Why do I need childcare and volunteering experience when adopting a child?

We know that it is incredibly valuable for each adopter to gain recent and relevant childcare experience. This would ideally be with children from disadvantaged backgrounds, who may have suffered adversity, but might also be with children who at times exhibit some challenging behaviour.

Childcare experience demonstrates your ability to meet a child’s needs. At Adopt London we encourage you to get as much experience within the age range that you are considering adopting, as this shows an understanding of the mental and physical needs and development a child of this age might have.

Caring for children with additional needs requires certain skills. Having experience in this can benefit your decision-making process. It can also help you work out whether you could meet the needs of an adopted child with additional needs, and it will help you gain an understanding of their difficulties.

This experience can demonstrate to the adoption panel and family finding social workers that you are the best carer for a child. There are many organisations that you may feel comfortable talking to about volunteering opportunities visit our Childcare Experience & Volunteering webpage for more information and ideas.