Find an agency

You can start your adoption journey with a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA), a Local Authority (LA) or an independent Voluntary Adoption Agency (VAA).

A Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) brings together adoption professionals from councils across a region providing expertise and support at every stage of the adoption journey. We welcome adopters from all backgrounds and particularly those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. RAA’s offer a new, innovative and friendly approach to recruiting adopters, finding families for the children in care in their region and providing long-term adoption support that families want and need. There are currently 32 Regional Adoption Agencies in England.

Voluntary Adoption Agencies (VAA’s) are independent, not for profit organisations which are smaller than most statutory agencies and offer a personalised service to adopters from all backgrounds. VAAs work in partnership with local authorities and regional adoption agencies across the whole of the UK to find families for children in care who are unable to stay with their birth relatives. There are 34 registered voluntary adoption agencies covering every region and country of the UK.

Using the search facility below you can find an agency that’s local to you and can help with starting your adoption journey.