People interested in finding out more about adoption – especially adopting a disabled child, are being invited to an information evening next week.
The information evening will be held on Tuesday 26 November at Cockburn High School, Gipsy Lane, LS11 5TT at 6:30pm.
Leeds City Council hosts monthly information evenings which provide potential adoptive parents with information about the adoption process and the children we need to find families for.
This month’s information evening will focus particularly on highlighting disabled children and children with additional needs as well as providing general information about the adoption process. This will include adoptive parents of disabled children describing their parenting experiences and challenging negative stereotypes of disability. There will be presentations from adoption social workers and the opportunity for one to one discussions with parents and workers about adopting disabled children as well as the process of adoption.
Councillor Judith Blake, executive board member responsible for children’s services said:
“Adoption is life-changing, exciting and rewarding. It has many challenges along the way but what is most important is that we place all children in our care, in a loving and supportive home. Information evenings are a great way of finding out what adoption is really like and if it is suitable for you. We regularly recruit new adoptive parents through our information evenings.”
All sorts of people can adopt. Leeds City Council welcomes applications from people of all religions, races, genders and sexuality. Leeds adopters reflect a wide range of circumstances and life experience, and can be married, single, in a relationship, divorced, widowed, employed or unemployed. Every application is assessed on an individual basis.
All the children who are seeking loving homes will have experienced a difficult start in life, through neglect or abuse and these children will have a range of needs, personalities, abilities and vulnerabilities.
This is an event for anyone considering adoption. Request for a Home Visit form will be available at the end of the evening for those wishing to progress to the next stage of the adoption process.
A good starting point for those interested would be to look on the Adopt for Leeds website www.adopt4leeds.co.uk or contact the Adoption duty line on 0113 395 2072 with any queries.
