Craig and Daniel’s Story

Craig and Daniel knew very early on in their relationship that they wanted to be parents.

They waited to officially start the process until they had completed some home improvements. They wanted to be in the best place possible as they knew the process would need their full commitment.

They attended an information session with Adoption in Merseyside. Being part of the local authority, AiM has direct links to the children who have an adoption plan which can make the process quicker and more efficient compared to other agencies.

“Honestly, we were a little worried about how we would be perceived being a gay couple. But the second we met our social worker all those worries disappeared.

The relationship we had with our social worker grew. We ended up being really good friends and we felt very comfortable throughout the process.

The sessions went deep into our lives. It made us discuss things that we wouldn’t usually talk about, it was like free therapy.

We decided to do a route called Foster For Adoption (FFA). This meant we would become temporary foster carers to have a younger child/baby placed earlier. This route is explored with all potential adopters but some risks will need to be considered.

Our daughter was placed with us at just 9 weeks old. She was classed as a looked-after child under the FFA regulation.  We had to complete a daily log and continue the roles and responsibilities of a foster carer.

The best part of the process was when we saw her profile. We knew straight away that she was going to be our daughter. We went to the matching panel very quickly and before we knew it, she had moved in. It was quick but felt so right.

Luckily, she slept for 12 hours a night and still does. The first few months involved feeding, sleeping and changing nappies. We weren’t able to do much with her with her being so young.

The bonding time took a bit longer than we expected as well.

But, when she went to get her jabs, it was clear to us that she looked to us for comfort and love. That was a real turning point for us as we started to realise, she trusted us.

It felt like we were a proper family when we got married in March – she was a big part of that day, and she got more attention than us.

Including our parents and having family days out is extremely important to us. Our support network is strong. It’s important to have that group of people ready to help emotionally and practically.

We can’t imagine our daughter not being here now, she is our little girl. She has started to say Daddy now and we can’t wait to watch her grow.

We left our old life to start a new one, being a parent is the most rewarding thing – we wouldn’t change it for anything.”