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Parents for Children was a pioneer project founded on a few simple beliefs: that every child deserved a family; that there was a family somewhere for every child; and that almost anyone could be a parent to a child.\r\n\r\nAs a result of our work, family life has become a reality for many children.\r\n\r\nParents for Children finds families for:


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Many children were considered \"unadoptable\" - that is, until Parents for Children was born.\r\n


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School-aged children and brothers and sisters who need to stay together.


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Children who have been physically, sexually or emotionally abused.\r\n\r\n


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Children of diverse cultural backgrounds.


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A professional team of social workers, highly qualified and experienced in all aspects of fostering and adoption practice and legislation .


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Specially recruited, highly skilled foster carers with continual training and a comprehensive support service including full emergency out of hours cover.


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A team of specialist advisers - psychologists, psychotherapists, paediatricians.


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A tried methodology of finding families and of matching them with a specific child.


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A unique support system which recognises the needs and stresses on both child and family and is available to help both parties in that difficult time when a new family is formed.


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A post-adoption service. Our vision is to work with families to sustain and support them throughout the childhood years and beyond


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Keeping you in touch with the latest news on Parents for Children and the world of adoption and fostering.


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The Adoption Process\r\n\r\nAdoption is a legal process. It means all the legal rights and responsibilities that a birth parent would have for a child or children are transferred to the adoptive parent.


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Although the child will lose all legal ties with their birth family they may often still have some contact with them. This may be visits a few times a year or sending letters, cards, gifts or photographs through a third party. Any type of contact would always be discussed with you before the adoption.\r\n\r\nThere are around 5,000 children who need families at the moment. Most of these children are aged five years or older.\r\n\r\nThere are very few white babies without disabilities who need families and they usually find families very quickly.\r\n\r\nThere are both black babies and older children who need families and it is better if these children are placed with black families. But again only a small number of black babies or babies from ethnic minority groups are placed for adoption every year.\r\n\r\nOther children needing families include older children as mentioned before, groups of brothers and sisters who need to stay together and children with physical and/or learning disabilities.


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You are over the age of 21, and may be in a partnership or single, male or female, with or without children.


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You do not have to own your home or have a good job.


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You are happy to share your life with children.


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You have patience, resilience, understanding, commitment and a sense of humour.


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An experienced family placement worker is normally available to respond to your initial enquiry. An informal discussion will help decide the best way forward.


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If you decide to go on our mailing list, we will regularly alert you to children for whom we are family-finding.


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Interested in a particular child? A family placement worker will contact you to explore your interest. If all parties feel it makes sense to take things further, we will ask you to complete an application.


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When we receive your completed application, we will allocate another family placement worker to begin an important two-way process, in which we will be assessing your potential as a permanent carer. We will spend time with you and the important people in your life, and we will also need to take up personal and statutory references.


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Preparation and time for reflection are a vital part of the process, which will include access to workshops and contact with experienced carers.


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Second thoughts? We won\'t think any less of you if you decide to withdraw from the process, and likewise we will be honest with you if it does not seem wise to proceed.


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At the completion of the assessment and preparation process, a detailed report will be written and shared with you. This will be presented to our Family Placement Panel, who will make a recommendation to our Chief Executive, who will then make the final decision.


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The local authority will also have to agree to any child or family group being placed with you.


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Fostering means offering a home and family life to children who are not able to live with their own families at present.\r\n\r\nParents for Children\'s Fostering and Short Breaks Service is an addition to the original adoption project. It was established in 1996 in order to provide bridge placements for children who need a period of assessment, help in modifying difficult behaviour or practice in living in an ordinary family before being prepared for either returning home, moving on to their permanent home or rehabilitation back at home.\r\n\r\nParents for Children foster carers play an important role at all stages, from referral of the child by a local authority through to providing continuity and support during the early stages of the child\'s placement with their new family.\r\n\r\nAs it becomes increasingly difficult for local authorities to provide family placements for the most damaged and demanding children, the need for Parents for Children becomes ever greater. The children themselves have a variety of needs: many have been abused or neglected, others have health or developmental problems, and nearly all have suffered multiple moves in and out of care.


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Long-term fostering offers a permanent family for children but does not have the same legal security as adoption.\r\nLong-term fostering can be the best choice for all concerned in circumstances such as:


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An older child may not be able to return home but does not wish to be adopted.


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A foster carer may wish to offer a child a permanent home but feel that they would still like to share the care of that child with the Local Authority.


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Long-term fostering means that a fostering allowance can still be paid. Although sometimes allowances are paid with adoptions this is not always the case.


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There are several ways in which working with Parents for Children can make a lasting difference to the lives of children.


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ADOPTION (The most permanent way of committing to a specific child. An adopted child has the same legal status as a child born to you).


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PERMANENT FOSTERING (A long-term commitment to a specific child until he/she reaches 19, when the child will no longer be looked after by the local authority. We hope, however, that when these children reach adulthood, they will still be able to regard you as their family).


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TREATMENT FOSTER CARE  Parents for Children, working in partnership with the USA\'s Oregon Social Learning Centre, will train these families to offer therapeutic treatment foster care to children aged between 6 and 12 years.


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SHORT-TERM FOSTERING (A family will commit to caring for a variety of different children in its own home for an agreed period of time. These children will either return to their own homes or move on to a new family in a planned way).


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SHORT-BREAKS (These families foster for limited periods. They provide weekend and holiday breaks for fostered and adopted children).


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At Parents for Children we are not looking for perfection.


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We need ordinary human beings from a wide range of backgrounds with an ability to commit to a child. We will help you find out more about what it means to take on a child who has a disability or who has been physically, sexually or emotionally abused.\r\n\r\nWe also recognise the special challenges faced in offering a permanent home to older children and brothers/sisters needing to be placed together.\r\n\r\nThere\'s no ideal carer but....\r\nAdoption and fostering brings many challenges and rewards and here are some of the qualities that might help you to succeed. Don\'t panic, this is not a test paper! But if most of the statements fit, then you could be just the person we are looking for:


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I enjoy living or working with children.


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I am pretty honest with others and myself.


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I stick with it, even when the going gets tough.


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Are there any major unresolved issues in my life, that perhaps need sorting first?


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This is not a spur of the moment decision.


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I\'m a bit apprehensive about taking the next step (That\'s fine!)


