Kate: Tell me about the process.

Alisha: Initially you apply for an information pack to register your interest, then you wait for the next available information session, which is a one day course. If you decide to continue at this point, you must complete a two day workshop where they discuss brain development, trauma and abuse of children, bonding and attachment, the importance of the child’s “life story” and knowing their birth families (and/or their stories) and they also had guests speakers share their personal stories, from foster carers, international adoption, local adoption and permanent carers.

Then there is an interview with the adoptions unit to discuss why/how we would like to proceed. You must complete medical, financial, police checks (paperwork pack) and our own personal life stories. Then attended visits with a social worker in their office and at home (approximately six one to two hour sessions, to discuss our life stories and work through any adversities, how this has affected our lives and to see how resilient we are. Also to check how we would support each other and to ensure that the home is safe for a child to be placed.

Then the social worker wrote a 50 page report on us, and we had to presented our report at a panel with the social worker (Government employees and representatives from Barnados and Marymead). They also asked us questions surrounding our choice to adopt, what age group we had specified (0-36 months) and why, and if we thought we would be able to cope with a child who may have disabilities (physical or mental) and to what extent.

Then it was the final sign off paperwork at the Government department. And you wait.

Kate: Tell me about the moment you found out about Eli.

Alisha: It was Friday the 8^th of May (2015) “¦ the day after all of our paperwork was officially signed off, and I was actually at home sick with sinusitis. My husband has an office at home and I could hear him chatting to somebody. When I walked into the office Ben was crying and put the phone on loud speaker. We were told that there was a five-month-old little boy, perfectly happy and healthy and his birth parents had chosen us to adopt him “” they see our adoptive parent profile along with others normally 2-3, and liked us the best! They gave us a lot of other details about his birth weight, apgar score at birth etc. However both of us were so overwhelmed I don’t think we took much information in!

The ACT Government give you 48 hours to decide whether you are happy to proceed with the adoption or not (like it was even a decision we had to make), so it was torturous waiting until Monday to receive more information and proceed with the adoption. We spent the weekend shopping for nursery items and bottles, etcetera!