For the team at ARC Adoption North East it’s a privilege to work in the adoption sector. We use our extensive knowledge and skills to increase the opportunities for children to experience a positive family life.

The team welcome prospective adopters through the adoption process and help them to feel valued and supported. Registered and rated Outstanding across all areas by Ofsted, the dedicated team of experienced, multi-disciplinary practitioners at ARC Adoption deliver a wide range of services aimed at supporting adopted children and their families. This has enabled us to be one of the most successful agencies in the North East region for recruiting families and placing children within loving and nurturing families.

Through membership of The Northern Consortium of Adoption Agencies; CoramBAAF; the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA); New Family Social and Adoption UK, we contribute to the adoption process nationally and seek continuous improvement in all that we do.

Since March 2020 the team at ARC Adoption have adapted their working practices due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This has ensured that potential adopters are able to continue their journey to achieve their dream of becoming parents and finding families for those children that need them.

Ways in which working practices have adapted during the Covid-19 pandemic include the provision of online information events, online initial visits and virtual adoption and matching panels. Some face to face assessments and visits have taken place whilst adhering to current guidelines.

Director at ARC Adoption North East, Terry Fitzpatrick highlights the ways in which ARC Adoption are continuing to deliver services and encourages those who are thinking about adoption to come forward. He said;

“In line with government guidelines regarding working practices during the pandemic, we continue to operate a two-stage assessment process, the team have been working remotely and are providing online assessments and face to face visits where safe to do so.”

Terry added;

“The first stage can take around two months and involves medical and background checks. We also provide virtual training to help families prepare for the future. Once a decision has been made that an applicant is suitable to adopt, they move to stage two, during which a detailed assessment takes place. Stage two usually takes around four months. Once this process is complete and everyone is happy, the applicant then meets the agency adoption panel, this is also currently taking place virtually, the panel then make a recommendation as to whether they are appropriate to adopt a child. Overall, the entire adoption process can take approximately six months.”

#YouCanAdopt campaign

ARC Adoption North East have joined Regional and Voluntary adoption agencies across the country, supported by the Department for Education (DfE), to launch a nationwide recruitment campaign to raise awareness of adoption. The national #YouCanAdopt campaign aims to dispel the myths around adoption and highlight the number of children in need for a loving and nurturing family.

Currently in the UK, there are almost 3,000 children in need of an adoptive family but the number of adoptions in England has fallen by a third in four years. In response, the #YouCanAdopt campaign aims to bust myths around who is eligible to adopt and explore what the adoption process involves. It is also highlighting that, especially during the COVID pandemic, there are still children out there who are looking for their new family.

Research shows that 45% of adults in the North East have considered adoption or would consider adoption in future. But, despite this, 53% of adults do not feel they know much about the adoption process. This lack of knowledge may contribute to many people not taking the important first step.

Some of the biggest misconceptions around eligibility are that single people, older people, and those who are LGBTQ+ are not allowed to adopt. This is not the case. The new data revealed that participants felt the following groups would be either ineligible to adopt or were unsure if they were eligible to adopt; over the age of 50 years old 57%, single 43%, and LGBTQ+ 22%.

To help shine a light on the diverse range of families who have and can adopt, a new emotive film has been released featuring singer Sinitta and TV vocal coaches Carrie and David Grant alongside other families who are joining in encouraging others to consider adoption. The poem the families are reciting during the film is written by writer and adoptee Joy Carter,. It brings to life the stories of each of the families: the highs, lows and realities of adoption.

In support of the national campaign which runs until December 2020, Terry said;

“There is an on-going and urgent need to find adoptive families for children who desperately need them. We are encouraging anyone who has ever thought about adoption to find out more about the adoption process and the outstanding support that is available to them at ARC Adoption North East.

Terry added, “Children who come to adoption do so because their birth families are unable to care for them. Many of them have experienced neglect and trauma. All of these children need a loving, stable home. They also need support and love to help them overcome their difficult backgrounds, make sense of who they are and grow up to be safe and secure. Being an adoptive parent can be challenging but it also brings great rewards and joy. If you think you might be able to give a vulnerable child a nurturing and loving home, please contact the team at ARC Adoption North East who would love to hear from you”. 

The ARC Adoption team are hosting online information events on the first Thursday of every month, to register for the information event please click here

To find out more information about becoming a parent via adoption and the outstanding support available at ARC Adoption North East visit our website or call 0191 516 6466.

About Us

Adoption Focus specialises in adoption and we will give you all the help and support you need on your journey into parenthood and beyond.

We are a dedicated and experienced adoption agency, rated as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted on each occasion we have been inspected – most recently in 2018.

At Adoption Focus, we believe all children should have a loving and stable family home. We work with individuals, couples and families from all kinds of backgrounds to achieve this for children who need to be adopted.

Our Services

Adoption Focus offers adoption services to people living across the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Oxfordshire and neighbouring counties. We recruit, assess and prepare prospective adopters. Following approval, we work with Local Authorities from across the UK to place children with them.

Our vision is to provide every child who needs a new family, with adopters who want to parent them with care, love and understanding.

We believe that:

• every child should enjoy their childhood
• for children who cannot stay with their birth family, well-informed and properly supported adoptive families provide the best opportunity for them to have the childhood they need
• every person who wants to adopt should be provided with a highly professional, knowledgeable and expert service
• adopters make the difference to children’s lives and should be properly acknowledged for this
• our adoptive families should enjoy family life – we will do all we can to support them in their parenting for as long as they need us, as their children grow into adulthood

We also provide early permanence placements through the Triangle Project. Early permanence placements see children placed with approved adopters who have also been approved as foster carers. This enables the children to experience a loving, settled and secure home as quickly as possible.

These placements are intended to speed up a child’s journey through care and minimise the disruption of repeated moves to different families. The Triangle Project was established by Adoption Focus and registered separately with Ofsted in 2018 for the specific purpose of providing these child-focused placements.

Adoption Support

Our comprehensive adoption support begins the moment people enter our adoption process and lasts a lifetime. It can be in the form of training and workshops, direct work with children or families, a referral to our buddy scheme, expert advice, work with schools or just a chat to help reassure parents that they’re not alone.

“The ongoing support and training provided make this agency a leader in providing adoption and support services.”

Ofsted Inspection Report, 2018

‘Nurture the Journey’, our adoption support package, is tailored to the needs of each family. This programme is offered to everyone who registers to adopt with Adoption Focus. ‘Nurture the Journey’ commences as soon as applicants enter into Stage One training. It continues throughout the process and into placement

“There is an exceptional range of pre and post adoption training and workshops available to adopters through the agency’s ‘nurture the journey’ programme. This aims to build adopters’ knowledge, confidence and capacity to meet the developing needs of their children.”

What our adopters say

“As an adopted individual as well as an adopter, the supportive, inclusive and child-centred approach of Adoption Focus made us feel secure and supported at all times.”

“From the very beginning we have been highly impressed with the level of professionalism, courtesy and deft touch with which everything has been handled. Every aspect has been so well thought through, looking at the process through the eyes of prospective adopters. Thank you for all your support.”

“She jumped into my arms shouting ‘Mummy’! Best. Moment. Ever. It wouldn’t have happened without the support of Adoption Focus.”

“Adoption Focus is part of our family. The agency involvement doesn’t stop at placement. It’s constantly there for support, reassurance or just a friendly shoulder to cry on! Meeting other adopters, many who share similar journeys to ourselves, through social activities is so rewarding and supportive. Although we have never needed any formal help, knowing that experienced and friendly professional advice is only a phone call away is imperative for anyone about to start their adoption journey.”

Find out more

You can contact us by email at info@adoption-focus.org.uk or by phone on 0121 779 0891. We have social workers on duty every weekday available to answer any questions you may have.

Find us on social media:

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook

Join us for one of our information events. Ordinarily, we hold events regularly in each of our regions. Because of the current restrictions, we’re now offering weekly online events. These consist of a presentation followed by the opportunity to speak confidentially with a member of our team. You can find out more here