On our first day at prep group we were quite nervous but also looking forward to finding out so much more about the adoption process. We knew that it was going to be a long process, but we were committed and confident that we were doing the right thing.
It was amazing to meet the other people in the group, many of whom had been on a similar journey to us. Preparation was intense but very informative and we found ourselves looking forward to each day.
We really enjoyed our time at prep group, listening to the good side as well as the bad. Hearing personal stories as well as harrowing accounts of child neglect gave us a real perspective of the challenges that lay ahead, as well as hope that we would one day be a complete family.
We found ourselves staying around at lunchtime to speak to the social workers or anyone who had been through the adoption process. These people were really helpful with our thirst for facts and knowledge, and we felt no shame in our ‘interrogation’ technique! Everyone was so kind though, and quite happy to share their stories and advice.
After completing the course we were ready to start the next phase of our journey, with our marvelous social worker. In hindsight, those visits and were extremely valuable to us. At the time we were just eager to find children to adopt, but we were not ready.
Our social worker needed to get to know us as a couple and make sure that we were the right sort of people to adopt. We needed, as a couple, to come to terms with the facts that we were about to change our lives forever. We needed this time, to make sure that we ourselves were strong enough to cope with what was ahead for us.
Yes, it was thorough - looking into our personal lives, our friends and our finances – but we focused on the end goal and therefore opened ourselves up to the process. You need to be true to yourselves and open and honest.
Once we had completed the assessment, we received the invitation in writing – the day of the Panel!
Nervous, did not even come close to describing how we felt!
We seemed to wait around for an eternity, and to add to our anxiety, the panel was running late.
Surely the panel would see that I was too old (47) and too overweight. Why would they want to let us adopt children? Our social worker, as ever, was calming and reassuring.
Sitting in front of the Panel was quite daunting. We knew, however, that once we were approved, then we could concentrate on finding the right children to complete our family.
They were actually quite a friendly bunch, and we responded to their questions and concerns fairly well, I thought.
It seemed to be over in a flash, and we waited outside of the meeting while they made their decision.
Our social worker came in a few minutes later and told us that we had been approved. We felt relieved and extremely happy. Although we knew that there were difficult decisions ahead.