# LA vs. VA



## twinkletoes13 (Aug 20, 2013)

Hi all,

I have just been reading through a book about adoption, and it mentions that using a VA may limit your 'choice' when it comes to matching, as LAs will place children with their own approved adopters first, leaving those hard to place, or ones with no LA match for the VAs to place.

Is this right? DH and I have chosen a VA as our dealings with them to date have been impeccable (in contrast to the LAs we spoke to), however, I am now wondering if we should have looked into things more?

We live in a remote area, and so I am aware that the LA doesn't have very many children in care, and it is likely that regardless of who we're matched with, we will be matched outwith our LA area, so does it matter whether we go with the LA or VA? I suppose the VA will be more accustomed to dealing with non local agencies?

Sorry this is a bit rambling....


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## mafergal (Jul 31, 2013)

I am no expert but we too are going with a VA because they were the most professional and friendly and were well set up for the new system. Their ofsted repost was brilliant... the LA's were not.  

Our VA works with a consortium of several LA's and therefor cast the net wider, I think most do work this way now.  Unfortunately adoptees far exceed adopters so really an LA couldn't be that picky, also by the matching stage you and your SW know what you will/wont accept so don't fear you will have hard to place children pushed on you or anything like that.

It's my understanding that regardless of who gets you to the matching stage, once there everyone is equal and the best match who meets the needs of the child is what matters. Sometimes a move away from an LA for a child is preferable.

If you are happy with your choice, I'd say stick with it. If what you have read was how they work I'm sure they would have disclosed that info to you on your initial meeting. Maybe this is old information/how they used to work...?


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## twinkletoes13 (Aug 20, 2013)

Hi mafergirl,

Thank you so much for replying - you've set my mind at ease! I was having visions of being told the only children we could be matched with were ones we couldn't manage!

The book was published in 2009 and mostly covers England and Wales (we're Scotland), I think it's perhaps just a badly worded paragraph. What you've said sounds far more like the understanding of the differences between the two that I had. Our VA consult with LA's covering the whole of Scotland and North of England, so the net is definitely cast wider than it would be if we were with the LA who only sign up to a 'local' consortium of the other more remote LA's in Scotland. 

We will stick with them, they've been brilliant so far, and my gut immediately said they were the right ones when we spoke to them.

Thanks again - as always FF sets me straight!


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## Barbados Girl (Jul 7, 2012)

Hi Twinkletoes

We are also going with a VA as they were very responsive and positive and you get lifelong support.  I was told by a social worker who works for a LA adoption service that it used to be the case that VAs only got the harder to place children as LAs preferred to place with their own adopters but that distinction has mostly gone now that LAs have many more children than they can place.  He actually advised us to use a VA because they provide better support.


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## -x-Lolly-x- (Feb 3, 2012)

We access the regional consortium and have access to the same children awaiting placement to those through the local authorities within the area.  We love our VA, the process, the care, the matching and the aftercare.  I briefly worried about the earlier points you raised when we approached the VA, but these were soon quashed.  It seems to have been the traditional view of the role of the VA and how they used to be used, but those times appear to have gone.  LAs now have so many children and not enough adopters, they needs VAs help.  Plus gut reactions also count for a lot.  We went with ours and couldn't be happier as we are now 3 sleeps away from meeting our 10 month old 'perfect' (so the paediatrician says!!  ) baby girl!  Masses of luck to you


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## twinkletoes13 (Aug 20, 2013)

Hi Barbados Girl and Lolly,

Thanks for your replies. I am so pleased that it's not the case that VA's get the harder to place children. 

Our VA, like yours Barbados Girl, offer lifelong support following placement, which together with the excellent 'customer' service to date puts them miles ahead of the LA's.

Wow! MASSIVE congratulations, Lolly! You must be so excited! I hope the next three nights fly by and you get to Friday ASAP. Good luck for everything - just think, in three days you'll be a mum!  

Thanks again, we're definitely sticking with the VA.


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## -x-Lolly-x- (Feb 3, 2012)

Thank you Twinkletoes   we are over the moon that it's nearly Friday and we will meet our beautiful daughter, although it's still all very surreal   I'm glad you are reassured and are sticking with your VA. What are your next steps now then?


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## twinkletoes13 (Aug 20, 2013)

I bet it is surreal - I wonder when it will sink in?! Just thinking about how excited you must be makes me squeak, so I can only imagine what kind of a state you're in! Do you have a date for when your daughter moves in with you? How long ago were you approved?

We have prep group starting at the end of this week (one day a week for three weeks), then we get allocated a SW.... then the home assessment etc. I actually want to get to the home assessment so I can get properly stuck in. At the moment I am just reading things, researching and learning, I know all that helps, but I want to actually do something. I promised myself I wouldn't get impatient with this....


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## -x-Lolly-x- (Feb 3, 2012)

I'm doing a lot of squeaking at present too   She moves in forever on 27th, so a week of intros. We were approved May, linked July and matched last Thursday  

Brilliant, you'll enjoy prep. You may get homework so something to got your teeth into. I get the impatience part, it's really hard waiting but once you get going in promise it goes quickly!  Have you a preference for age or sex? One or two? We wanted a toddler, a boy, originally maybe siblings. We have one little baby girl coming home   The total opposite but once we saw her we knew she was meant to be our child


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## twinkletoes13 (Aug 20, 2013)

Two nights to go! Well, two nights, but only one day really! I hope you're going out tomorrow night for dinner to celebrate just being the two of you for the last time? I bet the intros week will fly by.   

Your process has been quite quick... I hope ours is the same. Patience really isn't one of my strong points.  

When we met with the SW she asked if we had preferences, we both said our only thing was as young as possible (we're both in our twenties like you, I think?) so, I wouldn't want an older child because it would be out of step with our ages, if that makes sense. The SW totally agreed and said they'd recommend as young as possible. We have no preferences for sex, and would have two I think.... but probably one would be best! I am hoping we have the same reaction as you, that when we see our match we just 'know'.


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## -x-Lolly-x- (Feb 3, 2012)

I was always pretty sceptical about the whole 'when you know you know' ethos. We saw profiles and I thought that they could be our child. But then I got it, it all made sense as soon as we set eyes on our daughter. Reading all about her confirmed she was our girl. Then we had to hope her SWs felt the same. As it turned out they had found us and approached our SW first so they did feel the same and it all confirmed it was meant to be  

Yes we had the chat about age and I said it would feel too strange to take a child to school. I didn't feel old enough (which is strange as it would be happening soon if IVF had worked) We are considered young, the average age our agency quotes is 40 years old when people enquire. We have had a smooth and positive process, I really hope you will too. I feel that you will


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## twinkletoes13 (Aug 20, 2013)

I was the same until recently. We had both mentioned adoption as something we were interested in for a long time, but it wasn't until I said out loud that I wanted to stop all the fertility stuff and do this that I suddenly felt like this was right somehow. 

It sounds like everything lined up perfectly for you and your little girl. You're super lucky.  

I think the average for our agency is about 40 too. I totally understand what you mean about taking a child to school, I feel like I only just left school!   Like you though, we'd have a 3 year old if our first cycle had worked, which is crazy to imagine!

I hope we do have a smooth and positive process.... So far everything seems to be falling into place, I just hope it continues!

Good luck for tomorrow, have a wonderful time, I'll be thinking of you.


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## -x-Lolly-x- (Feb 3, 2012)

I still get asked ID so it would be strange having a child that old! Our little pink is just perfect! I'm really glad all is going well so far, long may that last and next year you'll be getting ready to meet your baby   Thank you for the   and kind words. Good luck on your journey... why not start a journal so I can stalk you?!!


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## twinkletoes13 (Aug 20, 2013)

I hope everything went perfectly today? How was it? One week until she comes home for good.  

I think the last thing FF (or even the internet for that matter) needs is me have a journal/blog!   You can of course stalk me on here.


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## -x-Lolly-x- (Feb 3, 2012)

Went perfectly thank you lovely. Check out my diary in the journal section for all the yummy details!!


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

I knew instantly that the LO we found on the Activity Day would be a perfect match, I would never have said that before though.  I'm the analytical thinker, I like to wait and think about things, weigh up the pros and cons, but this could be our daughter and I just knew.  It's totally out of character for me!  We just have to wait for her SWs to agree.

I'm 33 and DW is 30.  
I always said that I would like children before I turned 30 so I wouldn't be an old dad, and I could play with them as much as possible.  Which is why a 3-4 year old for us is brilliant (if we had got pregnant when we started trying, they would be 5yrs old by now!),  I do think I would like an under 2 for the second one though, after we have had some parenting experience.


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