Adopter Stories by Adoption Now

In this episode of Adopter Stories by Adoption Now, we explore what it really means to ask for help and why it can sometimes feel so difficult to take that first step. We’re joined by Clare, one of our adopters, who shares her personal journey of reaching out for adoption support at a time when her family truly needed it. Through an honest and heartfelt conversation, Clare reflects on the challeng...

In this special episode for Neurodiversity Week I sat down to chat with Alison, a family support worker here at Adoption Now, who shares her experience of supporting children in preparing for adoption and working alongside families. Alison talks about the importance of seeing the child, not the behaviour, recognising the strengths that neurodivergent children bring and why understanding, patience...

The period after an adoption placement can be intense, particularly when one partner returns to work and daily life changes very quickly. Balancing work, care and relationships during that time can bring practical pressures as well as emotional ones that aren’t always visible or unintentionally aren’t always considered before entering the adoption process. In this episode I sat down to chat with S...

From quick, everyday tasks to life-changing decisions, more and more people are turning to Online and AI tools like Gemini, ChatGPT and even TikTok to research topics that really matter to them. Curious to see what people are most commonly asking and searching for, we decided to explore those questions that come up time and time again about adoption and the adoption process. For this episode I sat...

As Christmas approaches, we’re exploring the traditions that make this time of year feel special—especially for families brought together through adoption. In the first of our Xmas Special episodes we hear from Natasha & Matt, some wonderful adopters whose journey took an unexpected turn. After listening to a previous episode in this series, they felt inspired to adopt siblings rather than jus...

If you’re a regular listener to the podcast our guest will be a familiar voice—a guest from Dad Pod Dan joined us last Christmas, and his story resonated with so many of you. In the second of our Xmas Specials, we’re catching up on what’s changed over the past year, how their family has grown and settled, and of course, what Christmas looks like for them now. We’ll be chatting about new traditions...

In this episode, we’re honoured to share the powerful and deeply personal story of Kay, a birth parent. It’s a perspective we don’t often hear, but one that is vital in helping us all understand the wider picture of adoption — emotionally, practically and personally. Joining Kay in this episode is Kayleigh, our guest interviewer and Adoption Now Social Worker, who brings warmth, empathy and experi...

We know that adoption is a lifelong journey, and while every story is unique, there’s huge power in connecting with someone who’s walked a similar path. That’s where our mentors come in, so in this episode we’re shining a light on a fantastic part of our support offer that many adopters have found invaluable: our Adopter Mentor Service -—experienced adopters who are trained to offer one-to-one pee...

Adoption is one of the most rewarding journeys a person or family can take — but across the UK, and especially in our local authority areas, fewer people are coming forward to adopt. Why? We believe that it is often, it’s down to outdated beliefs, myths, or people ruling themselves out before they’ve even made an enquiry. Our latest campaign, “You’re more ready than you think!”, aims to challenge...

In this episode of Adopter Stories by adoption now, we sit down to chat with Matthew, who shares the heartfelt journey he and his husband took to become parents through adoption. After facing some personal challenges they found the path to adoption and ultimately, to their children. Matthew opens up about the emotional highs and lows of the process, the strength they found in each other, and how t...

In this episode, the first of 2025, we thought it would be the perfect time to hit the ground running and help direct you to some of the best places that you can go to to get the best research information before starting your adoption journey. So for this episode I spoke to Recruitment Team managers Debbie and Jules about exactly where to start your research when you’re initially thinking about ad...

In the weeks leading up to Christmas we are excited to bring you very some special, brand new festive episodes of our Adopter Stories podcast. We asked some of our families about their Christmas memories as adoptive parents and what they are most looking forward to this Christmas. In this fourth and final episode we had the privilege of sitting down to chat with Adele & Steve. If you are consi...

In the weeks leading up to Christmas we are excited to bring you very some special, brand new festive episodes of our Adopter Stories podcast. We asked some of our families about their Christmas memories as adoptive parents and what they are most looking forward to this Christmas. In this third episode we had the privilege of sitting down to chat with Neil. If you are considering adoption and woul...

In the weeks leading up to Christmas we are excited to bring you very some special, brand new festive episodes of our Adopter Stories podcast. We asked some of our families about their Christmas memories as adoptive parents and what they are most looking forward to this Christmas. In this second episode we had the privilege of sitting down to chat with Lyndsey. If you are considering adoption and...

In the weeks leading up to Christmas we are excited to bring you very some special, brand new festive episodes of our Adopter Stories podcast. We asked some of our families about their Christmas memories as adoptive parents and what they are most looking forward to this Christmas. In this first episode we had the privilege of sitting down to chat with Dan. If you are considering adoption and would...

Back in March of 2023 we released an episode of this podcast simply entitled Dad Pod. The name came from one of the adoptive dads who took part in the round table discussion, in which we handed over the mic to 4 adoptive dads who talked openly about their experiences of adopting and going through the adoption process. The aim of Dad Pod was to be less a recruitment tool and more of a support tool...

At Adoption Now we love to partner with groups that we feel enhance the adopter journey. Providing extra value and support for adopters that goes above and beyond the already amazing support that we are able to offer. One of our partner groups are Proud 2 B Parents, an inclusive organisation run by and for LGBT+ parents / carers to be who run a variety of services, events and training. We are prou...

Our pioneering ‘Mentor Scheme’ was one of the first in the country and ensures that someone is always there, should you need it, to help guide you through one of the biggest, life-changing commitments you can make. In this second of a two part series of interviews for our You Are Not Alone campaign, I sat down to chat with Natalie and Helen, two of our amazing mentors to talk about their own suppo...

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and when it comes to adoption this saying takes on even more significance. Following on from the recent You Can Adopt national campaign, we are launching our own, brand-new campaign You are Not Alone, that aims to highlight that Adoption Now is not just an adoption agency, we are a community working to find safe, loving, and secure homes for hundreds o...

One of the biggest pieces of training that takes place in Stage 1 is Preparation Training. A 3 day, in person course in which we aim of to prepare our adopters for what’s to come during their adoption journey, so they know what to expect and also build on their knowledge of what adoption is. So to give you a little jump start on what’s to come if and when you start your adoption story, I sat down...

This April we are launching our brand new campaign – hope for a brighter future. This will be a large scale campaign as now more than ever we need adopters to come forward for all our children. The campaign focusses on raising awareness of the positive difference adopters can make to a child’s future. This campaign is going live on the 22th April so keep your eyes out for our adverts when you’re o...

Choosing to adopt is not a decision that is taken likely. We get that. It’s a life changing decision that can often lead to making big changes in your own lifestyle before you take on the responsibility of a child or children. That could be choosing to become a little healthier, gaining more experience in child care or even moving house. And for our guest in this episode that is just what happened...

If you are new to adoption and new to thinking about whether adopting is right for you and your family, during your research you may or may not have heard the term care planning or family finding. Here at adoption now we are essentially made up of 3 teams. Our Recruitment team, our support team and our care planning or family finding team. Across our social media channels and our website we focus...

If you have been out in our local authority regions you may well have seen billboards for our latest campaign ‘I became a parent when…’ We have launched this campaign to highlight the positives that come with becoming or growing a family through adoption. The campaign has launched at a time when the numbers of people coming forward to adopt is unfortunately at an all-time low, and this especially...

The latest, national figures show that in 2023, 1 in 5 adoptions in England were to same sex couples. Now, while this is a fantastic stat we realise that not everyone in the LGBTQ+ community feel that they will be supported or even welcomed in the same way as heterosexual couples when they start the adoption process. At adoption now this couldn’t be further from the truth and we felt it was high t...