Molly and Sam adopted with Yorkshire Adoption Agency in 2020 after starting the process in 2019 with their daughter, three at the time. We asked Molly about her decision to choose to adopt with Yorkshire Adoption Agency and her family’s experience throughout the adoption process and beyond.
What made you decide to adopt with Yorkshire Adoption Agency?
Sam and I had made the decision to adopt in 2019 and were really eager to find an agency where we felt comfortable and welcomed. It was important to us that our daughter would be embraced as part of the process as adoption would be new to her too. It was a no-brainer when we walked through the doors of Yorkshire Adoption Agency. From speaking with Sue on the phone after our initial enquiry through to leaving the information evening, the experience was positive and we felt listened to, were able to ask all of our questions and our guts said ‘yes!’ We booked our registration of interest visit in the next day!
How did you find the adoption process with Yorkshire Adoption Agency?
The adoption process can be daunting to begin with and there was a lot of information to consume. Our social worker, like the rest of the team at Yorkshire Adoption Agency, was incredibly supportive and proactive. They were there to answer our questions, guide us through the process step by step and equip us with the information and knowledge we needed to get through each stage. We never felt overwhelmed or anxious because even if our social worker was unavailable, another member of the team was available to help.
How did Yorkshire Adoption Agency support your existing child through the adoption process?
This is where Yorkshire Adoption Agency really excelled in our eyes. We very much adopted as a three, and not just a two! Our daughter was embedded into the process from the beginning. Our social worker made appointments to play with her at home which was an opportunity for them to develop a relationship – soon, our daughter saw our social worker as a key person who was helping mum and dad to find her a brother or a sister. The agency always thought about our daughter in decision-making – how different scenarios could impact her, how our matching criteria would impact her, how introductions would work with her etc. She was never forgotten and was always a part of conversations.
Tell us about family finding with Yorkshire Adoption Agency.
One of the biggest misconceptions about voluntary adoption agencies, like Yorkshire Adoption Agency, is that family finding can take longer because they are a voluntary agency. This was certainly considered as part of our decision making process but we were quick to realise that Yorkshire Adoption Agency has a remarkable reputation amongst local authorities around the UK and were always family finding with them. We first saw our son’s profile six weeks before approvals panel. Our social worker had been doing the background work to share our profile with social workers of children needing families. As soon as we were approved, we had our linking meeting with our son’s social workers and a matching panel date was booked for six weeks later! It was an incredibly quick process for us which we weren’t expecting at all.
How have you been involved with Yorkshire Adoption Agency after adoption?
Yorkshire Adoption Agency hosts lots of exciting events throughout the year which is the ideal opportunity to meet other families who adopted through the agency, see the agency team and build our adoption support network. It is so wonderful to continue seeing the families we trained with throughout the process. I particularly love that our children have the opportunity to see that adoption is present in so many other families. We have also engaged with their for support following adoption, securing some support for our son, which was an easy process.
Why should a prospective adopter choose to adopt with Yorkshire Adoption Agency?
The agency has been creating and supporting loving families since 1946. They are renowned for their quality of work, commitment to supporting children and families and their lifelong support is something we couldn’t find anywhere else. The dedication and commitment of staff is what really sold the agency to us. Children and families are at the heart of what they do and that’s really evidenced throughout the process when you adopt with them.
Names and dates may have been changed in this blog to respect the adopters privacy. If you have adopted though Yorkshire Adoption Agency and would like to write a blog for us please Contact Us.