# How long will it take?



## Rayofsunshine (Jul 28, 2013)

Hi all, I wonder if someone could give me some advise pls! 

Currently on my final round of IVF with hubby and if this doesn't work we will proceed with adoption 6 months from now as recommended by our local authority. This would be around January/ feb of next yr! 

I know laws have changed to make the adoption process quicker, but how long realistically from start to a child in our arms might this take? Any estimate so I can manage my expectations would be wonderful! 

Thanks all x


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## Laws1612 (Dec 12, 2011)

Hi......1st of all all the best with your cycle....you never know you may not even need this advice....we enquired in feb 2014 we have panel 24th sept and hoping to be matched and linked with baby by October/November....this is within 8 months however my la are really pushing to speed things up.....some on here have been waiting a while post panel....this also depends on you requirments we are willing to take siblings and consider most thibgs.....one thing about adoption be opened minded.....good luck and hopefully we won't need to see you on this board  xx


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## Flash123 (Jan 29, 2006)

Hi ray, it's one of those infuriating answers - who knows and how long is a piece of string I know that really doesn't help but there really is no way of realistically knowing. I think the new system with its recommended timesacles has speeded up the approval stage and tried to prevent uneccessary delays but the matching process is the most important part and it is that stage where the great 'unknowns' lay. Getting the right match is key, some are lucky and find their dream come true early on after AP, others have to wait several months - but as hard as it feels at the moment, if that means the match is right then it is worth it. 

We were exceptionally lucky. We piloted the new system and as a result we didn't stick rigidly to the timescales and stage 1 & 2 requirements. From the start to little man being in our arms was less than 9 months. He was very young, with no known issues and was classed as an easy to place baby. This is our timescale:
Oct 2012 - start home study
Nov 2012 - prep
feb 2013 - panel next day we heard about little man
May 2013 - matching panel (we had a 2 month delay due to legal issues)
May 2013 - intros
June 2013 - home forever
April 2014 - AO granted

Included in this 9 months were delays due to my mum being diagnosed with breast cancer and legal delays prior to MP. 
Good luck


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## becs40 (Apr 9, 2013)

Hi,
The new process is 2 stages. Stage 1 is supposed to be 2 months and stage 2 is 4 months so you should be approved within 6 months. We are lucky in that our authority is able to cope with the number if adopters they have so no delays. Quite a few authorities are delaying stage 2 due to lack of resource. Also there are things out of their control with references and DBS checks etc, these can also delay you.
Once approved its a waiting game for the right match, if you have a look there are threads on here of people waiting for a match and it's not unusual for that bit to take anything up to a year. This is also the hardest it as you just don't know how long it will be so hard to keep positive.


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## Macgyver (Oct 27, 2008)

Good luck, we were on the old system so I understand things are far faster.


Prep group sept 2012
Approval panel April 2013 (after first panel was delayed by a month) 
Found lo July 2013
Home forever sept 2013 (so one year until he was in our arms)




Good luck in your cycle too xx


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## Barbados Girl (Jul 7, 2012)

Hi

For us Stage 1 ended Oct 13, Stage 2 ended Jan 14, ap April 14 (delayed for two months), linked June and mp in ONE WEEK!

Our beautiful baby is considered harder to place xxx


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## Daddyboo (Paul) (Dec 24, 2012)

Jan 2013 - Officially Applied
Jan 2013 - Prep Training
Jul 2013 - Approval Panel
Sep 2013 - Found LO at an Activity Day
Dec 2013 - Matching Panel
Jan 2014 - Intros

Our LO is 4yrs old and so on paper would have been 'hard to place', we don't see it ourselves but we are biased, she's our beautiful little girl after all!

We did the matching part ourselves using the resources available (Be My Parent, Activity Days, Exchange Days) to us which definitely increased the speed of our Match.

You may get lucky and have a SW who is proactive, but if you want to speed things up there is no harm doing it yourself.

Good luck on your journey, and stay positive - it will help in your current situation and on the adoption process.


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## flickJ (Feb 9, 2012)

Good luck with your IVF treatment  

For us, it has been a year-long journey until we meet our beautiful six year old who we found at an Exchange Day soon after we were approved. She was considered harder to place due to her age, but to us she was just a perfect little girl and age didn't matter.

We were in the first group of adopters on the new system.

Aug 2013    Stage One        
Oct 2013    Prep training      
Feb 2014    Approval panel  

All done within the recommended six months!!!

Mar 2014    Found our LO at exchange day    
(Several delays in getting information)
Jul 2014    Matching Panel
Aug 2014  Intros

Like Daddyboo, we were pro-active with our search (going to Exchange Days, Activity Days, Adoption UK) and had the help of an excellent SW.

Good luck


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## littlepoppy86 (Feb 14, 2014)

I'd consider our journey pretty quick...

Stage 1 sept/oct
Stage 2 nov/dec/jan
Panel feb
Linked feb
Matching panel April
Intros may 

Gd luck xx


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## Lorella (Jan 10, 2013)

Good luck 🍀

Our timescales were:

Nov - officially applied and start stage one
Feb - prep course days
April - stage 2 and home study
July - approved at panel
Sept/Oct - hoping to bring home our baby girl

So would be 10/11 months from start to finish xxx


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## Rayofsunshine (Jul 28, 2013)

Thankyou all for taking the time to reply to my question! And your kind words mean a lot 😊

We are lucky enough to have made it to the 2ww of our final IVF cycle. Obviously hopeful, but very excited to begin the adoption journey next ur if our IVF cycle is not meant to be! 

Ray xx


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## pyjamas (Jun 24, 2011)

We are still waiting since being approved July 2013. First enquiries were October 2012, initial visit was January 2013, prep course was March 2013 and Approval Panel July 2013. I then had to wait till December to have a hysterectomy but SW said we could look at profiles and do all the prep ready to adopt as soon as my recovery was over.  Did not hear from her. I returned to work at the beginning of March and are getting absolutely nowhere fast! x


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## Rayofsunshine (Jul 28, 2013)

Hi pyjamas thanks for your reply, what local authority are you with?


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## pyjamas (Jun 24, 2011)

We are with Norfolk LA. At our initial home visit we were told that it could be as soon as August 2013 that we get a match (this was in January 2013). Seems to be a lack of children at the moment but situations change and hopefully will be better when you are at this point in the process, Good Luck x


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