In Essex we believe that where adoption is concerned, the welfare of the child comes before everything else. Putting the child first is one of the important messages of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.

 

This is behind everything we do, every question we ask and every form we ask you to fill in. We'll prioritise applications from people who want to adopt the kinds of children who most need families.

 

Sometimes, adopters are surprised to learn that we've never had blanket bans on who can and who can't adopt - again, something the new act makes clear. We're interested in whether you can offer a child a safe and stable family life. There are many different kinds of families and we hope many people, such as unmarried, or same sex couples, will now feel more confident in making enquiries about adoption.

 

In this section, we'll explain what Essex expects of people who apply to adopt, tell you more about the kinds of children who need new families and explain what support you'll get if you adopt a child from Essex.

 

We thought you might like to hear from people who've adopted through the Essex Adoption Service so view the movie to hear from a couple who adopted a girl and boy aged 6 and 4, the adoptive mother from a couple who adopted 2 very young children of Indian origin, a couple who adopted a boy of 7 and a single adopter of a 5 year old girl.