Could you give a child a better future?
This is something you can do by becoming an adoptive parent. If you have ever thought of taking this big step, you may have questions about adoption. We hope to answer some of these for you.
Am I too old?
There is no upper age limit. The key question we will ask is — can you provide a safe and stable home for a child until adulthood and beyond? People of all ages can, and do, successfully adopt. Your age and health might have a bearing on the age and needs of the children we agree you are able to adopt.
What if I am overweight?
Being a bit overweight won’t stop you adopting a child. It’s only a problem if you are dangerously overweight and your doctor thinks this poses a threat to your health. All prospective adopters need to have a medical to be sure they are fit enough for the task.
What if I smoke?
You can still adopt if you are a smoker, but the level of your smoking is something we will take into account. We may not place a young child or a child who has asthma with you if you smoke. An Adoption Worker will talk this over with you.
What if I have had fertility treatment?
Many people will have been having fertility treatment before they contact us, and we know that this can be a demanding and often distressing experience. We believe that you need time to grieve after unsuccessful treatment and to adjust to the probability of not having a birth child, in order to go on to adopt children who themselves may have had a traumatic or damaging early start in life. In our experience it is usually helpful to wait at least six months from the end of your fertility treatment, before starting the adoption process. Of course you are very welcome to contact us, ask for information and discuss issues with us during that period.
How long does the pre-adoption process take?
New standards for adoption say the process - from your formal application to being approved as a prospective adoptive parent - should take no more than 6 months. As a service we strive to meet this standard.
Once you are approved, the process of matching you to a suitable child can take from a couple of weeks to over a year. For more details about the process, see our information page Adoption - step by step.
How an adoption is made legal?
Some time after the child comes to live with you and provided everyone is happy that her/his needs are being met by you, the court will make an Adoption Order. An Adoption Order ends all legal ties the child has with the birth family. The child takes your surname and becomes a full member of your family.
What rights do birth parents have after the adoption?
Once an Adoption Order has been made, the birth parents have no legal rights over the child and cannot claim him or her back. Very occasionally the Court makes a Contact Order — see below.
Will the child still see their birth parents or other relatives?
The child may well benefit from continuing to see (or have letter contact with) other important people in their lives. It will depend on the child, but this could be a birth parent, a foster carer who has looked after them for a long time, brothers or sisters, grandparents or other relatives. If they have made strong attachments, it can help the child to keep these up. This is something we will discuss with you before a child comes to live with you. An agreement will be reached with you and others involved including the Social Worker. In certain situations it may be decided that it is very important for the child to have some ongoing face-to-face contact with someone in their birth family and we would work out with you how to make this positive for everyone involved. In rare situations a Contact Order will be made by the Court. We will talk more to you about these issues during the preparation and assessment session.
