This is a text-only version of an article first published on Tuesday, 21 May 2019. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
ADOPTION charity Parents And Children Together (PACT) is calling for people to consider adopting a child with additional needs. PACT is particularly looking for people who can consider adopting children who have additional needs, including a physical or learning disability.
Nicola* and her husband Mike* adopted Amelia*, who has cerebral palsy, when she was 18 months old through PACT.
The couple already had a birth son who was four years old when they first approached PACT in 2014. Nicola said: "Our birth son was the result of seven years of IVF and we did not feel we were able to go through that process again.
We also felt our family was not complete, so we decided to adopt.
We approached PACT as we had attended some of their local events and felt the ethos and approach matched ours. "The couple, whose circumstances meant their adoption journey was more complicated than some, spent three years of preparation and waiting until they met their daughter.
Nicola said: "The endless paperwork seemed so removed from a living, breathing child and truthfully we struggled to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
However, we knew there was a child out there for us, so we persisted. "She may be disabled and she may be adopted, but that is all just one part of who she is.
She makes me angry, she makes us sad, she makes us laugh, and she brings endless joy.
The wonderful matching team at PACT were there for us throughout the process, reassuring us it was about the right child and not just any child.
And, of course, they were right.
We were eventually matched with a child that put us well out of our comfort zone, but who is the most loving, sweetest addition to our family. "To find out more click here or call 0300 456 4800. *Not their real names.