How we can support you
Our adoption team provides a range of adoption and post-adoption services, such as:
- family finding for children who have a plan of adoption
- advice, guidance and signposting to local and regional resources for adoptive families
- access to various types of therapeutic support via the Adoption Support Fund (subject to assessment of need)
- adoptive parenting guidance and support
- networking with other professionals who provide a service to the adoptive family
- mediation of contact between adoptive and birth families
- managing letterbox contact for birth families and adopters, and providing support with letter writing
- services for adopted adults, including access to birth records
- referrals to counselling provided by PAC-UK for birth parents affected by the adoption of their child
- additional services offered by Coram Ambitious for Adoption, including training, support groups and newsletters.
Support with education
Hillingdon Virtual School has a duty to offer support and guidance about the education of adopted children.
They do this by meeting with adoptive parents - and with key professionals working with adopted children and their families - to provide impartial education advice.
Please note:
- Adoptive parents must provide consent for advice to be provided to professionals. If you would like your child's school, or another professional, to seek support about their education, please ask them to email virtualschoolcwsw@hillingdon.gov.uk.
- If you would like to speak to Hillingdon Virtual School about the education of your child, email virtualschoolplac@hillingdon.gov.uk.
Financial support
To check whether you qualify for financial support through an adoption allowance (designed to help adoptive families meet the needs of their child, particularly where additional support may be required), complete our adoption allowance means test form.
Before you begin, make sure you have:
- recent payslips or income statements
- details of any benefits or pensions
- information about your rent or mortgage
- recent utility bills and details of any other regular expenses.
All information provided will be treated confidentially and used only for the purpose of this assessment.
Complete the adoption allowance form
Letterbox contact support
This service is offered to all children and young people adopted from Hillingdon - regardless of whether they live in the borough.
If requested, we can continue letterbox contact support until the adopted person reaches 21-years-old.
For letterbox enquiries and contact support, email letterbox@hillingdon.gov.uk.