Here’s a breakdown of the adoption process. This may vary depending on your agency but these are the likely steps involved. Step 1: preliminary enquiry Make contact with a local adoption team through your council, a charity or other adoption organisations. They will ask you a few questions to establish whether you are eligible,…
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“Our best Christmas present ever!”
Paul and Mark had always wanted to be parents. After hearing positive things about adoption through Salford City Council they decided to go for it and apply. This is their journey... Watching their two-year-old son tear round the house on Christmas Day was better than any Christmas present Manchester couple Paul* and Mark* could have…
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A tribute to looked after children for their resilience
Guest blogger Anna Bianchi is a creative activist, writer, workshop teacher and change guide, as well as a grandmother with a 4-year-old grandson who is exploring female gender identity. Anna's last post exploring supporting her grandson's gender identity expression through courageous parenting created quite a bit of debate. Here, in her second blog post, Anna…
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What to expect from the adoption process
A step-by-step guide Here’s a breakdown of the adoption process. This may vary depending on your agency but these are the likely steps involved. Step 1 Preliminary enquiry Make contact with a local adoption team through your council, a charity or other adoption organisations. They will ask you a few questions to establish whether you…
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LGBT Adoption & Fostering: myth & jargon buster
Myth buster There is no legal minimum age (although some services have their own policy such as over 21) There is no official upper age limit You can be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender Single people can apply as much as married or unmarried couples or couples in a civil partnership You do not need…
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Trans lesbian couple finally form a family
"You're going to be parents!" Harriet* is 24 and lives in the south west, with Lizzy*, 40, and their two adopted children. Here she tells their adoption story. “They’ve said yes,” our social worker said on the phone. “You’re going to be parents!” Those two short sentences marked the transition between the eternity of waiting…
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Attachment disorder explained
Attachment disorder is a term often used in reference to children who have been in care. What is it, where did the term come from and how do you deal with it? Richard Field is an educational psychologist, foster carer and carer for the Albert Kennedy Trust. He shares his knowledge with us. After the…
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Book list: LGBT adoption & fostering
The Pink Guide to Adoption Nicola Hill, BAAF, £13.95 From a lesbian and gay point of view, includes case studies Real Parents, Real Children: Parenting the Adopted Child Holly Van Gulden & Lisa Bartels-Rabb, Crossroads Publishing Co, £12.10 Safer Caring: A New Approach The Fostering Network, £30 Includes a chapter on safe care…
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Sharing my story
My first official 'talk' to share my story - and the Routes to Parenthood Show Last weekend I got to meet myself 12 years ago - several times! The We Are Family team trekked to Manchester for the Routes to Parenthood show – the second in a new series of regional shows. We had a…
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Unsung LGBT heroes: Margaret Rutherford
Margaret Rutherford, unsung hero Comic and character actor, Margaret Rutherford, was born into a drama-filled life. Following her mother’s death, aged three, she was delivered to a kindly aunt, described by Rutherford as ‘my adoptive mother and one of the saints of the world,’ where she was raised in a comfortable, loving, London household. At…
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