- It's a Piece of Cake?
- Our parent support programme runs regularly in Northern Ireland.
Find out more...
- Campaigning
Promoting the concerns and interests of adoptive families in Northern Ireland
- Links
- Useful websites for adopters and prospective adopters in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
This page provides information about adoption in Northern Ireland, and the support Adoption UK can provide to the country's adopters and prospective adopters, through a dedicated office, based in Belfast.
For residents of Northern Ireland interested in adoption, the first step is to contact an approved adoption agency. These are the five Health and Social Care Trusts and three voluntary bodies. Visit our Links page to get the details of these approved adoption agencies.
From initial enquiry to approval by the Adoption Panel can take 18 months to two years.
As well as accessing all of Adoption UK’s standard support services – our magazines, Online Community and PAL, members in Northern Ireland can access the following:
- support groups run by experienced adoptive parents
- a dedicated helpline
- staff dedicated to coordinating training and support in Northern Ireland
- training and seminars for parents
- an Advisory Group for Northern Ireland, to discuss adoption policy and practice
Dedicated Helpline
Dedicated support for Northern Ireland is available from Adoption UK's Northern Ireland Helpline from Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.
Call 0844 848 7900 and you'll be given the option to connect to the Northern Ireland Helpline.
Outside of these hours, feel free to leave a message, speak to the wider Helpline team or email your enquiry using the form on the Contact the helpline page.
Calls cost up to 5p per minute from a landline and up to £1.50 per minute from mobiles. Charges from landlines reflect the minimum costs associated with running the helplines.
Recruitment
We are currently looking to recruit:
Development Manager (Northern Ireland)
Full-time (35 hours per week).
Location: Belfast
Salary: £26,605 per annum, plus 3% pension contribution
Click here for the full application pack.
Support groups
We currently run support groups in the following areas:
- Antrim
- Bangor
- Belfast
- Coleraine
- Enniskillen/Omagh
- Foyle
- Moy
- Newry
Groups are run by Volunteer Coordinators - adoptive parents who give their time to hold meetings and provide advice, encouragement and support to adopters and prospective adopters.
For details on group meetings, visit the Members’ Area of the Online Community or contact the Northern Ireland office.
Training and support
*NEW* 20 & 27 April -Getting ready for placement - Two-day workshop for prospective parents after approval but before placement
Adoption UK runs a range of popular training workshops, conferences and seminars on issues such as Getting ready for Placement to Parenting Adopted Teenagers to Children Who Struggle at School.
Adoption UK's acclaimed six-day traiing programme 'It's a Piece of Cake' also runs regularly.
Details of up and coming workshops and events will appear in the Training section of the site.
To find out about workshops running in your area of Northern Ireland contact the Training Team.
Let's Learn Together
A guide for parents and teachers of adopted children in primary school in Northern Ireland.
Thanks to funding from the Health & Social Care Board we are delighted that the above booklet is available to parents and teachers throughout Northern Ireland.
Adopted children face many challenges throughout their life and in particular during their education. Teachers and parents are often unaware that adopted children’s early experiences can leave them vulnerable to varying degrees of distress and difficulty at school.
This booklet aims to provide an insight into why these challenges might arise and various tips and ideas are suggested on how to manage key areas of difficulty for both parents and teachers.
Click her to download your copy now.
Advisory Group
Adoption UK in Northern Ireland is represented by the Northern Ireland Advisory Group, a group of adoptive parents and practitioners with local knowledge who provide advice on adoption policy and practise issues.
Their advice is used both to develop Adoption UK’s services for adopters and prospective adopters, and to respond to government.
Post adoption services
Each Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland should have a clear post adoption strategy for working with and supporting adoptive families. For a list of what the post adoption service includes download the factsheet below:
Post Adoption Services in Northern Ireland