Could the North East Secure Start Package help you adopt?
The early days of adoption matter. Time to bond, settle in and build secure attachments can make a huge difference for children and families.
If concerns about taking time off work or managing early practical costs have held you back from adopting, there may be support available to help reduce those pressures.
Across the North East, adoption agencies are working together to support families -emotionally, practically and, for eligible adopters, financially -so they can focus on what really matters.
What is the North East Secure Start Package?
The North East Secure Start Package provides a one-off financial support package of £10,000 to help families during the early stages of adoption. This support can be used in ways that matter most to you—such as:
Preparing your home for a child
Buying furniture, equipment, or other essentials for a child
Ensuring you have suitable transport for a child
Taking more time off from your work to focus on bonding and attachment with a child
About the Initiative
This is a pilot project funded by the Department for Education and supported by Adoption England, working with regional agencies: Adopt Coast to Coast, Adoption Tees Valley Adopt North East and voluntary agency ARC Adoption North East.
The pilot will assist 20 families in the North East who might otherwise be unable to adopt—helping more children find their permanent home and reducing delay. The latest figures released show that 200 children waiting in the North East and we want to change that.* Learning from this project is being undertaken by the Institute of Public Care and will inform future adoption support nationally.
Learning from this project will inform future adoption support nationally.
Eligibility Criteria
The North East Secure Start Package is available to prospective adopters who:
Live within North East postcodes
Have a monthly disposable income of £1,000 or less
Have savings under £2,500
Have limited or no paid adoption leave
Submit a Registration of Interest between 1 March 2026 and the scheme’s close [once 20 families are allocated)
Are approved to adopt and matched with a North East-based child
Please note: Families who began the adoption process before 1 March 2026 are not eligible.
This pilot for The North East Secure Start Package, is funded by the Department for Education. Because of this, we can only accept 20 applications. To make the process fair, eligible applicants will receive a Secure Start Package on a first‑come, first‑served basis. Once all 20 packages have been allocated, no further packages will be available in this funding round. If you’re interested, please apply as soon as possible through any participating adoption agency.
More information about the North East Secure Start Package can be read in our FAQs.
Ready to find out more?
Complete our enquiry form and our team will guide you through the details:
*Latest figures from the Q2 2025/6 Adoption and Special Guardianship Data Collection released in December 2025.
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