How clean is your house?

With the house cleaner and tidier than it has ever been, the social workers arrived, talked, listened, wrote notes, and went. Three quarters of an hour late in arriving, but they had phoned to say they'd be late - so time for a spot of lunch first - to stop our tummies rumbling!

The two ladies who visited were lovely - and made us feel very relaxed. They asked us all kinds of questions about where we met and what we did and why we wanted to adopt. They even asked us if doglet was ferocious!

It all went really well, and we got very positive feedback from them.

Then I asked whether living where we did in the city would limit who we would be able to adopt - they said it would, as they wouldn't be able to place children with us who had lived anywhere near where we live, or who had birth family who lived anywhere near us. So we would be limited to children from the other side of the city really.

The upshot of this is that if we choose to adopt through Newcastle City Council, we may have to wait much longer than others before a match is found - although we might not - it all depends on where the children and their birth families live...

The social workers suggested we phone some of the other adoption agencies in the north east to find out what the situation is with them and whether they currently have too many or too few adopters - and then decide what to do.

So we made some phone calls this afternoon - South Tyneside have lots of approved people waiting to adopt and not enough children; North Tyneside didn't answer the phone. We also phoned Durham Family Welfare (DWF) - they are a voluntary adoption agency linked to the Church of England, but also deal with all of Darlington's adoption services. The lady we spoke to was very helpful, and is going to contact us in the next couple of days to arrange a visit.

So - all in all - a mixed day.
On the one hand, we are encouraged that the initial feedback from the social workers was very positive. On the other hand, we are disappointed that where we live may mean lots more waiting. But hopeful that DWF may be a better way forward.

We keep praying, and waiting on the Lord - for he knows!
As one of our friends shared with us on Sunday from Acts 27 v25:
'So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.'

We hold on to that.