Adoption

What is adoption?
Who can adopt?
What happens when you apply to adopt?
Could I adopt?
What happens next?

What Is Adoption?

Adoption is where you provide a permanent new family for a child or children. You become their legal parents, with the same rights and responsibilities as if they were born to you. Adoption is a life long commitment, and it’s one of the most positive and rewarding things you can do.

All kinds of children need adopting, from toddlers to teenagers. There will be a child who is right for you, and you for them. Many of these youngsters will have had a difficult start in life but they all have one thing in common. That is they want to be loved and needed, and to be part of a loving, family home.

Who Can adopt?

All sorts of people can adopt. It doesn’t matter if you are married, single or living together, young or mature, working or unemployed. Your race, religion or sexuality makes no difference, and you don’t have to come from any particular background.

What’s most important is that you have a patient and understanding nature, and the determination to give a young person the kind of support and care that will make a real difference to their lives.

We have children waiting now for someone like you. If you are over 21 and you can provide a stable, loving home, your application will be welcomed.

What Happens When You Apply To Adopt?

First of all we will arrange to meet you and discuss what’s involved. If you decide you want to go ahead, we will give you all the help and guidance you need. You’ll be invited to attend a ‘preparation to adopt’ course where you will learn about adoption in more detail. If you decide to apply, you will be assigned your own adoption worker who will take you through the assessment process.

Once you are approved as an adoptive parent the process of matching you to a child can take from a few weeks to more than a year. We’ll continue to support you for as long as you need us, so you and your child get the best possible start together.

The government is strongly behind adoption and is putting measures in place that will make the process quicker and better. Paid adoption leave, similar to maternity leave, is being introduced and in certain situations financial support is available. It couldn’t be a better time to be thinking about adopting a child.

Could I Adopt?

Now’s the time to find out. For some reason, many people think that it is very difficult to adopt. They think they are too old or they wouldn’t ‘pass the test’. This is a shame because there are more children than ever waiting for new families.

We know that there are lots of people out there who would love to add to their family, or perhaps can’t have children of their own. Are you one of them? Why not find out if adoption could be for you?

Choosing to adopt a child is a big decision, but the happiness and fulfilment that it can bring can last a lifetime.

What Next?

If you’d like to find out more about adopting a child contact our fostering and adoption team. You can also register your interest online.