Adoption

You can make a difference

Adoption is all about making a positive difference to a child's life. Adoption is a way of providing a stable, loving and permanent home for a child who is not able to live with their birth family.
Making the decision to adopt is one of the biggest steps anyone can take, but also one of the most rewarding. In order to decide whether adoption is right for you we think it is important that you find out as much as you can. The links below aim to give you as much information as possible about adopting a child through Gloucestershire County Council's Children & Young People's Directorate.

What type of children are available for adoption?

There are all kinds of children who need adoptive parents in Gloucestershire. We are particularly looking for people who can adopt children over four years old, children who need to be placed with brothers and sisters, children and young people with disabilities and children with mixed heritage backgrounds. We are therefore currently prioritising recruitment of people who are able to consider these children. It is quite rare nowadays for babies to be available for adoption.

What do I do if I'm interested?

We recommend to everyone interested in adoption to read the different sections on these web pages thoroughly. We have included a useful address and booklist section to help give you advice and information. If you are interested in taking your application further, the next stage is to call one of us to discuss adoption with you in more detail.

In the meantime if you have any questions please feel free to email or call us for an informal discussion.

The Adoption Team,
Gloucestershire County Council Social Care,
Sandford Park House,
39/41 London Road,
Cheltenham GL52 6XJ.
T: 01242 532597
adoption@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Adoption Information stands:

Please come and visit us if you would like more information or to speak to an Adoption & Fostering Officer.

Saturday 4th July– 'Year of the Child' event at Gloucester Cathedral  (9.30pm – 4pm)

Saturday 18th July– Farmers Market Stroud (8am – 3pm)

Friday 24th July- Tesco Lydney (10.30am – 5pm)

Saturday 25th July- ASDA Gloucester (10am – 4pm)

Saturday 8th  August– Gloucestershire Pride event in Montpellier, Cheltenham (11am – 6pm)

	Interested in adopting? Complete the on-line form to let us know if you would like to be considered for adoption		Who can adopt? There is no such thing as a typical adopter - we're just looking for people who have the patience, humour and energy to allow a child to realise their full potential
	Your questions answered Frequently asked questions concerning adoption		The children There are children of all ages and backgrounds who need homes in Gloucestershire
	An adopters tale.... Case studies of families who have gone through the adoption process		Adopting from overseas Further information on inter-country adoption
	Adoption support Further help and support for adoptive familes		What happens next? A 'step-by-step' guide outlining the typical adoption route followed
	Useful contacts and booklist For further information about Adoption		The Next Step Information on how to take you adoption enquiry further
	Contact us Contact details for the Adoption Team		The Letterbox A confidential scheme for birth relatives and adoptive parents to exchange information after adoption