North East adoption agency celebrates finding loving homes for 300 children

A North East adoption agency is celebrating the momentous achievement of finding loving homes for over 300 children.

ARC Adoption North, which supports and prepares people to become approved adopted parents, achieved the milestone in December 2023.

Carly and Ashleigh, a North East based couple and now new parents, registered to start the adoption process with ARC Adoption in early 2023. After completing the preparation training and assessment process they were approved to adopt in August, before being matched with a gorgeous little boy who joined them just before Christmas.

“After going through many options to have a family together, adoption felt like it was the right thing for us and for our family," the couple said. "When thinking about the love and stability we had to give to a child, it was an easy choice to help a child in need and choose adoption.

“We were recommended ARC by a friend of ours, and we really couldn’t have wished for a better organisation to guide and support us. We’ve genuinely enjoyed the process, our social worker is fantastic, and every single person we have worked with has been professional, personable, helpful and insightful. We’ve met some lovely people who are also adopting along the way, and have gained news friends because of this.

“We are forever grateful to ARC - they gave us the greatest gift we could have wished for.”

Adopters approved by ARC Adoption go on to provide much needed nurturing families to children based in the North East and Cumbria, as well as other parts of England. The team at ARC works closely with Local Authorities and Regional Adoption Agencies to match children with adopters who have the right qualities to parent them and provide them with the stable, loving family life they deserve.

Terry Fitzpatrick OBE, director at ARC Adoption, said: “The whole team at ARC Adoption is extremely proud of the work we do with families and it is tremendous to think of the part we have played in finding loving homes for over 300 children, alongside our wonderful adopters.  It hasn’t been an easy year for people in our locality and across the country with the cost of living and ongoing financial uncertainty, yet still we’ve had people coming forward to adopt and provide a better life for children.”

ARC Adoption finds loving families for babies and children with a range of needs and backgrounds who are in foster care, as well as finding potential adopters to support Early Permanence placements. Recent figures show that there are over 2000* children in need of a nurturing and loving family across England, with close to 100 children in the North East and Cumbria region alone. Brothers and sisters, children over the age of four, children with additional needs and children from different ethnicities often wait longer for a family too.

“There are always more children coming into the care system, so we’d encourage anyone who has been thinking about adopting to come forward and talk to us. It can be daunting to take that first step but there are lots of different people who could make brilliant adoptive parents. We need people who have the time and space in their lives to provide love and stability to a child, but you don’t need a big house or lots of savings in the bank to be able to do that. Our team can talk to you about your circumstances and let you know about the support that is available to help you.”

All families who adopt through ARC Adoption benefit from a diverse range of post adoption support delivered through their dedicated Therapeutic Adoption Support Service. Support from ARC Adoption is available to families for life and encompasses everything from support groups and family fun days, ongoing learning and workshops, support for adopted children in schools and access to both in-house and external therapeutic services.

Carly and Ashleigh started their journey to adopt with ARC Adoption after attending an online information event in February last year. The team hosts a series of adoption information events throughout the year which people can attend to find out more about adopting, meet some of the team and hear from an experienced adoptive parent. Virtual events take place on the first Thursday evening of each month and in-person events are planned every other month. Interested people should visit the ARC Adoption website for more information and to register for the events. Our next events include:

• Face to Face Adoption Information Event in Sunderland, Saturday 20th January, 10am-12noon
• Virtual Adoption information Event, Thursday 1st February, 6pm-7:45pm

Anyone interested in finding out more about adopting can visit www.arcadoptionne.org.uk to register for upcoming information events or to request an informal private chat with a friendly social worker at any time.