# HELP!!!



## Natasha (Sep 21, 2004)

I have been reading the posts on the adoption part of the site and i can still not make head nor tail of what to do. 
I have sent off and received a package for Chelmsford County Council, but i have read and been told not to go through council based adoption agencies as they aren't very nice and it takes twice as long.  
Can someone helps me as i really am at a loss as to where to start and what the best/right route is to take.
Thanks in advance
Tasha


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## jude2 (Oct 2, 2004)

Hi Natasha,

Councils vary a lot. And some of the voluntary agencies deal only with hard to place children , although they tend to be quicker off the mark in approving you. I don't think you can say one is better than the other: it is more a case of speaking to them and seeing which seems to fit best with what you think you have to offer/what you want.

A friend of mind adopted via Essex county council (2 babies one at 14 months and one at 3 1/2 months). Essex has beacon status for adoption which means it is very good/quick and as you are near (I think!) might be worth contacting them. Try this link:
http://www.essexcc.gov.uk/vip8/ecc/ECCWebsite/display/guideContents/index.jsp?oid=21840

If you have more questions about the process the BAAF website is good and also adoptionuk.org.uk.

Hope this helps a bit (I am jut trying to choose an agency myself at the moment).

Jude


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## Natasha (Sep 21, 2004)

Thanks Jude,
I've been on the BAAF site which i did find good.  I'll have  a look at the other one now though.
My head is spinning with them all and that doesn't take a lot!!!


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## KarenM (Jul 30, 2002)

Natasha

As Jude said all Local Authorities vary in their approach.  It also is about how comfortable you feel with the people dealing with your approval as the process can be quite intrusive so you need to feel confident to talk to your SW.  It also depends on what age category of children you are considering adopting as well because due to the age range of children in the particular area (e.g. they had an influx of 5 - 8 year olds in my area and so part way through our process they "fast tracked" those who were looking to adopt this age range, so we got put on the back burner for a bit) they may not be looking to accept more adoptive parents.

My experience of the adoption process has been a rollercoaster but it is soon forgotten about when you reach the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  

I would contact a couple of local authorities and see how you feel when you talk to them.  Most Local Authorities work on a consortium arrangement so even if you are approved in one, you could me matched to children from any of the other areas.  Ours are linked with 13 other LA's.

Good luck
Love
Karen x


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## Natasha (Sep 21, 2004)

Thanks Karen and congratulations on your pot of gold.
I have applied for information packs but as you suggested i'll give them a call as well.
Thanks for your help
Love 
Tasha


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## Nats (Aug 22, 2003)

Hi Natasha....
sorry im a bit late in replying.

Anyway just to let you know my experience with a local authority....which is actually Colchester, although we went to the open evening at Chelmsford. Well we have found that they have been great...we have got on with all the SW's and feel that they have made everything very easy for us.
I understand the time thing, but honestly it will fly by. We started at our open evening in August 2003, then went to our prep groups in Feb 2004, unlucky for us Colchester are short of SW's so we did have to wait for one to be allocated for a home study, but we got one in September. We plane to finish our home study in Feb, panel by April and then wait for matching.

I will say that Essex is a huge county, so they have quite a few children. We are also matched with Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge so we also get the chance to be linked with children from there as a  first refusal so to speak. 

From what I can gather they will try and match within these areas as its costs money to do it out of area. I know a couple of people who have adopted through essex and they waited about 4-8 months to be placed. Again this can vary on the age, the majority of children are around 3-4 years old. 

Anyway I hope this helps you a little bit, if you want to ask anything then thats fine and I wish you all the very best!!

Natsxx


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## morgana (Aug 31, 2004)

Hi Natasha,

I also went to the Chelmsford open evening and found the SW very helpful. We are going through Colchester same as Nats but the Chelmsford SW were very quick and efficient in getting our paper work sorted asap to transfer us. I have heard only good stories about the Essex teams although they do have a shortage of SW they are known to be as helpful as possible.

Hope this helps you.

Morgana x


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## Natasha (Sep 21, 2004)

Hi guys
Thanks for the advise it does make it a lot easier to know that a lot of other people are going through or have been through the system that i can ask advise from.
I got the information pack through from BAAF today and The Adoption Experience which i have hardly been able to put down so far.
I will phone Essex because as you say time does fly past and another year will be gone!!! 
Thanks again
Love Tasha


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