Mental Health Awareness Week 2025

Led by the Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Awareness Week takes place in May each year. The campaign is backed by several other mental health charities and organisations, including the NHS, and is now in its 24th year.

This year, Mental Health Awareness Week runs from the 12th to the 18th of May and the theme is ‘community’, and its importance in relation to mental health.

In today’s blog, we’re exploring how mental health relates to the fostering and adoption process, and what to consider if you’re living with a mental health condition and are planning to foster or adopt.

According to statistics from the mental health charity, Mind, each year approximately 1 in 4 adults in the UK will experience a mental health problem of some kind.

Some groups in particular are at a higher risk of experiencing poor mental health, such as those with marginalised identities, or on low incomes, but mental health issues can affect anyone at any age, and in any circumstance, from all walks of life.

Some of the most common mental health conditions occurring in adults in the UK, include:

Whether or not you can foster or adopt a child if you have a mental health condition depends on the nature of your mental health issues, how they affect you, and how they might impact your ability to care for a child.

If you have a known mental health condition and are considering fostering or adoption, the good news is that it’s entirely possible to become an approved foster carer or to adopt a child after being diagnosed with a mental health condition.

All potential adopters and foster carers undergo a rigorous assessment process before becoming approved to foster or adopt. As part of this process, applicants will have a fostering medical or adoption medical. This is a separate assessment, undertaken by a qualified and experienced GP, who will examine your medical records and meet with you face-to-face to discuss any past or current health issues, including those relating to your mental health.

They will then compile a report, giving an overall picture of your health, which will be fed back to your assessing agency or local authority to help them make a decision about your suitability as a candidate for fostering or adoption.

If you’ve struggled with your mental health in the past, it’s crucial to be honest and upfront about your difficulties during the assessment process. Fostering and adoption agencies understand that mental health problems are common and rather than see past issues negatively, this can be an opportunity to explore how you’ve handled health issues in the past, and what treatments or coping mechanisms you already have in place.

Even if your mental health condition is ongoing, this doesn’t necessarily rule you out as a foster carer or adopter. Instead, it’s all about how well managed your condition is, whether you’re willing to engage with services or accept treatment, and the wider support available to you.

Additionally, your medical assessor and assessing agency will consider how your mental health might be impacted – either positively or negatively – by the fostering or adoption process, and the demands that fostering and adoption can place on individuals and families.

Your fostering or adoption agency needs to be sure that by placing a child or children in your care, they won’t be contributing to any existing mental health difficulties you’re experiencing, as well as being confident in your mental resilience when it comes to managing any challenges further down the line.

This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is all about celebrating the power of community.

Strong social connections and a sense of belonging are vital for good mental health and wellbeing. Evidence shows that belonging to safe, supportive and positive communities can help us get through tough periods in our lives.

For those considering embarking on the assessment process to become a foster carer or adopter, finding or building a community to support you along the way is crucial. This might include other foster carers or adopters, friends, family, neighbours or colleagues. The important thing is that you have people around you that you can turn to for support when you need it.

At Orr Medical, we understand the importance of good mental health, and the impact that a sense of community can have on those living with mental health conditions.

We also appreciate how important it is that mental health issues are explored thoroughly and sensitively as part of the assessment process, so that agencies can be assured that potential carers and adopters are mentally well enough to care for vulnerable children, and that applicants are given the support they need.

With over a decade of experience in providing medical reports for fostering and adoption, we’re dedicated to ensuring the process is smooth and stress-free for both agencies and applicants. We offer clear guidance at every step so that applicants with mental health conditions feel supported and understood without judgement.

To find out more about the services we offer, don’t hesitate to get in touch or give us a call on 01772 915861 for a friendly, no-obligation chat about your needs.