Wiltshire Council

Introduction

There are many children, from many different backgrounds, who are waiting to be adopted. They have had unsettled lives and need parents who can offer them love and reliable care to help them rebuild their trust in adults.

In Wiltshire Council, we are looking for adoptive families for around 25 children comprising of older babies, toddlers to 10 years old. They could be individual children to sibling groups of 2 or 3.

Why do children need to be adopted?

The majority of children placed for adoption will have been removed from their parents through the court system. All of these children will have had their plan for adoption approved by the court.

These children come to adoption with their own identity, background and family history, all of these background experiences will affect how a child will settle in an adoptive home.

Children who come through the care system (also known as looked after children) are in most cases initially placed in foster care. Great efforts are made to keep siblings together however there are times when it is considered appropriate to separate them.

Most children will need to maintain some level of contact with their birth parents in order to promote their self-esteem and identity. In a lot of cases this is achieved through indirect contact through the adoption agency.

Child’s involvement

The children themselves, depending on age and understanding, will be fully involved in the whole adoption process and their wishes and feelings will be ascertained and taken into consideration when important decisions about their future are being made.

The children are provided with a Children’s Guide to Adoption Support and this includes information about how they can make a complaint if they are unhappy about the decisions that have been made or the services provided.