Types of Adoption

Introduction to Adopt Thames Valley


Adopt Thames Valley is a regional adoption agency (RAA) which is a partnership of seven local authorities and three voluntary adoption agencies, working together to recruit and support a range of adoptive families, finding families for children both locally and nationally.

Our aim is to make the process to adopt quicker and simpler for you, so why not discover if adoption is right for you.

Upcoming Events

Step-parents

Step-parent adoption is a way in which you can become the legal parent of your partner's child or children from a previous marriage or relationship.

Non-agency adoption

Non-agency adoption includes adoption applications by step-parents or partners of a birth parent, same-sex parents, relatives and friends of the children. For further information visit the Directgov website.

First step

To begin with contact us 0800 731 0171 or complete an online form. Our enquiry officer will ask you a few questions and can answer any questions you have. They will invite you to the next information event; you will also be sent a leaflet which will give you more information.  You will then be in a position to decide if you want to proceed with your application to adopt.

Foster to Adopt

Ensuring that more young children are placed with their potential permanent carers sooner.

Foster to Adopt is fostering babies and toddlers who are likely to need adoption, but who still have a chance of being reunited with their birth family.

This type of adoption protects the child by giving them consistent, uninterrupted care as soon as possible while detailed assessments are undertaken of the birth and wider family. It reduces the number of moves a child makes and helps them to establish positive attachments at a very young age. 

Foster to Adopt places a child, during the period of temporary local authority care, with foster carers who are also approved as adopters. If the court agrees that the child should be adopted and the adoption agency approves the ‘match’ between the carers as adopters and the child, the placement becomes an adoption placement.

Interested?

If you are interested in this type of adoption do ask about it when you make your first enquiry or at any stage when you are being assessed. There is a specific preparation training day relating to fostering for adoption.

Inter-country Adoption

For a variety of reasons you might be considering adoption from another country, you may have a relative in need of a secure home living abroad, or have established links with a country where there are insufficient adopting families for the number of children living in care.

Our inter country adoption service is provided by Intercountry Adoption Centre (IAC) via a contract with us to give advice and undertake assessments of inter country adoption applicants. IAC also supervise the placements of children from overseas before an adoption order is finalised.

Similar process

Inter-country adoptions have a charge to the applicant for completion of the home study and the annual review of approval. The process is generally the same as adopting a child from this country, however, there are likely to be extra complexities when adopting from abroad.

For more information see the IAC website or call 0208 447 4753.

Step-parents

Step-parent adoption is a way in which you can become the legal parent of your partner's child or children from a previous marriage or relationship.

Non-agency adoption

Non-agency adoption includes adoption applications by step-parents or partners of a birth parent, same-sex parents, relatives and friends of the children. For further information visit the Directgov website.

First step

To begin with contact us 0800 731 0171 or complete an online form. Our enquiry officer will ask you a few questions and can answer any questions you have. They will invite you to the next information event; you will also be sent a leaflet which will give you more information.  You will then be in a position to decide if you want to proceed with your application to adopt.

Foster to Adopt

Ensuring that more young children are placed with their potential permanent carers sooner.

Foster to Adopt is fostering babies and toddlers who are likely to need adoption, but who still have a chance of being reunited with their birth family.

This type of adoption protects the child by giving them consistent, uninterrupted care as soon as possible while detailed assessments are undertaken of the birth and wider family. It reduces the number of moves a child makes and helps them to establish positive attachments at a very young age. 

Foster to Adopt places a child, during the period of temporary local authority care, with foster carers who are also approved as adopters. If the court agrees that the child should be adopted and the adoption agency approves the ‘match’ between the carers as adopters and the child, the placement becomes an adoption placement.

Interested?

If you are interested in this type of adoption do ask about it when you make your first enquiry or at any stage when you are being assessed. There is a specific preparation training day relating to fostering for adoption.

Inter-country Adoption

For a variety of reasons you might be considering adoption from another country, you may have a relative in need of a secure home living abroad, or have established links with a country where there are insufficient adopting families for the number of children living in care.

Our inter country adoption service is provided by Intercountry Adoption Centre (IAC) via a contract with us to give advice and undertake assessments of inter country adoption applicants. IAC also supervise the placements of children from overseas before an adoption order is finalised.

Similar process

Inter-country adoptions have a charge to the applicant for completion of the home study and the annual review of approval. The process is generally the same as adopting a child from this country, however, there are likely to be extra complexities when adopting from abroad.

For more information see the IAC website or call 0208 447 4753.

Two boys playing outside

If you would like to find out more or are ready to begin your adoption journey then we would love to hear from you today.

Adoption Enquiry
Small toddler holding an adult's hand

There are two stages in the process of adoption which we aim to complete within six months - find out more about the adoption journey.

Adoption Process
A boy on a playground swing

All adopted children are different and over time they will learn to trust you and it will transform their lives – as well as yours!

The Children