The Adoption Process

The process of becoming approved as an adopter is a thorough one, with preparation and assessment taking up to 8 months. Our social workers will support and guide you through all the stages in a helpful and professional manner.

The first step is to make an enquiry.

You can do this by visiting or telephoning one of our offices or you can email us at info@caritascare.org.uk and one of our social workers will contact you.

We will then send you our Information Pack, and if you want to take your interest further, one of our team will arrange to meet with you. You will also be invited to attend one of our Information Events, held regularly in Preston, Cumbria and Manchester. To find out the dates for forthcoming events, click here.

If you and Caritas Care agree, you will then be invited to make a formal application to be assessed as a prospective adopter. The preparation process will then begin.

You will be asked for permission for us to undertake a series of checks, including a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure, which are required by law to make sure that children’s safety is protected. You will also be asked to undergo a medical.

You will be invited to a series of preparation groups, held regularly in Preston and in other areas, where you will meet with other prospective adopters and be given detailed information about adoption and about the kind of children we place with families. The assessment will then begin.

You will be allocated your own social worker, who will visit you at home over a period of around 6 months, to get to know you and your family, and compile with you a home study report, called the Prospective Adopters Report. This report is presented to our Adoption Panel, and you will be invited to attend. This Panel will consider the report and make a recommendation about your suitability to adopt to the Director or Assistant Director of Caritas Care, who will then make a final decision about your approval as suitable to adopt.

The bit that all adopters look forward to can then really start! You will receive regular visits from your social worker, who will work alongside you to find the right child or sibling group to be matched with your family. The process of finding the right child for you can take a few weeks but in most cases will take several months, involving a lot of discussion and exchange of information. If you and the child’s agency both agree, you will be linked to a suitable child or sibling group, and after a period of introductions the child or children will move in with you.

Your social worker will continue to visit and support you, and if you need the advice and support of other professionals, from health or education, we will support you in getting the right help.

You will be invited to Adopters Support Groups, where ongoing training as well as mutual peer support features. Your social worker will continue to support you up to and beyond the making of an adoption order.