Daniel

Daniel adopted his little boy in late 2025 with Adoption Matters. Here Daniel shares some insight for people who maybe thinking about adoption.

Did you have any preconceptions or worries about needing to be perfect to adopt?

As a single 40-year-old gay male, I honestly wasn’t sure if I was able to adopt and how easy the process would be for me.

I worried that I wouldn’t be a first choice family and that couples would be preferred. The reality was completely different.

I also thought I’d always be wating for social workers and be lacking in information or updates. The reality is that my social worker has been incredible – super efficient and communication was regular and consistent every step of the way.

Any advice you would give to someone hesitate about starting the adoption process?   

For me, podcasts really helped. The training courses are great of course but for me, listening to real adopters talk about real scenarios taught me more than any workshop could.  (You can listen to a host of Podcasts here)

I found myself going back to re-listen to podcasts at different parts of my journey. To remember what others went through and experienced at that particular phase.

Is there anything that surprised you about the adoption process?

I had listened to so many podcasts and read all of the books, and I just assumed the process would take 18 months to 2 years minimum.

Whereas my adopter journey took 11 months from my initial enquiry to my son moving in!

Daniel adopted with Adoption Matters, to find out more, download one of our adoption information packs.