Adopt Thames Valley

What Adopt Thames Valley does

Adopt Thames Valley (ATV) is a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) operating as a public sector partnership across Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and the Swindon area of England. The agency is a formal collaboration of seven local authorities — Bracknell Forest Council, Oxfordshire County Council, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Reading Borough Council, Swindon Borough Council, West Berkshire Council, and Wokingham Borough Council — together with one voluntary adoption agency. Headquartered at County Hall in Oxford with service centres in Reading and Swindon, ATV recruits, assesses, and supports prospective adopters, and finds permanent families for children in local authority care both locally and nationally. The two-stage adoption process is targeted for completion within six months, with virtual information sessions (capped at 50 attendees via Microsoft Teams), in-person events, online enquiry forms, and a dedicated helpline (0800 731 0171) feeding the funnel.

The agency's service portfolio spans the full adoption lifecycle: core adoption placement services, an Early Permanence programme, post-adoption Permanence Support (including The Anchor Team and a helpdesk), the Letterbox contact service for mediated communication between birth relatives and adoptive families, and dedicated support streams for adults affected by adoption, birth relatives, and special guardians. Awareness and education are delivered through the #YouCanAdopt podcast series on SoundCloud, three published children's books (Pip, Zaz, Teo), adoption life stories, and content marketing on the agency website. Management is led by Teresa Rogers as Head of ATV.

Adopt Thames Valley does not operate a commercial revenue model. It is publicly funded through local authority commissioning and delivers services at no cost to prospective adopters. There is no parent company, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, and no equity ownership structure; the organisation is jointly governed by its partner councils. The technology footprint is intentionally lean: a WordPress website, Microsoft Teams for virtual engagement, email-based enquiry routing, and standard telephony. No mobile app, API, or proprietary software platform is disclosed, and there are no AI/ML capabilities in evidence.

Name

Adopt Thames Valley

Website

https://adoptthamesvalley.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Adopt Thames Valley is a publicly funded Regional Adoption Agency partnership of seven local authorities and one voluntary adoption agency, recruiting, assessing, and supporting adopters to find permanent families for children in care across Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Swindon, UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adoption Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

Keywords

• Adoption services
• Regional adoption agency
• Family finding
• Post-adoption support
• Adopter assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Adopt Thames Valley is a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) that recruits, assesses, and supports prospective adopters, then matches and places children in local authority care with permanent adoptive families across Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Swindon. It also provides post-adoption support services — including adoption support plans, The Anchor Team, special guardianship support, Letterbox contact, birth relatives support, and birth records counselling for adopted adults.

Product overview

Adopt Thames Valley operates as a single unified service — a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) partnership of seven local authorities and one voluntary adoption agency covering Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Swindon. The service encompasses core adoption placement services, virtual information sessions for prospective adopters, post-adoption permanence support services including The Anchor Team and Letterbox contact, educational resources such as the #YouCanAdopt podcast series and published adoption books (Pip, Zaz, Teo), and an Early Permanence programme. All components serve the unified mission of recruiting adopters and finding forever families for children in care.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adoption Services Core adoption service recruiting, assessing, and supporting adopters, and matching/placing children in local authority care with permanent adoptive families across Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Swindon via a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) partnership of seven local authorities and one voluntary adoption agency.
• Virtual Information Sessions Regular programme of virtual information sessions (delivered via Microsoft Teams) for prospective adopters to learn about adoption, training, and support, with attendance capped at 50 individuals to allow opportunity for questions, with social workers and adopters presenting.
• Permanence Support Services Post-adoption support service offering adoption support plans, training courses for adopters, an adoption helpdesk staffed by social workers, and The Anchor Team support for special guardians and adoptive families.
• Letterbox Contact Service Formal letter exchange service managed by ATV on behalf of local authorities, facilitating safe and appropriate communication between birth parents/relatives and adoptive parents/special guardians while safeguarding children.
• #YouCanAdopt Podcast Series Podcast series featuring real adopters sharing their experiences, dispelling myths, and providing personal accounts of the adoption process; available via SoundCloud and the ATV website.
• Adoption Books (Pip, Zaz, Teo) Children's books published by Adopt Thames Valley telling adoption stories from different perspectives: Pip (younger child seeking reassurance), Zaz (older child with questions), and Teo (placed through early permanence); written by an adoptive parent, an adoptive daughter, and a social worker.
• Early Permanence Early permanence adoption programme allowing children to be placed with adopters who may also become their long-term guardians, providing continuity of care.
• Adults Affected by Adoption Support Services Support services for adults aged 18+ who were adopted, including birth records counselling and access to advice through the permanence support channel.
• Birth Relative Support Support services for birth parents and relatives involved in adoption arrangements, including guidance on letterbox contact and understanding adoption support plans.

Quantifiable outcome

• Two-stage adoption process completed within six months
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Oxfordshire County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead local authority partner in the Adopt Thames Valley Regional Adoption Agency partnership. Hosts the main administrative functions including the ATV duty email ([email protected]) and general enquiries.
• Bracknell Forest CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner in the Adopt Thames Valley Regional Adoption Agency partnership serving the Berkshire area.
• Royal Borough of Windsor and MaidenheadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner in the Adopt Thames Valley Regional Adoption Agency partnership serving the Berkshire area.
• Reading Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner in the Adopt Thames Valley Regional Adoption Agency partnership serving the Berkshire area.
• West Berkshire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner in the Adopt Thames Valley Regional Adoption Agency partnership serving the Berkshire area.
• Wokingham Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner in the Adopt Thames Valley Regional Adoption Agency partnership serving the Berkshire area.
• Swindon Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner in the Adopt Thames Valley Regional Adoption Agency partnership serving the Swindon area.
• Voluntary Adoption Agency (unspecified)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne voluntary adoption agency partner in the Regional Adoption Agency partnership, complementing the seven local authority partners.
• MicrosoftsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform used for virtual information sessions. Sessions are conducted via Microsoft Teams application.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• After Adoption: UK voluntary adoption agency providing adoption support, birth records counselling, and intermediary services. Directly comparable voluntary adoption agency offering similar post-adoption support services.
• Adoption UK: National UK charity providing information, advice, and peer support to adopted people, adoptive families, and those affected by adoption. Directly comparable as an adoption-focused support organisation, though structured as a charity rather than a regional agency.
• PACT (Parents and Children Together): UK adoption and family support charity providing adoption services, including placements and post-adoption support. Comparable voluntary adoption agency offering similar core adoption services.
• PAC-UK (Post Adoption Centre): UK charity specialising in post-adoption support, birth relative support, and intermediary services. Comparable as a specialist adoption support provider, particularly in the post-adoption services ATV also delivers.
• Adoption East Midlands: Another UK Regional Adoption Agency structured as a partnership of local authorities in the East Midlands. Closely comparable structural peer operating the same RAA model for a different geography.
• TACT (The Adolescent and Children's Trust): UK charity providing fostering and adoption services across multiple regions. Comparable as a multi-region adoption and permanence service provider.
• Adoption West: Regional Adoption Agency serving the West of England through a partnership of local authorities and a voluntary adoption agency. Structurally identical RAA model serving a different region.

Broad incumbents

• Coram: Major UK children's charity operating Coram's Permanence Centre and related adoption services. Comparable as an established adoption services provider with a wider portfolio of children's services.
• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, operating fostering, adoption, and post-adoption support services nationally. Comparable as a large established provider of adoption services as part of a broader children's services portfolio.

Regional players

• Adoption South West: Regional Adoption Agency serving the South West of England. Closely comparable RAA operating in a different geographic region from Adopt Thames Valley.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/adoptthamesvalley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adopt-thames-valley

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Adopt Thames Valley