for personal references. If you have a criminal record of offences against children, you will not be able to adopt.
What's the next step?
You can contact us by phone, email or letter and we will send you an information pack giving more details of what is involved. Once you have read this, you can request a visit from social workers from the Adoption Team to discuss your interest further. There is no obligation at this stage, but we find that a visit is the best way to answer people's questions in more detail.
What happens if I decide to apply?
If you wish to continue after the initial visits, you will have to complete an application form and your formal assessment will begin. This will include the police checks and other references. Part of the preparation will involve group meetings along with other applicants. Social workers from the Adoption Team will visit you at home and write a report, with your help, for Middlesbrough's Family Placement Panel and they will recommend whether you are suitable to adopt.
Where can I get more information?
Please contact us for a copy of our information pack. You can also look at a copy of our Statement of Purpose in the Downloads section below and look at some other informative websites which are listed in the External Links section.
Contact details
Middlesbrough Adoption Service
Middlesbrough Teaching & Learning Centre
Cargo Fleet Lane
Middlesbrough
TS3 8PE
Phone: 01642 - 201962 (office hours)
