Adopter Journey

The recruitment of adopters is a key priority for Adoption England, working with voluntary adoption agencies and other stakeholders to implement a National Recruitment Strategy for recruiting new adopters and run campaigns and activity throughout the year.

We are currently working to develop the next 3-year strategy which will set the direction and priorities for adopter recruitment in England.

The @Youcanadopt campaigns can all be found on You Can Adopt.   There is a wide range of freely available podcasts and resources to use by all regional adoption agencies. These resources can also be branded by agencies to use in local campaigns. For more information about this contact: nationalwork@nationaladoption.leeds.gov.uk

National Adoption Week is the third week of October each year. It is now a week where we amplify the voices of those people involved in adoption from all perspectives - adopted people adoptive parents as well as birth parents. More information about National Adoption Week campaigns can be found here.  

The adoption eligibility criteria used by agencies across England is an important element of the first contact that individuals have when thinking about adoption. The criteria agreed in 2021 was revisited by a sub-group to ensure that the messages that are given were consistent with societal changes. The amended version was published in August 2023.

Stage One & Stage Two – Adopter Preparation 

Working groups are in place to develop, identify, determine and share best practice in adopter preparation. The groups will draw on sources of research and work with a wide range of stakeholders including experts by experience with the aim being to provide: 

• A national adopter preparation framework with practitioner guidance to support adopter preparation and assessment. 
• Visual timeline for adopters from point of first enquiry to matching of a child. 

The following are also out for consultation:

• Front door script 
• National adopter preparation framework
• National practice standards

If you would like to be involved in the consultation, please contact: nationalwork@nationaladoption.leeds.gov.uk

Relational Based Assessment Training 

The importance of building connections with adopters early in the adopter journey has been a theme across all of the work. Seven workshops were run across RAAs and VAAs to support adoption practitioners to reflect on the importance of developing relationships when working with prospective adopters. This training was positively evaluated by practitioners and exceeded expectations in 95% of those received. 

Workforce development

The Black and Asian Leadership Initiative (BALI)

The Black and Asian Leadership Initiative (BALI) aims to supports staff within the regional adoption agencies and bring much needed diversity to the adoption sector. 

It is a safe space for aspiring managers and Global Majority* leaders working in regional adoption agencies to learn how to explore their own leadership development to support them:

• Tackle the barriers they may face 
• Seize opportunities and understand what they can bring to organisations 

* Global majority includes those people who identify as Black, African, Asian, Brown, Arab, mixed heritage, are indigenous to the global south, and or have been racialised as ‘ethnic minorities.

If you are interested in registering for this training, contact: nationalwork@nationaladoption.leeds.gov.uk

LGBTQ+ Training for professionals

New Family Social were commissioned to undertake a two-year programme to deliver sector-wide training, policy and strategy development to better equip the sector to deal with enquiries from a diverse range of potential adopters from the LGBTQ+ communities. 

Lunch & Learn events 

These webinars are commissioned by Adoption England and available for all practitioners to broaden understanding around adoption in multi-cultural settings, including barriers to the recruitment of black and ethnic minority families, transracial and transcultural placements, and an introduction to Muslim adoption and identities. Click here to view training and webinars on adoption support.

Adoption and Muslims in England

In 2021 My Adoption Family worked with a wide range of sector professionals and experts to develop targeted toolkits for the adoption sector to better inform practice:

• Toolkit 1 – For recruitment and marketing professionals and social workers within the adoption sector. It has a specific focus on addressing recruitment barriers and gives advice on improving the experience of BAME and Muslim adopters.  
• Toolkit 2 - For the general Muslim community and wider population, addressing issues around the process of adoption and Islamic perspectives. It gives practical guidance on adoption from a faith-based perspective

Increasing the diversity of adoption panels

Adoption England commissioned Ade Larigo (Agency Connections) to work with RAAs to increase the diversity within the adoption panel membership. There has been a lot of key learning from this project regarding the recruitment, induction and continuing support for new panel members from diverse backgrounds. An additional 31 panel members from a range of Black and minoritised ethnic communities are now in place across the RAAs. The report (below) was published in August 2023 alongside 2 webinars facilitated by Ade Larigo highlighting key learnings from this project.