When you make the decision to adopt, you can do so through a local authority, a Regional Adoption Agency, or a Voluntary Adoption Agency (VAA), like ARC Adoption. All agencies have something different to offer adopters, and it is important that you choose the right organisation for you.

Family feel

Not for profit, VAAs are often smaller than most statutory agencies and provide a personalised service to adopters from a wide range of backgrounds. At ARC Adoption, it is not uncommon to hear adopters refer to the ‘family feel’ they experience with us, and we all really enjoy getting to know our adopters and are privileged to help them create or grow their family.

Finding the right match

As a VAA we have no legal responsibility for children, but work in close partnership with local authorities to find much needed adopters for the children under their care. When appropriate, we also benefit from being able to look further afield during the family finding process, to ensure we find the right match for their family, and that they will be right for the child or children being considered.

Lifelong support

Many VAAs have a reputation for providing excellent post adoption support and it’s something we are passionate about at ARC Adoption, developing our Therapeutic Adoption Support Service (TASS) to ensure our adopters have swift access to help whenever they need it. Our support is wide ranging, and covers everything from specialist therapies and individual work with families, to arranging regular social events where parents and children can gather for fun and peer support.  

Hear why adopters chose to adopt through a VAA

In the videos below, adoptive parents share their experiences, explaining why they chose a VAA to guide, prepare and support them on their journeys to grow their families.

Kevin and Deb adopted siblings, before adopting again with the support of ARC Adoption in 2018: 

Zoe, an adopted adult, recently became a mum during the pandemic, adopting a little boy: 

Annmarie and Bill adopted three sisters aged two, three and four:

Rhi and her husband David adopted their five year old daughter during the pandemic: 

Tom and Amy adopted their three daughters during the pandemic:

If you think a Voluntary Adoption Agency might be the right choice to help you on your journey to grow your family, or you'd simply like to find out more, we would love to talk to you.  Click here for our enquiry form, where you can request more information or a call back at a convenient time.