Clackmannanshire Council Online

Adoption

Adoption

The Family Connections Team is a registered adoption service providing information, advice and support for anyone impacted by adoption or considering adopting. 

What is adoption?

‘Adoption is the legal process by which a child or siblings who cannot be brought up within their birth family become full, permanent and legal members of their new family. Adopters become the child's legal parents with the same rights and responsibilities as if the child was born to them.

Most adopted children have lived in foster care for part of their childhood. Most foster placements are with foster families rather than in foster homes. Time spent in foster care can range from days to several years, and many children have more than one foster placement before being placed for adoption.

Children who are adopted tend to have better outcomes than children who remain in foster care or spend their childhoods in and out of care.’ (Adoption UK)

Why do people adopt?

People may chose to adopt for a variety of reasons, some because they have been unable to have birth children, and some because adoption has been their first port of call when considering starting a family possibly due to being single, being in a same sex relationship, or through cultural or ethical beliefs, for example population growth.

Who can adopt? 

To adopt, you must

• be over 21,
• be legally resident in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, and have been so for at least 12 months,
• have no criminal conviction or caution for offences against children or for serious sexual offences. This applies to everyone in the household.

The Family Connections Team will provide information and guidance to anyone who wishes to adopt in Clackmannanshire exploring a range of factors to help you in your decision making and consideration of further assessment.

The team will also be able to provide you information about different types of fostering if relevant. 

If you are interested in adopting a child please contact us at fosteradopt@clacks.gov.uk.

Post adoption support

The Family Connections Team is working in partnership with Adoption UK (Scotland) to enhance the support available to adoptive families or anyone with lived experience of adoption within Clackmannanshire as part of a redesign of our adoption service. 

We understand the importance of family support, peer support, access to good quality training, therapeutic resources, and advice. As an adoption service our focus is on early intervention to ensure that adoptive families have a strong community around them to call on when needed. 

What We Do

• We work with and support children who need adoptive families
• We offer advice, guidance and support to people considering adopting a child. In certain circumstances we will undertake an assessment of an individual(s) suitability to adopt. 
• We undertake assessment of post adoption support requirements and provide support to adoptive families.
• We offer advice and support to adoptive families and birth families to maintain relationships and links, and exchange information through letter box contact or direct contact.
• We support adults with lived experience of adoption who may wish support to access records or make contact with birth family. 
• We can provide life story work through direct work with children, as well as access to independent advocacy to ensure the views of children are heard and understood by adults and those supporting the family. 
• We will undertake assessment and review of financial support that may be available to families through adoption allowances under the Adoption Support Services and Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2009.
• We can sign post to therapeutic services for adoptive families where an assessed need is identified. 
• We build community offering peer support and access to activity days and events for adoptive families. 
• We provide a range of training through Clackmannanshire Council, local partners and Adoption UK (Scotland) available face to face or through online learning platforms. 
• We can support the educational and wellbeing needs of adoptive children in Clackmannanshire through close links with Psychological Services and Clackmannanshire’s Virtual Head Teacher who has responsibility for attainment and support for care experienced children and young people. Mental health and well-being support for parents is available through Qwell.

For further information about adoption support, please contact us at e: postadoptionsupport@clacks.gov.uk.