Who can adopt?You're eligible to adopt a child if you're 21 or over, as long as you can provide a permanent, caring and stable home. There's no upper age limit, but you need to demonstrate you're healthy enough and have the necessary commitment and energy to bring up a child. You can apply to adopt regardless of marital status, sexuality, race or religion, whether you're in work or have a disability. During the adoption process, applicants undergo a full medical check-up. An adoption panel will assess your application and check whether you have a criminal record. Convictions won't necessarily rule you out unless you or a member of your household has been cautioned or convicted of an offence against a child. Other serious offences that could affect your application include rape and violent assault. You don't need to be wealthy or own your own home to adopt, but you do need to show you can support a child financially. If you do adopt, you can apply for tax credits and benefits to supplement your income. Financial help may also be available in the form of one-off or regular payments. Who needs adopting? According to the British Association for Adoption & Fostering, more than 4,000 children are waiting to be placed permanently with new families in the UK. They come from a range of races, religions and backgrounds, and have many different needs. The average age for adoption is four and about two-thirds of adopted children are placed with a family before their fifth birthday. Adopted children often have complex family backgrounds. Placing siblings in the same family can be beneficial, but when it's in the children's best interests they'll be separated. This is often the case when one or all the children have special needs. What's the legal situation?Once an adoption order has been passed by a court, full legal responsibility for the child passes to the adoptive parents. Birth parents no longer have any rights over the child and can't claim them back. The adopted child will take your surname and enjoy the same rights as any other children you have. Do I have to be married?In England and Wales, unmarried couples can apply for joint adoption. Couples in a civil partnership can also apply for joint adoption. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, only one member of an unmarried couple, including gay couples, can apply to adopt. However, this may change in the near future. See BBC News for more information. What does the adoption process involve?First, contact a recognised adoption agency. To find one in your area, go to www.baaf.org.uk. You'll be invited to a public information meeting to discuss the process with adoption experts, adoptive parents and social workers. You'll also be offered counselling to help you decide whether adoption is right for you. If you and the adoption agency decide it's right for you to proceed, you'll need to complete an application form. Once this has been approved by the agency, you'll be invited to attend a series of adoption preparation classes over a number of weeks. You'll also be assigned a social worker, who'll carry out an assessment. This involves around six to ten visits to your home. You'll also need to provide two written references from friends and undergo the criminal record and medical checks mentioned above. At the end of this process, the social worker will write your Prospective Adopters Report. Once you've seen this report and signed a copy, it will be passed to the agency's adoption panel for consideration. The panel's job is to recommend: - If applicants are suitable adoptive parents
- If particular children are suitable for adoption
- Which children might be suitable for you
A senior member of the adoption agency will make the final decision on whether or not you can adopt. You'll be told the agency's decision and receive written confirmation within five working days. How long does the process take?Getting assessed and approved can take up to eight months. Once this is over, matching you with a suitable child can begin. This can take from a few weeks to more than a year. You'll receive detailed information on any children you're matched with. You'll then work with your social worker to decide which children to meet. Introductions will take place during a series of meetings. Once the child is living with you, social workers will review and monitor the placement to see how things are going, at least until an adoption order is made. A court won't make an adoption order until a child has lived with their prospective family for at least 13 weeks. An adoption order cuts all legal ties with the birth parents and transfers parental responsibility to the adopters. What if my application is unsuccessful?You can ask for your case to be reconsidered by the adoption panel or by an independent review panel. Do I need to tell my child about the adoption?It's advisable to tell adopted children about their background. The main charities have resources to help you with this. Can adopted children trace their birth parents?Yes. Adopted people living in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are entitled to see their birth certificate once they turn 18. In Scotland, the legal age is 16. Can birth parents contact an adopted child?The level of contact between an adopted child and their birth parents, siblings or grandparents, can vary from nothing to letters - via the adoption agency - once or twice a year. Any contact is based on what's best for the child. Birth parents can attempt to contact an adult who was adopted before 30 December 2005. They can do this through an intermediary service, such as a registered adoption agency or adoption support agency, that can obtain information and possibly approach the person on their behalf. Adoption UK has more information about this. What financial support can I expect if I adopt?You'll be expected to meet the general costs of caring for a child, just like any parent. If you've worked continuously for the same employer for more than 26 weeks before you're matched with a child, you're entitled to statutory adoption leave, which can last up to 52 weeks. If you earn more than the lower earning limit, currently £87 a week (as of July 2007) before tax, you're also entitled to statutory adoption pay for 39 weeks. If you're adopting as a couple, this is paid to one partner only. To qualify for leave, you need to adopt through a recognised agency. You'll also need to prove your eligibility to your employer, usually by showing a 'matching certificate' from the agency. If you adopt a child privately (not through a recognised agency) you won't be eligible for statutory benefits. However, you may be able to apply for unpaid leave, paid holiday or parental leave, depending on your employer. Can I adopt a stepchild?Yes, you can adopt a child from your partner's previous relationship. They can assume your surname and will be entitled to inherit an equal share of your estate with any other children you have. The child will be consulted if possible, as legal ties with their other birth parent and wider family will be broken. The ex-partner will also need to give their approval for the adoption. If they don't want it to proceed, only in exceptional cases will a court overrule them in favour of the step-parent.
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