What is adoption?
Adoption is a way of providing a new family for children who cannot be brought up by theirown parents.
It's a legal procedure in which all the parental responsibility is transferred to the adopters.
Once an adoption order has been granted it can't be reversed except in extremely rare
circumstances.
An adopted child loses all legal ties with their first mother and father (the "birth parents") andbecomes a full member of the new family, usually taking the family's name.

What is the difference between adoption and fostering?
Foster carers share the responsibility for the child with a local authority and the child's
parents.
Fostering is usually a temporary arrangement, though sometimes foster care may be theplan until the child grows up. This longterm or "permanent" fostering cannot provide thesame legal security as adoption for either the child or the foster family but it may be the rightplan for some children.
See our fostering page for more information.

Who are the children who need adopting?
There are around 4,000 children across the UK needing adoption every year. These
children are from a great variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds.
Many of these children are of school age and over half of them are in groups of brothers andsisters who need to be placed together.
There are disabled children and children whose future development is unclear - see ouradvice note Meeting Children's Needs for more details (our Opening Doors project may also
be of interest). Or read articles from Be My Parent about caring for children with special
needs.
Some children will have been abused and/or neglected and all will have experienced moves
and uncertainty and their resulting behaviour may be challenging.

Who can adopt?
You have to be over 21, happy to make space in your life and home for a child,patient, flexible and energetic, and determined to make a real difference to a child‟s life, for a
lifetime.

Some people think about adoption but never look into it further – possibly because
they are over 40 and think they‟ll be ruled out. But they are wrong, there is no upper age limit.
Agencies are looking for adopters who have the physical and mental energy to care fordemanding children, and whose lifestyle suggests they will still have that energy when thechild is a teenager, or young adult. Older children are among those children who wait thelongest so adoption agencies are keen to hear from people who can give a permanent andloving home to an older child.

A record of offences will need to be carefully looked into but, apart from someoffences against children, will not necessarily rule someone out.

Everyone has to have a medical examination and health issues will need to be
explored.

People from all ethnic origins and religions can adopt although some religions andcultures have their own perspectives on this. It is essential that any family with whom a childis placed is in a strong position to meet the child‟s emotional, identity, health anddevelopment needs. Over many years, research and practice experience indicates thatchildren usually do best when brought up in a family that reflects or promotes their ethnic,
cultural or religious identity. What this means in practice is that efforts are made to find afamily that reflects or can promote the child‟s individual identity. This search always needs to
be balanced against the importance of minimizing any delay in placing the child. In practice,social workers need carefully to consider how available adopters can meet as many of achild's assessed needs as possible while ensuring the child is placed with the minimum of
delay. In England, the revised Adoption Statutory Guidance 2011, establishes a clear
framework for addressing these complex issues.

Disabled people are not excluded and sometimes experience of disability will bepositively welcomed.

A single person, or one partner in an unmarried couple - heterosexual, lesbian orgay - can adopt. Since 30 December 2005 unmarried couples in England and Wales canapply to adopt jointly. Unmarried couples in Scotland and Northern Ireland can also apply toadopt jointly.
For more information, see our advice note: Adoption - Some questions answered.

How do people apply to adopt?
You will need to go through an adoption agency. Some agencies are voluntaryorganisations (see the website of Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies
Most are part of the local authority children's services or social services (in England andWales) or social work department (in Scotland) or Health and Social Care Trust (in Northern
Ireland). You can find an agency near you in our agency directory or find your local authority
or voluntary adoption agency's contact details in your phone book.
People are not limited to their own immediate locality but most agencies work roughly within
a 50 mile radius of their office. Although it is only possible to follow through an application
with one agency, several can be contacted at this early stage. Many agencies will offer you
an informal meeting with a social worker before you make a formal application.
The process differs slightly in Northern Ireland where applications to a Trust other than the
one in which the applicant resides can be made.

How do people get approved to adopt?
As of July 2013 there is now a two stage adoption process in England which takes about 6
months to complete. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland the same processes takeplace but are not as prescriptive or rigidly divided as in England. The process in its entirety
should take no longer than eight months in Wales and Northern Ireland and seven in
Scotland.
Initially agencies will encourage you to find out all the information you need about adoption
and to fully explore what it will mean for you and your family. They will provide you withwritten information and offer information sessions. When you are ready to proceed theagency will provide you with a Registration of Interest Form and this will enable them todecide whether they can begin to work with you.
1.

Stage One – Registration & Checks
This stage of the assessment allows you to explore in more detail what will be involved in
adoption through attending training provided by your agency, doing relevant reading andbeginning some exploratory work which you will be asked to complete with support from theagency. At the same time your agency will complete all the statutory checks so they can be
confident about progressing you through to a full assessment.

Your agency will complete a Stage One Plan with you. This will set out the responsibilities
and expectations for this stage of the process for both you and the agency..
You will also be asked to provide various pieces of factual information along with nominating
3 personal references who know you well who will be asked to provide written references
followed by an interview, two of them will need to be non-family members. You will also be
asked to attend a medical and have a police check through the Disclosure and Barring
Service (DBS).
You will be invited to attend preparation groups with other prospective adopters where you
will learn more about the children needing adoption and their needs and will also usually
have the opportunity to meet experienced adopters. You may be asked to complete sometasks for example increase your contact and involvement with children during this period if
the agency feels you would benefit from this.
This stage will usually take two months but you can ask for extra time if you need it and theagency may need extra time to follow up some of the statutory checks for example if theyneed to contact specialists relating to a medical issue or obtain an overseas police check.
At the end of Stage One the agency will let you know once all the references have been
received and they are happy for you to begin the next Stage where a detailed assessment
will be completed.
If the agency feels they cannot progress you to the assessment stage they will need to give
you written reasons.
If they do not have capacity to offer you a full assessment and you do not want to wait thenthey must signpost you to other agencies or to First4Adoption, the National Adoption
Gateway so you can be helped to identify another agency.
2.

Stage Two – Assessment & Approval
Once you notify the agency that you wish to proceed to the full assessment, the agency willmeet with you to agree a Stage Two plan detailing how the assessment process will becompleted. This will include details of assessment meetings, dates for training sessions anda proposed date for the adoption panel.
A social worker from the adoption agency will then make several visits to you in your homeor sometimes in their offices. They will speak to you about your past experiences and how

these have influenced you in thinking about what kind of parents you want to be. They may
also ask to speak to any children you have living at home or away from home and some ofyour significant friends and family.
At the end of this assessment the social worker will prepare a written report which you can
see and comment on and then this will be presented to the agency's independent adoption
panel who will consider the report and recommend whether or not you should be approved
as adopters. You will be given the opportunity to meet with the panel to assist them with theirrecommendation.
The agency‟s decision maker will usually make their decision that you are approved to adopt
within four months of the start of Stage 2 but you can ask for extra time during theassessment if you need it and the agency will let you know if they feel more time is needed.
You can read more about the adoption process in Englandat www.first4adoption.org.uk/the-adoption-process/

What is 'Fostering for Adoption'?
This is where the local authority places a child for whom they believe that adoption is theright plan with foster carers who are also approved adopters before the final decision has
been made that the child can be placed for adoption. If the court agrees that the child should
be adopted and the adoption agency approves the „match‟ between the carers and the child,the placement then becomes an adoption placement.
The aim is to provide continuity of care for the child and reduce the number of moves theyexperience before achieving a permanent home. There are many things for prospective
adopters who wish to consider this route to adoption and these are further explored inthis carer's leaflet commissioned by UK children‟s charity Coram and written by BAAF.
The terminology 'Fostering for Adoption‟ applies to England only but in Scotland placements
may also start on a fostering basis.
In NI most prospective adopters chose to become “dual approved” which means they areapproved as both foster carers and as adopters so that a child can be placed with them as
early as possible in the legal process, on a fostering basis and then adopted when this isagreed in court.

In Wales, as the current proposal stands, prospective adopters, who are also approved
foster carers, will have to be matched with the child before the child can be placed with themas foster carers.

What if you don't get approved to adopt?
In England and Wales, if an agency is planning not to approve the prospective adopters, theapplicants can make representations to the agency asking them to review theirdetermination. In England, as an alternative, applicants can request that an independent
body (Independent Review Mechanism) undertake this review and make a recommendation
to the agency. In Wales there is the IRM Wales.
In Scotland prospective adopters can also ask for a review - and a number of the agencies
have established robust procedures for doing this. For advice on this please contact BAAF's
Scotland office.
In Northern Ireland a review process exists, similar to that outlined for Scotland.

How are approved adopters matched with a child?
After prospective adopters are approved, their agency will try and match them with a child.
They can also enquire about children being profiled in Be My Parent and other family-finding
publications, like Adoption Today and The Scottish Resource Network newspaper or in local
media.
In England and Wales, agencies also refer prospective adopters to the Adoption Register for
England and Waleswhich links waiting children with waiting approved adopters.
The proposed match will be presented to an adoption panel who will recommend whether toproceed with the placement.
In Northern Ireland adoptive parents waiting for a placement are referred to the Adoption
Regional Information System (ARIS) if they have not been matched with a child from theirown agency within 6 months of their approval.
Read about experiences of finding a child in past issues of Be My Parent News & Features.

What happens when the child moves in?

The child will move to live with their new parent/s after a planned period of introductions,which lasts a few weeks or a month or two, depending on the child's needs.
Social workers will remain involved to support the new family and the child at least until an
adoption order is made.
Be My Parent News & Features has articles on settling in and on therapy, counselling andsupport.

How is adoption made legal?
There are certain minimum periods for which the child must live with the adopters before an
adoption order can be made, or, in England and Wales, before an application can be madeto the court. The precise details vary very slightly depending on the country concerned andthe circumstances in which the child came to live with the adopters.
A birth mother cannot give consent to adoption until her child is at least six weeks old.
Where birth parents do not agree, there is a process for the agreement to be independently
witnessed. The detailed process varies according to the legislation of the particular country
in the UK.
If birth parents do not agree to adoption, there are circumstances in which the court canoverride their wishes. Again the detailed process will depend on which country is involved.
In many cases the question of consent will be considered by the court before the child isplaced for adoption. A children‟s guardian (England and Wales) or a curator ad litem(Scotland) or a Guardian ad litem (Northern Ireland) will be appointed by the court toinvestigate and give advice to the court on the child‟s best interests. In some circumstances,it will be necessary for the question of consent to be considered when the adopters actually
apply for the final adoption order.
For more information see our advice note Adoption - some questions answered.

Should children be told that they are adopted?
Yes. Children should be raised knowing they were adopted. Adoptive parents should give
appropriate information to the child from the time the child is little and as they grow up.
BAAF's book, Talking about Adoption to your Adopted Child, and our advice note Talking
about origins provides much more information.

Do birth parents and other relatives have any contact with their child after
adoption?
It is common for there to be an exchange of written information, perhaps once or twice ayear, via the adoption agency.
There will be unique arrangements for each individual child which may mean direct contact
for some children with various members of their birth family, including grandparents andbrothers and sisters who may be placed elsewhere. Sometimes there will also be contact
with birth parents - if this is best for the child.
For more information and real life stories, see a list of articles about contact with birth
relatives from Be My Parent News and Features.
Do adopted children want to trace their birth parents?
Most adopted children are curious about their origins, but this doesn't mean that they don't
love their adoptive parents.
Since 1975 adopted people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have had the right tosee their original birth certificate when they reach the age of 18 (in Scotland the age is 16
and this right has existed since legal adoption was first introduced).
Some people are satisfied with the fuller knowledge and understanding gained in this way,while others want to try to trace their birth parents or other family members.
For more information, advice about searching and your feelings about this see our advice
note Talking about origins or visit the Adoption Search Reunion
website www.adoptionsearchreunion.org.uk.

What about adopting from abroad?
Often people hear about the distress of children in other countries and want to offer to adopt
one of them. But children's best interests are not necessarily served by being adopted awayfrom their own countries, their culture and their extended family.
BAAF's Advice Note on Intercountry Adoption, covers the procedures, legal requirements
and where to obtain further information.
The Intercountry Adoption Centre can also offer help and advice.

What about adoption by step-parents?
Sometimes step-parents want to adopt the children from the previous relationship of their
new partner. If this happens, the child's legal links with their absent birth parent and wider
family will be broken. Alternative ways of settling the child's situation may be better for somechildren - see BAAF's Advice Notes, on Step children and Adoption in England and Walesand Step children and Adoption in Scotland.

My child has been or is going to be adopted. Where can I get help?
The Family Rights Group provides advice and support for families whose children are
involved with social services. Visit www.frg.org.uk
The Natural Parents Network is a national contact and support organisation for birth parents
living with the memories and feelings surrounding the adoption of theirchild. www.n-p-n.co.uk
You also might like to order If your child is being adopted and Pregnant and thinking about
adoption? from BAAF's Advice Notes series. Both of these are largely targeted at families
who consent to the adoption. If you don't consent to the adoption, you should get legal
advice as soon as possible.
In Northern Ireland an adoption counselling and support service, Next Step, is available,
free of charge, to birth relatives of a child who has been or is likely to be placed for adoption.

I am an adoptive parent. Can you advise me where to get support?
Adoption UK was founded by adoptive parents to offer support, information, advice andencouragement to prospective and established adopters. Visit www.adoptionuk.org for
more information.
You can read about therapy, counselling and support in past issues of Be My Parent News& Features.
CASA is another option. It is a group of independent Adoption Support Agencies (ASAs)
who are registered under the Adoption and Children Act 2002. They provide support
services to all parties affected by adoption or long-term fostering throughout the UK. Clickhere to go to CASA website