Scotland
We provide support to adopters and prospective adopters in Scotland through a dedicated office, based in Edinburgh. This page provides information on adoption and the kind of support we can provide for adopters in Scotland.
Most of the children placed are in the care of the local authority; however, children can also be placed from other authorities in Scotland or the rest of the UK, or from overseas.
No matter where the child you adopt is placed from you will have to be assessed by a local authority or independent/voluntary adoption agency.
As well as accessing all of our standard support services – our magazines, Online Community, members in Scotland can access the following:
- Factsheets
- Let's Learn Together - Scotland
- A dedicated helpline
- Support groups run by experienced adoptive parents
- An Edinburgh based library to complement the main Lending Library
- Training and seminars for parents
- Research
- Advisory Group
- Videos
- Meet the team
If you are based in Scotland and are interested in adopting a child you should contact your local authority to find out their procedures for placing children in your local area. Contact your local authority through our Find an Agency facility.
Dedicated Helpline
Dedicated support for Scotland is available from our Scotland Helpline from Monday to Friday, 10am to 2:30pm.
Just call 0131 201 2489.
Calls will be charged at standard network rates.
Support groups
We currently run support groups in the following areas:
- Scottish Borders
- Edinburgh and the Lothians
- East Lothian
- Glasgow
- Argyll and Bute
We also run support groups for adoptive dads, in conjunction with voluntary agencies St Andrew’s Children’s Society and Scottish Adoption, throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians.
We hold informal events such as picnics, walks, family days and an annual family weekend which enable adoptive families to meet up & build relationships
Groups are run by volunteer coordinators - adoptive parents who give their time to run support group meetings and provide advice, encouragement and support to adopters and prospective adopters. We are currently recruiting volunteers across Scotland. Please get in touch to find out more scotland@adoptionuk.org.uk
Edinburgh office library
In addition to the resources available for loan at Head Office in Banbury, we have a library here in the Scotland office and you are very welcome to borrow any of our books.
To find out what's on the shelves please download either a pdf of the full list or a filterable Excel spreadsheet.
To borrow a book, you can visit the office in person or if you are unable to do that, give us a call, and we will post it out. We do ask however that you pay the postage costs.
Training and support
Adoption UK FASD Conference
Diagnostic challenges and implications for support - Seeking a brighter future for our children
This conference is aimed at adoptive parents, carers, practitioners and clinicians from across the UK
To book a place click here
For more information download the flyer
Independent Care Review
We would like to encourage all parents and carers of care experienced children to take part in the independant root and branch care review that is happening now in Scotland.
There are opportunities for your thoughts and views to be heard in a variety of ways – please get in touch if you would like to send information via us, or look for an event near you: https://www.carereview.scot/
Attachment Awareness in Education
Adoption UK in Scotland is collaborating with parents, educational psychologists, headteachers, teachers and school staff members to make every school in Scotland attachment aware.
For more information, costs and to book training download the flyer.
Click the image below for a video aimed at teachers but informative for parents on how care experienced children can present in the classroom and what might be going on behind their behaviour.
Volunteer Coordinator Project
We’re delighted to have been successful in our application to the postcode trust for project funding to allow us to develop our network of volunteer supporters. Our 12 month project will be led by our new volunteer coordinator, Simon Cawthorne. Simon will be working 12 hours a week and his role will involve recruiting, training and supporting crucial volunteers to facilitate our peer support groups, and other activities. To find out more, and to get involved with the project, please do get in touch with Simon: simon.cawthorn@adoptionuk.org.uk, or contact the office 0131 201 2488.
Look out for updates around training sessions, and get in touch to find out about the support and opportunities that being a volunteer with Adoption UK in Scotland can offer you.
Research
Young People's Project
Adoption is complex. It's rarely straightforward, and has an enormous impact on everyone who is involved with it.
We would like to know two things – what does adoption mean to them, and how could their experiences have been improved?
This project is a chance for us to encourage adopted young people to share their story, as a part of helping us to improve experiences for other young people coming through the same system.
For more information and to see how the project/research is progressing click here
Transcript: ‘Scottish Government Debate: Adoption and Permanence in Scotland’ on Tuesday November 22, 2016
To download and read the report Click Here
Scotland's Adoption Register Annual Report
To download and read the report Click Here
Permanence for disabled children and young people through foster care and adoption: A selective review of international literature
To download and read the review Click Here
Advisory Group
Adoption UK in Scotland is represented by the Scottish 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 Scottish Government Consultations.
Our advisory group provides advice and guidance regarding policy and practice, and supports the Scotland team in the work of Adoption UK Scotland in developing our services unique within Scotland. The group meets on a quarterly basis in Edinburgh.
The membership of the group represents a broad range of individuals and includes adoptive parents, foster and kinship carers, social workers, professionals working in the educational and academic setting and those with business and charity backgrounds all focused around adoption.
The members of the group are: Robin Duncan, Ian Burdett, Gerry Mcmurtie, Dr Chris Jones, Eleanor Bradford, Rena Philips and Robert Swift (Chair).
Videos
School Survivors
School Survivors is a 5 minute video made by the parents of children with trauma aimed at those working with our children in school. It uses thumbnail case histories with simple graphics and text to convey a moving and powerful message of how scary school can be for these children. It finishes with the plea, 'Please make school a safe place for me.'
Click Here to watch the video on our You Tube channel.
Permission given for its use.
Presentations from Talking About Adoption
As part of Adoption Week Scotland November 2016: our background series of slides addressing some of the myths surrounding adoption and bringing some insights into the world of the adopted children themselves. Click Here to watch the series of presentations on our You Tube channel.