What is the difference between a Regional Adoption Agency and Voluntary Adoption Agency?

If you have been researching adoption, you may be have seen there are different adoption agencies to choose from.

But knowing the differences between them could help you decide which adoption agency to use.

A Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) and Voluntary Adoption Agency (VAA) are two different types of adoption agencies. We both have the same goal which is to find loving and stable homes for children.

So, what’s the difference?

A VAA is usually a charity, a not-for-profit organisation. A RAA is a collaborative approach with the local authorities in that region. We are a RAA which covers Wirral, Sefton, Knowsley and Liverpool.

The main difference is the VAA’s do not have ‘looked after children’ in their care.

The RAA’s collaborate with the children’s teams. We can see the children coming through at an early stage.

Due to the children’s teams and the RAA’s being under one roof, this can make the matching process more efficient.

This means:

• We are more likely to match our adopters with younger children and babies
• We have a good understanding of the children’s needs from an early stage
• We have a dedicated family finding team to ensure the best match

We would encourage you to look at a range of agencies. Every agency is different, and you should go with the agency that ‘feels right’ for you.

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