Regional Adoption Agencies and Voluntary Adoption Agencies: What is the Difference?

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Posted on May 5, 2023

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Choosing an adoption agency is an important decision for anyone considering adoption and you may have already been doing some research to help you to decide which is the best agency for you.

A Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) and Voluntary Adoption Agency (VAA) are two different types of adoption agencies. While both have the same goal to find secure, loving, and permanent families for children, there are some key differences.

What are the differences?

A VAA is usually a charity or a not-for-profit organisation. A RAA is a collaborative approach where the local authorities in a region combine adoption services into one agency to cover that area. At Adoption at Heart, we are proud to be a RAA and are responsible for finding families for children in the care of City of Wolverhampton Council, Dudley Council, Walsall Council and Sandwell Children’s Trust (which manages children’s services for Sandwell Council).

The main difference is that VAAs do not have children in their care. VAAs are approached by RAAs, such as Adoption at Heart, when a match has not been identified from their own pool of approved adopters. In simple terms, our adopters are considered first for the children in the care of the local authorities and children’s trust. As a RAA, we work collaboratively with the children’s services teams within each local authority and trust. We are therefore aware of the children that are likely to have a plan of adoption at an early stage so we understand their background and their needs.

Because of collaborative working between RAAs and the children’s teams in the local authorities, this can make the matching process more efficient.

This means:

• We are able to provide more early permanence for younger children and babies.
• As our adopters you will always be considered first for children in the care of the Black Country local authorities and Children’s Trust before adopters from other agencies.
• We have a good understanding of the children’s needs from an early stage.
• We have a dedicated and experienced family finding team to ensure the best match for our children and adopters.

Are there any other differences?

Both RAAs and VAAs offer support and training to their adopters. Here at Adoption at Heart we are proud to support our adopters every step of the way. We offer:

• Ongoing training throughout your assessment process and beyond
• Access to additional training and support for life
• A buddy system where we can put you in touch with an experience adopter
• Regular support groups through the assessment process and after you have adopted
• Frequent newsletters and access to an adopter portal
• Access to a wealth of resources including webinars
• Membership with Adoption UK, CATCH and New Family Social
• Social events where you can meet other adopters and members of the team
• Access to a duty social worker Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (4:30pm on Fridays)

Every agency is different, and you should go with the agency that ‘feels right’ for you.

We would love to speak to you in more detail about your enquiry, whether you are ready to begin your adoption journey or are just looking for more information.

You can either contact us for a chat over the phone or why not join us at one of our information events? They are the perfect place to find out more about adoption and the support we offer you every step of the way.

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