Over the years, adoption has changed significantly. Historically the majority of our children were babies who were placed for adoption by their birth parents, often unmarried mothers. Today there are very few babies being placed for adoption.

These days the majority of our children are looking for an adoptive family who can provide them with the safety, protection and nurturing that they need. Often these children have been exposed to neglect and abuse. They may have been living in birth families with a history of substance misuse, domestic violence or mental health difficulties or lived with parents who have simply not been equipped to meet their needs. Because of this, the children will most likely have been living in foster care prior to being adopted.

Research now tells us that this exposure to trauma in early childhood can often have a significant and long lasting impact on a child’s development and their ability to function alongside their peers.

Over the years we have developed our services in response to the needs of our children and their families. The level of support that we offer our families has been widely recognised to be of a particularly high standard. This is evident from the feedback from the families themselves as well as other bodies such as the Scottish Government and the Care Inspectorate.

As well as our Adoption Society, we are also delighted to offer further supports in the form of our Education Services and our Therapy Centre.