Skip to content
Donate
Call us: 0300 456 4800 Contact us
  • About us
    Back
    • Our story
      • Visions and values
      • Black Lives Matter
      • Facts & figures
      • Ofsted
      • Reports
    • News
      • Blog
    • Leadership team
      • Executive board
      • Senior Management Team
    • Safeguarding children
  • Support us
    Back
    • Make a donation
    • Shop
    • Fundraise for us
      • Support our PACT marathon runners
      • Hold your own fundraiser
      • Schools
      • Churches
    • Marathon in May
    • PACT Family Disco
    • Our supporters
      • Supporter of the month
    • Corporate partnerships
    • Our fundraising promise
  • Join us
    Back
    • Why work for PACT?
    • Current opportunities
    • Contractors
    • Become a PACT Trustee
    • Volunteer with PACT
      • Volunteer opportunities
  • Commission us
DonateThanks! Contact us
  • Adoption
    Back
    • You can adopt
      • Interactive self-assessment tool
      • Adoption process
      • Adoption guide
      • Why choose PACT?
      • Adoption panel
      • Fostering for Adoption
      • Adoption FAQs
      • Statements of Purpose
    • Adopter stories
      • LGBTQ+ adoption
      • Families of faith
      • Single parent adoption
      • Fertility and adoption
    • Children waiting
      • Adopting older children
      • Adopting siblings
      • Black and mixed ethnicity adoption
      • Adopting children with additional needs
    • Information events
      • Talking Adoption shows
      • Talk to an expert
  • Adoption support
    Back
    • Adoption support
      • Children And Trauma Community Hub
      • FACTS
      • Strengthening Families Team
      • Adopter Champions
      • Education support
      • Children’s guides
      • Adoption support calendar
      • Support for birth families
    • Training
      • Family and Friends training
      • Becoming a Blended Family course
      • Talking to Children About Adoption course
    • Adopter support groups
      • Online support groups
      • Coffee and chat breaks
      • Partner agency support
    • Events for children and families
      • Children’s activities
      • Family Fun Days
    • I am adopted
      • Adoptee Voices
      • Adoption records
  • Alana House
    Back
    • About Alana House
      • Meet the Alana House team
      • Alana House stories 
      • Partner agencies
    • Looking for support?
      • Refer yourself
      • Refer someone else
      • Helplines
    • What’s on for service users
      • One-to-one support
      • Group work
    • Celebrating the Alana House community
      • Painting with Purpose
      • Community Cafe
      • Recipe book
      • Alana House coffee
      • Online photography exhibition
  • Bounce Back 4 Kids
    Back
    • About BB4K
      • Meet the BB4K team
      • BB4K stories
      • The BB4K gallery
    • Looking for support?
      • BB4K referral
      • Support helplines
    • BB4K groups
      • Support for under 5s
      • Support for children aged 5-11
      • BOOST Zoom workshops
    • Other support available
      • BB4K play therapy
      • BB4K newsletters
      • BB4K lending library
  • About us
    Back
    • Our story
      • Visions and values
      • Black Lives Matter
      • Facts & figures
      • Ofsted
      • Reports
    • News
      • Blog
    • Leadership team
      • Executive board
      • Senior Management Team
    • Safeguarding children
  • Support us
    Back
    • Make a donation
    • Shop
    • Fundraise for us
      • Support our PACT marathon runners
      • Hold your own fundraiser
      • Schools
      • Churches
    • Marathon in May
    • PACT Family Disco
    • Our supporters
      • Supporter of the month
    • Corporate partnerships
    • Our fundraising promise
  • Join us
    Back
    • Why work for PACT?
    • Current opportunities
    • Contractors
    • Become a PACT Trustee
    • Volunteer with PACT
      • Volunteer opportunities
  • Commission us

Rose and Simon are a Christian couple who adopted during the 2020 pandemic

Rose* and Simon* adopted their son Jay* in 2020 when he was 14 months old. Rose is a secondary school music teacher and Simon is a church minister.

Rose said they always talked about adoption as a way of creating their family and had supported the work of Home for Good for some time. (Home for Good is a movement that inspires Christians to adopt or foster and equips churches to be welcoming communities for adoptive and foster families.) She said: “We felt that as Christians we should be concerned for the many, many children who were in need of a family. We discovered that it would not be straightforward for us to have birth children so decided to make adoption our positive choice as the path we wanted to go down to grow our family. We are so convinced that the best thing for a child is to grow up in a loving family and we felt that we could offer that to a child that needed one.”

Simon and Rose heard about PACT through Home for Good and knew that PACT had a reputation for being efficient and supportive, both during the adoption process and afterwards. “One of our key priorities was that there would be support longer term if we needed it and we were really impressed with PACT’s training and support events, as well as their dedicated therapeutic social workers who would be available for support after our child came home.”

They attended an information evening which they found to be very warm and welcoming: “Social workers were ready to answer our questions and followed up with us after the event. There was no question for us, we knew we wanted to adopt with PACT.”

Rose and Simon were adopting around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rose said that while it was a strange time for everyone, it had become their new normal. “We found it was a really positive thing to be working towards in a time where we were at home more and our usual diary of events wasn’t happening.” She found that the extra time they had available while the country experienced varying degrees of local and national lockdowns was actually a benefit. “I was worried that it would slow the process but if anything, I think it probably made it a bit quicker.”

She did, however, find it frustrating having to do everything virtually. “Virtual is just not as good as in real life and there always seems to be some sort of technical hitch with an online meeting!” Rose and Simon’s adoption panel was conducted virtually by PACT and they found the experience of this and the matching panel to be positive, despite not being there in person. “At both panels, they did a brilliant job of making it as warm and welcoming as it can be on Zoom but we wished we had been able to enjoy that moment of being approved and matched in person, with all of those people who had just made a life-changing decision for us!”

Before meeting their son in person for the first time, Rose and Simon had several virtual introductions over video call. Though this felt strange, it also gave them a chance to get to know Jay a little before their first meeting. Rose said: “This made it all the more wonderful when we could actually see him in the flesh and hold him! It felt incredibly momentous, a day that had been so longed for and then all of a sudden you are on the floor and have a little one who wants to play and crawl all over you!” She said the foster carers were brilliant at helping them to feel relaxed in their home and they had prepared Jay really well for meeting his new family.

When Jay first moved in with them, they found it to be a wonderful but exhausting experience. While it was tiring to keep going back and forth to the foster carers during the introductions, Rose said their son managed the transition to his new home really well. “Being all together at home and feeling like a proper family was the most wonderful feeling and it was a very special time.” She said that PACT had been very supportive throughout the whole process. Their family have not needed any extra support from PACT yet, but she says it is good to know that support is available. “It is a real comfort to know that we can access support from them in years to come.“

The training Simon and Rose received during the assessment process helped them to understand more about Jay’s background and his birth parents, which gave them a new perspective on what it is like for all those involved in the adoption process. Rose said that openness is important to them, and they always want Jay to be able to ask questions about where he came from. “In time he will get a life story book which will be a really valuable resource to help him understand his story and all the different people involved in making him who he is!”

Q: What have been the highlights of your experience so far?

“Bringing our boy home and getting to know him has to be the absolutely highlight. It makes the whole process worthwhile and is definitely worth the wait. It has been the really normal things which we are doing together that have often been the most precious: the little moments where he comes to us for cuddles, his infectious giggle, watching him learn new things every day knowing you are part of that journey for him.

“It has also been great to put all the training into practice and understand how it helps once your child comes home. I really feel that PACT prepared us brilliantly for the transition and the early days. We will always be learning but I come back to things from training every day!”

Q: Did your faith background affect your experience of the adoption process?

“We felt that our faith background and motivation to adopt was really positively valued throughout the process. We didn’t feel that we had to fit into a mould and our social worker really sought to listen and understand us.

“Our faith motivation and church support network were noted as strengths throughout PACT’s assessment process.”

To anyone thinking about adoption, Rose says:

“Definitely consider it! We recognise it isn’t for everyone, but it has been a wonderful blessing to us.

“Take it one step at a time. It is a long process but a large part of it is learning and working out alongside your social worker whether adoption is right for you and if so, what that might look like and what child might fit into your family.

“Talk to other adopters and take every opportunity to ask them questions. We found it really helpful meeting up with people locally who had adopted and connecting with the adoption community on Instagram and Facebook. Even once your child or children are home, it is great to have people around who are ahead of you on their journey.

“Finally, be honest and open with your family and support network. This was really important for us and helped them feel a part of the journey to our little one coming home too.”

*Names changed in line with confidentiality

Post navigation

Read the previous adoption story, Sarah and Omar adopted after having a birth child
Read the next adoption story, Ruth and Oli adopted their daughter Saffy
7 Southern Court,
South Street,
Reading.
RG1 4QS
Call us : 0300 456 4800
  • Contact us
  • Careers
  • Accessibility
  • Your feedback
  • Safeguarding children
  • Terms and conditions
  • Online privacy notice
  • Website disclaimer
  • Site map

Subscribe to our eNews

"*" indicates required fields

Receive regular updates about PACT's latest news and events
I am interested in...
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

© PACT Copyright 2023 | Registered Charity No. 285214 | Company No 1636098 | Registered Office 7 Southern Court, South Street, Reading. RG1 4QS

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Privacy PolicyCookie SettingsReject AllAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gat_UA-25736161-11 minuteA variation of the _gat cookie set by Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to allow website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. The pattern element in the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to.
_gcl_au3 monthsProvided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services.
_gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
tk_lr1 yearThe tk_lr is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
tk_or5 yearsThe tk_or is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
tk_r3d3 daysJetPack installs this cookie to collect internal metrics for user activity and in turn improve user experience.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
_fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website.
fr3 monthsFacebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
test_cookie15 minutesThe test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysA cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSCsessionYSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt.innertube::nextIdneverThis cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
yt.innertube::requestsneverThis cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
_ce.cchsessionNo description
_ce.gtldsessionNo description
_CEFT1 yearNo description available.
tk_tcsessionNo description available.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo
X