Frequently Asked Questions
- What is adoption?
- What part does Durham County Council play in adoption?
- Which children need adopting?
- Will the child have contact with their birth family once they are adopted?
- Who can adopt?
- Who can't adopt?
- What if I smoke?
- Will I be paid?
- How long does it take to adopt?
- Will I be given information about a child's background?
- What support will I get after I have adopted a child?
What is adoption?
Adoption is a way of providing a permanent family for a child who cannot be cared for by their own parents. When you adopt a child, you are making a life-long commitment.
You become their legal parents, with the same rights and responsibilities as if they were born to you. Adopting a child is one of the most challenging and rewarding things you can do.
What part does Durham County Council play in adoption?
Durham County Council acts as an Adoption Agency. We employ fostering and adoption workers who are experienced in training and supporting people who wish to adopt children in County Durham.Which children need adopting?
All kinds of children need adoptive parents, from toddlers to teenagers. When some people think of adoption, they immediately think of babies but in reality few babies come up for adoption. Most of the children we deal with are aged between 2 and 11. Many of these youngsters will have had a difficult start in life. They may have been abused or neglected; some will have emotional and behavioural problems, others may have physical or learning disabilities. But they all have one thing in common, that is their parents are unable to look after them and they need a new, permanent family.
Wherever possible, we try to keep brothers and sisters together. So we are always looking for people who are interested in adopting two, three or maybe more children from the same family.
Black children of all ages (Asian, African/Caribbean and children of mixed parentage) need to be raised in black adoptive families wherever possible. It is important for any child to grow up feeling they ‘fit’ within their family and the wider community, and are confident about their own race and culture.
Will the child have contact with their birth family once they are adopted?
It can help a child to keep in touch with their birth family or other people they have made strong attachments with. It will depend on the child, but this could be a birth parent, brothers or sisters living in other adoptive homes, a previous foster carer or other relatives such as grandparents. Contact need not be face to face. Some children keep in touch with relatives through our Post Box system - letters are usually exchanged once a year without identifying where the child is living. The level of contact that is right for each child will be considered very carefully, so that it is benefits the child and does not undermine the security of their new adoptive family. This is something we will discuss with you before a child comes to live with you.Who can adopt?
All sorts of people can be considered to adopt a child. It doesn’t matter if you are married or single, young or mature, working or unemployed. What’s important is that you have warmth, patience and understanding, and you’re well supported by family and friends. Obviously you need to be healthy and fit enough to support a child through to adulthood - children can be exhausting! Some knowledge of children is essential, for example, experience of children through relatives, friends or neighbours, or through paid or voluntary work. All kinds of people become successful adoptive parents. If you are over 21 and can provide a stable, caring home, your application will be welcomed.Who can’t adopt?
There are very few people who can’t adopt, but anyone who has committed a serious criminal offence, including offences against a child, or violent offences, will not be able to adopt. Some serious medical conditions may prevent a person from being approved as an adoptive parent. You do need to have enough space in your home to adopt, so families without the room cannot be considered.What if I smoke?
You can still adopt if you are a smoker. But you will not be able to adopt children under 2 years old because of the potential health risks. We would want to place any child with asthma in a non-smoking household.Will I be paid?
Like any parent you will be expected to meet the general living costs of a child you adopt. In some cases you may be paid an adoption allowance, for example if they child has extra needs or to enable family groups to remain together. We operate a realistic, simple and generous means test for adoption allowances.How long does it take to adopt?
Government standards for adoption say that the whole process, from your initial phone call to being approved as a prospective adoptive parent should take no more than about eight months. We are working towards to this goal.
Adoption is a lifelong commitment and the preparation and assessment process is necessarily a lengthy and thorough one. It allows you to think carefully about your own needs and what you would be able to offer a child.
Once you are approved, the process of matching you to a suitable child can take from a few weeks to well over a year. Initially you will be considered for children looked after by Durham County Council or other Adoption Agencies in the North of England. The new National Adoption Register will help adoption agencies to link adoptive parents with children waiting to be adopted in other parts of the country.
