Concurrency adoption – the way forward?

The decision to join the project as a foster parent is a tougher one than just choosing to adopt

Yes, you usually receive a very young baby – in short supply these days. But, and it is a big but, you might have to hand her or him back to the birth parents or other members of the birth family at some point.

Coram Family, a charity related to Thomas Coram’s Foundling Hospital, organises adoptions for babies and children from all over the country. The Coram Concurrency Planning Project, led by Gill Gray, has been set up with Islington and Camden social services. While the potential adopters foster the child, the social services look into the birth family – not just the parents, but also other relations who might be willing to take on the baby. To prevent drift, the courts must decide at the beginning of the process just how long it will go on for – usually, between six and nine months. This eliminates a lot of the uncertainty, but still must be a tense time for everyone. ‘I used to wonder who on earth these people were, and where we would find them,’ says Gill Grant. ‘But they turn out to be self-selecting and are always people who can focus on what is in the child’s best interests.’