St Francis' Children's Society

Local News

Louise and Jake became parents with the help of St. Francis’ Children’s Society. Here, they reflect on their adoption journey.

We’d been together some time when we started trying for a family, but it just wasn’t happening naturally. After one failed IVF attempt, we decided to adopt. Following an initial meeting with a social worker, we attended four days of Preparation Training. We learnt about the children awaiting adoption, child development and the ongoing support offered. We then began ‘homestudy’, which was nerve-wracking at times but so important. It gave us a real insight into adoption, and helped us to understand what kind of parents we might be. After we were approved, the matching process began. It was exciting, heart-wrenching and nerve-wracking all at once. It’s not about finding the perfect child, it’s about giving a child the best chance in life with the best possible parent for them. Eventually, we were matched with three year old Jasmine. We first met her at her foster carer’s home. She was vivacious, loud, strong. We had no idea what we had let ourselves in for! After two weeks of introductions, our daughter came home to live with us. There have undeniably been many challenges over the years. When behavioural issues arise, we have to explore the root cause and help her through those emotions. But there have been so many positives too, and we love seeing her thrive. We would do it all again in a heartbeat. We are three now and love being a family. Learn more at www.sfcs.org.uk