- What is adoption?
- Why do children need adopting?
- Real-life adoption stories
- Types of children
- Meet the children
- Our boundaries – do you live within an hour from Plymouth?
- Quiz - Could I adopt?
- Adoption process
- Support
- Financial help
- Contact with birth relatives
- Further reading
- What happens next?
- Adoption TV advert
CONTACT
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Mail :
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Plymouth Adoption Team Services for Children and Young People Plymouth City Council Plymouth PL1 2AA |
| 01752 306800 | |
| adoption@plymouth.gov.uk |
RELATED PAGES
LINKS
- Adoption Information Line
- Adoption Net
- Adoption UK
- Be My Parent family finding magazine and website
- British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF)
- Department of Trade and Industry - Adoption leave and pay
- Tailored Interactive Guidance on Employment Rights (TIGER)
- We are not responsible for the content of linked websites. Visit our disclaimer page for more information.
What kinds of children could I adopt from Plymouth?
Adoption today is very different from how it used to be. In the past a large number of healthy babies needed adopting, but nowadays this is rare and we are desperate for families for toddlers and school-age children up to about age 10.
Rather than being given up at birth, children tend to be separated from their birth families when they are older due to concerns about parenting. As a result, as well as needing adoptive parents for individual children, we need families for groups of two or more brothers and sisters who need to grow up together. There has recently been an increase in the number of larger sibling groups needing adoption and we are currently seeking adoptive families for several groups of three or four brothers and sisters. We are committed to keeping sibling groups together wherever possible to minimise any further instability and loss.
Do adopted children have more problems than other children?
All of the children who need adopting have experienced more than their fair share of separation and loss and may have complex emotional, physical or social needs as a result. Some have even been subjected to emotional, physical or sexual abuse. They may express their pain by testing you to the limit and being attention seeking, destructive or ungrateful. Past experience has shown that placing a child in a stable and loving home often has a tremendous effect on their behaviour. With professional help and support, most adopted children go on to achieve normal standards of physical and emotional health, education and development. They therefore need families able to understand their complex behaviour who have the commitment to teach them to trust again.
Some of the children waiting for adoption have special needs such as physical or learning difficulties, or there may be uncertainty about their future development. Such children need adoptive parents with high levels of sensitivity and patience who can help them reach their full potential. People who have adopted for Plymouth often say that adopting a child with more problems requires more strength and commitment, but brings much more satisfaction and reward in the long run.
All kinds of children are waiting for a forever family in Plymouth and they all have different backgrounds and needs. The one thing they all have in common is that they are desperate for a permanent loving family in which to grow up. We need adoptive parents from a wide range of backgrounds in order to match each child to their ideal parent and ensure that their needs are met in the best possible way.
Please read on to learn about real children who are waiting for forever families in Plymouth, and consider whether you could provide a forever family for them or children like them.