Adoption

Adoption

Welcome to Doncaster Council’s Adoption Service.  These pages contain lots of information about adoption, what it is, who is eligible, the children who need adopting, the process to become an adoptive parent, and the help and support we can offer. 

You can always talk to our friendly team if you have more questions or why not come along to one of our information events:

Location: Doncaster Dome

Date: Monday 21st May 2012

Time: 5pm - 8pm. 

You can meet our team and some of the people who have already adopted children in Doncaster.

Adoption - an introduction

Adoption is a way of providing a new family and home for children who can no longer live with their 'birth' family. It is a legal process by which the adopted child becomes a full and permanent member of their new family once an adoption order is made in court. This means that the child will take on their new parents' surname, and will gain the rights of any natural children (which includes inheritance rights). When they have adopted the child the adoptive parent(s) take on the responsibility to care for that child emotionally, economically and physically as if they were their own.

Doncaster Adoption Team is committed to delivering a service that will make a positive difference to the lives of children and families. In order to achieve this, the team has a responsibility to make sure that vulnerable children are safe, cared for and grow up in a stable family environment with approved adoptive parents who are trained and dedicated to raising them.

The decision to place a child for adoption is not taken lightly and adoption will only be considered when it is not possible or suitable for a child to remain with their birth family. 

We understand that choosing to adopt a child is not a decision that can be made easily. We hope that the information on this website will help you in your decision of whether to enquire about adopting a child or young person in need of a family.

What kind of children need adopting?

There are children freed for adoption of all ages and from many different cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds. There are also children with disabilities and illnesses. Often brothers and sisters will need homes and families and we will aim to keep them together.

The majority of the children placed for adoption will have had an unsettled early life and may have physical, emotional and educational delay. Apart from their clearly identified individual needs, all the children placed for adoption will have a need for stability and will have experienced loss in their lives. Some may have been abused or neglected and may display challenging behaviour. Some of them do not know how it feels to be part of a stable family or to have a meaningful relationship with an adult. These children want to feel safe and secure and be looked after by parents who will love and protect them.

Make an enquiry

If you would like to discuss adoption further with a member of the Adoption Team please call us between 1.30pm - 5.00pm on (01302) 737366.

Alternatively you can complete the form below and a member of the team will contact you.

eform:  Adoption Enquiry Form