Danielle, Claims People Manager, shares her experience of the support she’s received during her journey of becoming an approved adopter as she waits to find a match.

Hi Danielle, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your Admiral journey please?

I’ve been at Admiral for 16 years if you can believe it! I started in a department called Teleclaims which doesn’t exist anymore and eventually became a manager for 10 years. I then moved to Training which was always where I wanted to be. I love being with people and helping them develop so I really flourished in that area. I now work on leadership training within the Claims People and Development department.

Outside of work you can find me either at a gig or home with my 2 sausages dogs, who I’m slightly obsessed with!

Can you share your adoption experience with us?

I first started this journey over three years ago. Things had to go on a bit of a pause while we all were in lockdown, but I’m now officially an approved adopter waiting for my match and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve been approved for one year and it’s been a long wait, but as a solo adopter without any family that live close by, my matching journey is taking a little longer.

How has your overall experience been?

It’s been a difficult and long journey, but I know it’ll be worth it in the end. As a solo adopter I don’t have that person to turn to straight away to talk things through and share my emotions, but I have a really strong support network of friends that have been my rock throughout this experience. I’m not from Wales so my family aren’t here which has been hard, but again having the support network I do has made a huge difference.

Have you felt supported at work?

The support I’ve received from Admiral has been amazing. When someone is visibly pregnant, you naturally ask all the time how that person is feeling. There isn’t anything to see with my journey, but my managers and team members always make sure to check in with me and see how I’m doing which makes me feel so valued. I’ve had some times where I’ve needed some extra support emotionally and my manager has always been there for me and allowed me to take time and talk to someone.

It’s also been reassuring to know that I can attend any pre-adoption appointments without any issues, exactly as it would be if I were pregnant. I don’t feel a difference at all and that’s exactly how it should be. I know other adopters who sadly haven’t had the same experiences as me with their employers, so I feel quite grateful for the support I’ve received.

We’re proud to be an Adoption Friendly Employer, and our ambition is that all colleagues feel just as supported as Danielle does in their parenthood journeys.

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