Children waiting for adoption

Coram works very hard to ensure you are matched with the right child. Together, you and your social worker will work together to think about what you can offer a child and also be the right fit for your family.

Young pre teen girl lying on grass in park

To help match you with the right child, we make contact with:

  • local authorities across the UK who are seeking adopters for children in their care. This includes our partnerships with local authorities in London
  • direct referrals, where local authorities approach Coram directly about specific children.

We will also advise you on how to use Link Maker - a mandatory website for adoption.

Children waiting for adoption  

So what are they like? All children waiting for adoption need unconditional love and support to help them flourish, assured by the knowledge that you, their new parents, will always put them first. Children who need new adopted families will have had complicated lives:

  • some of our children are babies who have already had a poor start in life
  • some are older
  • some have brothers and sisters with whom they need to stay
  • others have special needs or disabilities
  • many have experienced difficult childhoods and have problems they will need help to overcome

Watch our adopters talk about the special moment they met their adopted child.

Babies under two

Coram's early permanence scheme aims to find permanent homes for children under 24 months. This is where a baby or child in care under the age of two is found suitable foster carers who are ready and willing to adopt them if the court decides that adoption is best for them. In short, this means that the babies are placed with families who might adopt them – but that those families have to accept they are foster carers while the courts consider the best plan for the child, which might be returning to birth parents. This is a very child centered scheme, which requires a lot of resilience from the foster family.

Find out more about early permanence here