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In the long run: it probably won't be a problem. In the immediate future: possibly. Your panel will want to be confident that you have the strength and resilience to handle the pressures raising a child will bring. Looked after children sometimes have their own experiences which may be confusing and difficult to deal with. I was approved last year when I was 30. My medical records showed concerns about suicide (but no credible attempt) as an early teenager, and treatment for depression in my early twenties. This did require a little extra attention, and my agency did a more thorough medical before accepting us on preparation groups. In my case, the agency doctor reviewed my complete medical records, whereas my partner's complete medical records were not required. In home study, there was discussion around identifying stressful situations, our own strengths, how we've coped with stress in the last few years post depression, and the strength of our support network. So no, you'll probably be just fine, but do be prepared that depending on how long ago you suffered depression, you may need to wait a little while to demonstrate your resilience. Hope this helps :)

Hi. I think you have to be realistic, yes its going to cause concern. And realistically, even if you pass approval panel some childrens SWs could see that as a negative for matching. In my experience it is very important that you can show resilience of a number of years. Unfortunately, SWs will not take your word for it. You need to provide professional opinions from phycologist, therapist, counsellor etc that you have received treatment, responded positively and you know your triggers and how to avoid issues in future. Sws know that adoptive children can reflect secondary trauma onto parents and the adoption process, before and after the child is placed can be stressful and therefore can have a negative effect on your mental health. So its about being prepared, have evidence in advance before its even asked for. And sell the positives. G

I would say that as well as showing you are in control of your mental health, you will also need to show that you have a good active support network. I have suffered from depression before, nothing suicidal or severe but when we first started our assessment my OH travelled a lot for work so they wanted to know that should I find myself unable to cope we need to have back up either to take our AD or to support me in the house. My OH's job now has less travel so if things feel a bit much he is there.

You have had some great advice. Undoubtedly some SW are going to view you as too great a risk for them to place their child/ren, but not necessarily all. I guess you are going to need to provide evidence that you both now have good strategies for recognising emerging difficulties, acting and seeking support. You lol need to show evidence that you have coped well with adversity and have developed resilience. Just saying 'we're better now' won't cut it, you'll need to demonstrate it and give examples. It's worth commenting at this point that a number of adopters who had previously never had any mental health issues prior to adoption, discover that the challenges adoption brings cause them to need MH support. People who have had 40 years of robust MH find that their adoption experiences shake those previously solid parts of their health.