Babies and children from Dumfries and Galloway who are approved for permanent homes through adoption will benefit from a new service launched by leading children and young person’s charity, Kibble.
Unlike many others, the new adoption service will work nationwide and collaboratively with local authorities and other registered adoption agencies, to recruit and match adopters with children waiting to find their forever homes in a bid to modernise and streamline the process for both children and adopters.
The service will join Kibble’s well-established range of trauma-informed care and support which includes fostering, residential care, education and specialist therapeutic support.
Another unique move from the care provider, Kibble will also be offering adopters and adopted children lifelong access to its services and support which includes therapists, psychologists and behavioural experts among many other industry-leading services available through the charity’s network of expertise.
Paula Harkins, who is leading the Kibble Adoption service, said: “This launch is an incredibly important step in expanding Kibble’s commitment to children and young people across Scotland.
“Our vision is to set a high standard of practice within the sector, ensuring that every step of the adoption process is thoughtfully tailored to the needs of the child and the family.
“Modernising adoption is long overdue, and we must ensure we are respectful of the unique dual identity that an adopted child has, as well as the need for ongoing therapeutic services throughout their lives – a right that all children and families who are affected by adoption now have under the 2007 Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act.”
In addition to supporting the placement of all children considered suitable for adoption, Kibble will provide a focused service for many of the babies and children currently on the adoption register recognised in the sector as ‘harder to place’.
This often includes large sibling groups, children with additional needs and older children. Sadly, these groups often spend longer than necessary waiting for their forever home due to a lack of suitable adopters being recruited that can meet the needs of the children.
Kibble’s newly established adoption service is uniquely positioned to respond to these challenges by working across Scotland to recruit adopters, while also offering lifetime support for all children, adopters and families.
Jim Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer at Kibble, emphasised how the newly formed adoption service is a natural progression of the already-established extensive range of services available to young people through Kibble that contributes to its mission of providing early-intervention and support of young people across Scotland.
He said: “The launch of our Adoption Service complements our existing residential, fostering and community-based programmes, providing a full spectrum of care options for young people in Scotland.
“This expansion reinforces Kibble’s long-standing commitment to early intervention and support, ensuring we can meet each young person’s unique needs and offer them the best possible chance at a bright, stable future.
“This is an important step in our mission to build a foundation that will support young people and families across Scotland for years to come.”
For those considering adoption, Kibble’s new service offers full support from initial enquiries to post-adoption care, enabling families to provide loving homes for Scotland’s children in need of a family to belong. With extensive experience in trauma-informed care and early intervention, Kibble is uniquely positioned to support adoptive families and children, creating positive, lifelong outcomes.
For further information about Kibble’s new adoption service and for those looking to start their own adoption journey, visit: Kibble Adoption — Transforming lives, families and our communities.
