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Housing
pinksparklyangel
June 5, 2012 20:00
Hiya, I don''t know if anyone can help, i''m looking at adopting - going to an infomation evening on June 22nd, so right at the begining of the process.I have a lot of experience with children (13 years as a play specialist at the local hospital) and have decided that although i''d like to adopt a toddler / younger child i''d be more than to take on a child with complex needs - medical, learning or both.... However, the problem i think i''m going to come up against is that i currently live in a 1 bedroom flat. It is a council property, so i would be legible to move when i had a child, but there seems to be nothing on the homepage about being able to move prior to adoption - i''m not sure i''ll get approved without a second room....? Someone has suggested i could temporarily split my bedroom (giving 2 single rooms instead of the large double i have), tho i think there are issues around Bedrooms leading in to bedrooms and bedrooms needing windows leading to outside...? Someone else suggested, that my living room, could be my ''bedroom'' as long as it doesn''t have a gas fire....? Can anyone shed any light on this? Like i say, i''m at the very early stages, but i need to look at how things would work...? Thanks. Ann
happymom1
June 5, 2012 22:09
Hi,Can I suggest you contact your local county cllr and ask for their help and assistance. They'll have access to all senior officers within your la and should be able to explain the situation to the housing operations mgr.It may be that they will want something from your sw when your assigned one to explain and confirm the importance and need for a second bedroom.It may also be that your sw says you have to move and then be in that property 6 mths before your assessment can be progressed. I would 'politely' argue this point and reiterate why your doing the move.Also if you don't know who your local county cllr is, just google a website called ''write to them'' and enter your postcode.Good Luckxx
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galapagos
June 5, 2012 23:05
If this fails can you rent privately or part buy as a networker. The sw will. We'd to know that the lo will have enough play space.
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catswhisker
June 8, 2012 19:12
Hi,I was in the exact same situation, and managed to get the council's housing policy changed so I would be eligible for a bigger property from approval. The adoption team then agreed to assess me on the basis I would move once approved to adopt. If you PM me your email address, I can email you copies of the letters I sent to the council which after some perseverance got them to change their policy.
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charter
June 8, 2012 20:01
HiyaI'm guessing that some of this will depend on your LA and your adoption agency. I am a singly and when I adopted my son, I lived in a 1-bed Housing association flat. I was still approved for a 0-3yr old and it was fine for us. My son was only a baby though when he came home aged 9 months and so his cot was in my bedroom. After a while, I bought a daybed and had that in the front room for me (no gas fire) and made the bedroom more for him but with my wardrobe still in there. This was also fine by my sw's I had always said that I would probably move within the next 2 years ( which I did end up doing) - by which time my son was already legally adopted and no one was coming to 'check' that I had moved (if that makes sense :-/)I also had my name down with council to bid for 2-bed properties and that was sufficient evidence for them too. So maybe you could sign up and say that this is your mid-long term plan too? Ideally you don't really want to be moving soon after having a littly placed so if you're thinking of going for an older child, you might have to find a way to move to a bigger property firstHTHx
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pinksparklyangel
June 9, 2012 09:18
Thank you Will go to the meeting on 20th, see what they say and then work from there.
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pinksparklyangel
June 9, 2012 09:22
My front room, i believe would easily conver to a bed room for me, leaving my current bed room for the littleone, i'm also hoping to adopt a 0-3, so hoping they will agree to this and me moving once there is a suitable flat available. My current flat was brand new when i moved in 2 years ago, so i feel quite strongly that i would want something of a similar standard for the little one to grow up in :-) So am hoping the SW will understand that :-) xx
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lamplady
June 9, 2012 10:17
If you are planning to take a child with complex needs, you will definitely need at least 1 extra proper edition, and splitting a room is unlikely to work as medical equipment takes up a lot of room as its helpfully delivered in bulk. When I get continence stuff, there is enough to fill a wardrobe. If you move you will also need to think about the accessibility of your new property so would probably need something in the ground floor. It is possible to be moved to such properties but only usually once linked with a specific child, and being linked might be difficult with your current living situation. However, with your experience I would definitely phone some agencies and ask, there might be ways round it.
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pinksparklyangel
June 11, 2012 18:49
What i'm hoping (i hold out a lot of hope at the moment!) is that if i were to be able to get matched with a child first (I'm hoping a 0 -3 year old), we will be able to move in to a more appropriate property once the full complexity of needs becomes apparent. I have a group meeting on Wednesday of next week, so i'm hoping i'll learn more there.... I'm not against moving, i just want to be sure it's to the right place - it seems a shame to move to a 2 bed flat - which no doubt won't be ground floor if i get a younger child, only to have to move again when they are older and need to be more suitably placed on a ground floor (if that makes sense). Am happy to do what ever it takes (and obviously is affordable). It seems that because my housing is under the same local authority as the adoption, it may be easier to sort than if i was using a agency away from the local area. Thanks every one for you help by the way, it's really appreciated.
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Harlequinmaze
August 12, 2013 18:49
Its so good to though that im not the only one with the same issue. Im just starting out on the process and i currently live in a one bedroom house though, i do have a basement with a window. I thought about converting my basement into my room and my current room into the childs room however, im not sure how that will go down. If it comes to it, im happy to move however, as i rent i will have to wait for the tenancy agreement to end though, i dont want to upgrade to a 2 bed and not be able to afford it or not get approved! So im not sure, my tenancy agreement finishes next year in April so i have a little time to wait. What did you LA say about your situation in the information evening pinksparklyangel?
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