Waiting for a child

It is impossible to predict how long it will take before a child comes to live with you because this depends on whether you can meet the needs of the children currently waiting for families. We already have older children, groups of brothers and sisters and children with special needs waiting, so if you have been approved to adopt these groups then you may be matched quite quickly. However, if you wish to adopt a healthy baby or individual child under two then you may be waiting longer. In Plymouth some adopters are matched almost immediately while others wait over a year, but on average you can expect to wait six months or so.

After you have been approved, you will be placed on our list of approved families and considered whenever an appropriate child becomes available. We will work actively to find a suitable child or children for you.

Plymouth City Council runs Family Finding Evenings several times a year, in which approved adopters are invited to view professionally-made DVD's of children currently awaiting adoption. We ran the first of these events in July 2008 and more than three children were matched as a direct result.

Plymouth City Council is part of the South West Adoption Consortium, working in partnership with neighbouring Adoption Agencies to speed up the adoption process. This means that even if you aren't suitable for the children waiting in Plymouth, we have access to children from all over the South West who could be perfect for you.

If you haven't been matched with a child after three months then with your permission we will also add your details to the National Adoption Register which is designed to link adoptive parents with children throughout the UK. If you wish you can join the British Association for Adoption and Fostering or Adoption UK, national organisations which publish regular magazines featuring specific children who are waiting for families. And don't forget that you can view our pages of children in Plymouth currently awaiting adoption at any time!

No matter how long you wait, we will continue to give you regular support and keep you informed. You will also have the opportunity to attend training workshops to increase your knowledge of adoption before a child comes to live with you. It is crucial that the right family is carefully matched to the right child, and we at Plymouth will do our utmost to achieve this for you.

Back to adoption process