The profiles below are representative of the type of children currently awaiting their forever homes.
These are not real children and all images are stock photos.
Laurie is a bright, chatty and inquisitive boy who enjoys socialising and being in the company of other children and adults. He is very active and enjoys playing outside where he can ride his bike, run around and jump on the trampoline. He is just beginning (with the help of his foster carer) to start climbing trees, which he thinks is amazing and takes great pride in telling people about.
He likes playing with toy cars, playdough and slime. He also has an interest in the solar system and has a dream catcher in his bedroom that he uses to get rid of worries and send good thoughts in to space. Laurie is described as independent and is continuing to develop his self-care skills. He is good at trying new foods and his favourite things to eat are roast dinners, macaroni cheese and jelly. Laurie is currently in reception where he is progressing well, on track to meet his targets and has been observed making positive relationships with the other children in his class. He is described by his rugby coach to be an incredibly kind little boy and shows real concern for his peers if they fall over or get bumped.
Laurie loves his soft toys, and likes to build dens for them to snuggle up and watch his favourite TV shows together. At bedtime, Laurie is very particular about which toy goes where, and he likes to flip his pillow, so he has the cool side.
Laurie is very articulate and seems to have a good understanding of things. Laurie has a busy mind and is interested in everything; he is keen to share his ideas with those around him and his enthusiasm is often infectious!
Laurie has experienced neglectful, inconsistent, and sometimes frightening parenting, when in the care of his birth parents. He has made significant progress and benefitted from a structured placement where the foster carer has bonded well and communicates brilliantly with him; anticipating and understanding his needs. Laurie has a very trusting relationship with his current carer, which has taken time to establish, it is felt that he will feel a loss on leaving his carer and that ongoing contact should be considered and promoted.
Laurie will need at least one female carer in his adoptive home and parents that are willing and able to take a therapeutic approach to caring for him.
Children that have been adopted often require specialist additional support at some point in their lives, at Adoption West we are committed to supporting the children we place and the children that live within the local authorities we represent, you can find out more about this support offer here.
Catelyn is small for her age with wispy brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. She is a serious child who appears to be taking things in and thinking about how she will react, however, once she smiles her whole face lights up and she has a very cheeky grin.
Catelyn has a strong personality and knows what she likes and does not like. She likes attention from her carers and will give big smiles and “talk” to those who pay her attention. Her foster carers describe her as happier than expected given her complex needs and she will always great them with a big grin each morning and if they have been apart for any reason.
Catelyn was born with complex needs and although she has not currently got a diagnosis of her disabilities, Due to her complex health needs she requires a lot of intervention from her carers, including being fed through a naso-gastric tube, although this is likely to change in the future. Although Catelyn’s medical needs have slowed down her physical development, she is meeting all her cognitive milestones.
Catelyn can now sit whilst being supported, enjoys being cuddled and is beginning to roll over. She particularly enjoys lying alongside the foster carer’s dog. Since being in foster care Catelyn has thrived, she shows a strong attachment to her foster carers. Catelyn likes other children and enjoys being around the foster carer’s grandchildren.
Her foster carers describe Catelyn as being the same as any other child in relation to her behaviour and whether she is easily upset or not, she does not appear to have any additional needs or care requirements in this
area.
Although at first glance Catelyn’s care needs might seem overwhelming, this little girl has a zest for life and a fierce spirit. All those that have met her have been awed by her sheer determination and will, this girl is going far, but she needs a family that see all of her (not just her medical needs) to help her achieve her potential.
N.B. Catelyn has significant medical needs, this has been hard to represent using stock images.
Jessie is a very, chatty, friendly and independent little girl, who knows her own mind and is not afraid to express herself, especially when she wants her own way. She likes to play with other children and is very caring towards her younger brother Alex, she has always lived with him and clearly adores him, even if they do have the usual sibling squabbles from time to time.
At bedtime Jessie enjoys story time and enjoys ‘reading’ books to herself and looking at the pictures. Jessie has recently discovered the wonders of Disney Princesses and is particularly keen on the film Brave and dressing-up as Rapunzel.
Alex can be initially cautious when meeting new adults and presents as shy and quiet. Alex appears at these times to seek reassurance from his older sister Jessie, who will speak on his behalf at times if he is feeling shy. Alex is a friendly child who likes to play with other children, however, at two years old he also has clear ideas about what and who he wants to play with. Alex can follow adults’ simple instructions at nursery and real enjoys construction type toys as well as messy play.
Jessie and Alex lived in a chaotic and unhealthy home where their basic, emotional and developmental needs were not being appropriately met. There were no routines and the older siblings were relied upon to address the younger children’s basic needs, this is also evidenced in the way Jessie sometimes ‘mothers’ Alex. Alex and Jessie experienced emotional harm through the impact of severe neglect.
Jessie and Alex have two older siblings who remain in foster care, arrangements will be made for ongoing contact with older siblings. Both birth parents have a history of substance misuse and although there were no complications with either pregnancy, it is unclear whether there was drug misuse during the pregnancies. It is thought that the parental drug misuse was a key factor in the parents inabilities to meet their children’s basic needs. It is anticipated yearly Letterbox contact will be arranged with birth parents.
Jessie and Alex have a good level of general health, there are no concerns in this area. They are both reported to have good appetites and show willingness to try new foods. Alex’s language acquisition, fine and gross motor skills do show some areas of delay, this will continue to be monitored, he has been seen to make good progress since entering foster care. Jessie can become preoccupied with food, and needs reassurance of what and when her next meal with meal, this is improving over time.
Jessie and Alex need an adoptive family who can provide them with a safe and loving home. Due to Jessie and Alex’s individual needs they require a family who have patience, acceptance and understanding. Jessie and Alex require an adoptive family who can help them reach their potential.
Children that have been adopted often require specialist additional support at some point in their lives, at Adoption West we are committed to supporting the children we place and the children that live within the local authorities we represent, you can find out more about this support offer here.
Callum has made huge progress since being in care, he presents as polite, playful, observant and active. Callum enjoys imaginative play, especially dressing up as superheroes. Callum’s current favourite TV show is Paw Patrol. Initially Callum was very wary of physical contact, but will now accept hugs from his foster carer, and is starting to initiating them. Callum loves his little brother Kieran but he and Katie do squabble on occasion and show signs of normal sibling rivalry, although they can play well together.
The foster carer describes Katie as cheeky, feisty, loving, funny and tactile. Katie’s relationship with Callum has greatly improved in recent months although it remains complex. Katie and Kieran have a good relationship, she particularly enjoys playing schools with herself as the teacher and Kieran as the always enthusiastic pupil. Katie loves new experiences and exploring, she enjoys dancing as well as looking at books.
Being premature Kieran is still on the small side for his age. The full impact of Kieran’s premature birth is not yet known, but he is meeting milestones according to his chronological age and making good progress. Kieran adores his older siblings and follows them around. He particularly enjoys being outside and messy play.
Callum and Katie witnessed domestic violence with parents being emotionally unavailable, inconsistent, and unpredictable in their behaviour. This led to the neglect of the children as parent’s needs were prioritised. The home environment was extremely chaotic with many changes of address and carers. The children were exposed to parent’s poor mental health, although neither parent has a diagnosed mental health condition at this stage.
The children will require parents who are willing to gain the skills of therapeutic parenting and support the children to make sense of their past and the subsequent impact this may have on their identities. Adoptive parents will require a solid support network to be able to fully meet the needs of these siblings.
Children that have been adopted often require specialist additional support at some point in their lives, at Adoption West we are committed to supporting the children we place and the children that live within the local authorities we represent, you can find out more about this support offer here.
