Types of adoption
There are several different types of adoption which you may want to consider as you think about growing your family.
Adopting a child through Adopt South
Our children range from babies to school aged children. They have been unable to remain living with their birth parents and wider family as in most cases they were unable to provide the care the children needed. Our children are likely to have had difficult early life experiences.
Our children need a safe and loving home where they can learn to trust and flourish. We need adopters who can support our children to achieve their potential in life. In stable, nurturing homes children can thrive.
Early Permanence
With Adopt South you can also adopt a child through Early Permanence (sometimes known as Fostering For Adoption).
With this approach, you’ll start by fostering a child to begin with, but you’ll be ready and approved to fully adopt them if a court eventually decides they can’t continue to live with their birth family.
You’ll get training on Early Permanence to see if the plan is right for you during your main assessment to become an adoptive family. If it is, and you complete your assessment, you’ll foster a child at the earliest opportunity of their care proceedings.
Early Permanence keeps the option open of the child re-joining their family or staying with you as their adoptive family. It means the child won’t have to be repeatedly relocated to temporary foster carers while we wait for their family to be assessed, so they experience the least amount of disruption as possible during their early years.
Keep in mind there’s no guarantee you will fully adopt the child as Early Permanence carers; in some cases they may return to their birth parents.
Step-parent adoption
If you’re a Step-parent to an adopted child, you can apply to become their adoptive parent in exceptional circumstances.
You’ll need to contact your local authority first about Step-parent adoption:
Hampshire County Council Step-parent adoption
Isle of Wight adoption services - Children's Services - 01983 823434
Portsmouth City Council - Switch Board - 023 9282 2251
Inter-country adoption
If you are thinking about adopting a child from a country outside of the UK you still need to be assessed and approved by a recognised adoption agency in this country.
Your assessment is done by a voluntary adoption agency called the Inter Country Adoption Centre if you live in Hampshire.
If you live in Isle of Wight, Southampton or Portsmouth you will need to contact your local authority:
Isle of Wight Council adoption services
