A younger child's guide to adoption

Children can't live where they are being hurt or not cared for properly. This is why some children are adopted. This means that they become part of a new family.

Child in front of house, looking uncertain

Before you are adopted, you will probably go to live with a foster family who will look after and care for you while plans are being made.

Outside the house: woman and two children holding cats

A person called a social worker will come and visit you at your foster home to get to know you. Their job is to find the best adoptive family for you to live with and grow up with. Your social worker will also talk to you about the important people that you would like to keep in touch with.

Inside the house: the social worker visits

Your social worker will work hard to find the best adoptive family for you to go and live with. There are lots of different sorts of adoptive family. There might be a mum or a dad on their own; sometimes two mums or two dads and sometimes a mum and a dad together.

Whatever kind of family is chosen you can be sure your social worker thinks that they are the right family for you.

Lady with telephone and computer, thinking about the child and different adoptive families: two men, one woman, a female-male couple with a dog

When the social worker thinks they have found the best family to become your adoptive family, they will go to a special meeting (called a panel) to make sure that everyone agrees that this is the right family for you.

The child, surrounded by the friendly faces of the panel members

Once the right family has been found, your social worker will come to tell you all about them and will show you some pictures of them. You might feel a bit worried or sad about moving to another family. The grown ups will understand and it's important that you tell people how you are feeling if you can.

The social worker visits and shows photographs

So that you can get to know each other your new adoptive family will come and visit you at your foster home. You will then spend lots of time with your new family at your foster home and visiting their house until everyone thinks it is time for you to go and live with them.

Your new family will love you, care for you and keep you safe.

The adoptive parents play with the child

After you have lived with your adoptive family for a while a judge in court will be asked to make them your legal adoptive family.

A judge presents a certificate to the child

You are now legally adopted.
This means they will always be your family.

What Brighton & Hove Adoption Service want to offer children that are adopted. We believe that:

Children have the right to grow up in a loving family that can look after them properly.
If children can't be looked after by their birth parents or other family members, they need a new family that they can be a part of for the rest of their lives.

Things that are important when finding a new family for children:

We try very hard to make sure that children don't have to wait too long for a new family.
We try to make sure that brothers and sisters live together if it is the best thing for all of them.
We believe that children's different religions and family backgrounds are important.
We will do all we can to help children with their feelings about what has happened to them.
We believe that people making decisions about children's lives should ask children what they think, and listen to their wishes and feelings.
We will do all we can to help children feel good about themselves.
We believe that all children are important and should have the same chances.
We make sure all children have a life story book that explains the reasons they were adopted. We also do our best to help children keep things from their past that are important to them.
Children's birth families are also offered support and help.
If it is decided that it would be good for a child to have contact with their birth family or other important people in their lives, the social workers will do their best to help.
We keep information about children's adoptions, so that they can read it when they are older, if they wish.

Brighton & Hove Fostering and Adoption Service
Brighton & Hove City Council
Children, Families & Schools Directorate
253 Preston Road, Brighton BNI 6SE
Telephone: 01273 295444

Email: fostering.adoption@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Website: www.fosteringinbrightonandhove.org.uk
www.adoptioninbrightonandhove.org.uk