What to expect from an adoption information event

Anyone that is thinking about adoption is likely to have lots of questions. Our adoption information events are the best way to get the answers to your questions and find out more from our friendly team of adoption experts.

At Adoption@Heart, we hold an information event every couple of weeks, held at different times and days of the week – including the weekend – to make sure we offer a variety of events at a convenient time. If you can’t make it to one of our events, we can arrange a one-to-one chat with a social worker instead.

We now offer a mixture of online events and face-to-face events around the West Midlands to offer people the chance to join us from home or an opportunity to meet the team in person.

Whether you are just looking for more information at this point or are ready to take the next step, our information event is the best step for you to take. Deciding to adopt is a big decision so we have put together a guide of what to expect from an Adoption@Heart adoption information event:

1. A friendly welcome – we know some people may feel nervous about attending an adoption information event, and it might be your first step to finding out more, so we encourage guests to join in as much or as little as you feel comfortable. Please be assured that we are a friendly team and are here to help and to give you the information that you need – all questions are welcomed.
2. What adoption is – we’ll explain what adoption means, the legal rights of adopters, the difference between fostering and adoption, and the different types of adoption (including early permanence otherwise known as fostering for adoption).
3. Who we are – we will tell you more about our agency and how we provide adoption services for the local authorities and children’s trust within the Black Country to find families for children.
4. The different types of adoption agency – we will explain the differences between regional adoption agencies and voluntary adoption agencies and how we work together for the needs of children.
5. About the children – the team will give you an overview of why babies and children in our care need to find safe, loving, and permanent homes through adoption. We will also talk to you about the type of children we are looking to find families for, which includes children of all ages from babies and toddlers to older children. We particularly need families for brothers and sisters, for children from black and mixed heritage backgrounds and for children with additional needs.
6. Who can adopt? – we will talk to you about who can adopt and what makes a good adopter as well as things for you to consider when making your decision about adoption.
7. What the adoption process is – we will take you through the whole process from making your first enquiry, attending training, and the official checks required in Stage 1, to being allocated your social worker who will work with you to complete a Prospective Adopter Report in Stage 2. We will support you every step of the way to being approved as an adopter and then being matched with a child or children. We will then continue to support you through our Adoption Support Team once an Adoption Order is granted if required.
8. The support we offer – we will give you an overview of the support we offer our adopters from the first enquiry right through to being approved, matched and beyond.
9. Answers to your questions – there will be a question and answer session where you are welcome to ask any questions that you might have. All questions are welcome so please feel free to ask anything at all. You are also welcome to contact us after the event with any further questions that you might have.
10. The next steps – we will tell you what steps you need to take if you would like to progress with your enquiry after the information event. If you’re still not sure if adoption is right for you, we are more than happy to answer any questions you may have, and we’ll always be here if you want to come back in the future. Please remember that you are not obliged to continue with your enquiry if you join us at an event – we are here to give you all the information you need to make the decision that is right for you.

To book your place at an information, please visit our events page for a list of dates, times and locations.

If you would like to speak to someone beforehand, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

---