Adopting a child is not an easy decision, but it sure is an important one, guaranteed to positively change the lives of the adoptive parents and the child.
Every year, thousands of children are adopted by families, but every year, thousands more enter the system.
The process isn’t easy, but it’s not as much of a minefield as people often believe.
Here, we answer your top Googled queries on adoption – from the banal to the bizarre.
Take a seat.
In simple terms, here is how the process goes:
You must meet the criteria
To adopt, you must be over the age of 21. It doesn’t matter if you’re single, married or in a civil partnership.
You can adopt regardless of marital status, employment status, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background, if are a homeowner or rent, are disabled, have kids of your own or have previously adopted a child.
You do not have to be a British citizen to adopt a child but you must have a home in the UK, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, and you must have lived here for at least one year before you begin the adoption process.
Got it? Okay, here’s the next steps.
Next, contact adoption agencies
Providing you meet the criteria, you can then get in touch with an adoption agency – these can either be part of your local council or a voluntary agency.
You can get in touch with several agencies before you decide on one – they’ll each send you information about adoption, and may arrange a viewing.
Find a directory of local authority and voluntary agencies on gov.uk.
Complete the application form and undergo background checks
Next, you’ll need to formally register your interest by filling out an application and undergoing the first round of checks.
This is known as ‘Stage One’ and normally takes no more than two months.
There’s no standardised form to register your interest as this will vary across agencies, but generally, you’ll need to include:
- Your name, date of birth, occupation and health. If you have a partner, this information will also need to be completed for them
- The name of three referees – two must not be related to you
- Basic information on the kind of child you are open to adopting
- Your permission for them to request a medical check and criminal background (DPS) as well as contact your local authority
Undergo assessment and training
During this stage, which generally takes four months, you’ll work with a social worker who will attend home visits to get to know you and your family.
They will prepare, and then send, an assessment report to an independent adoption panel who will decide whether you are suitable to be an adoptive parent.
You can go along to this meeting and ask any questions you may have.
Get matched with your child
If the panel approves your application, they will begin the process of finding a suitable child or children to adopt – this will then have to be legally approved with an adoption court order.
Most families are matched within 6-12 months but it can take longer.
Once you have been matched with a child, you’ll start getting to know one another, starting with meetings inside their foster carer’s home as well as your own home.
The frequency of these meetings will build up over time and you’ll work together with your social worker, as well as the child’s.
Finally, the moving in stage
After a series of visits and final planning meetings with your social workers and anyone else significantly involved in the child’s care, you’ll begin to plan the moving in process.
The child will move in, with the ongoing support of your social workers.
Finally, when the time feels right, adoptive parents must make an adoption application order.
The child or children will need to have lived with you for 10 weeks before this can be granted – after which time the adoption becomes permanent and the child has the same rights as they would if they were your birth child.
At this point parental responsibility is removed from their birth parents and anybody else who may have cared for the child.
Find out more about the whole process on First4Adoption.
How old do you have to be to adopt?
You must be over 21 to adopt in the UK, and there is no upper age limit. You must, however, be physically able to look after a child.
How much does it cost to adopt a child in the UK?
If you are adopting a child in the UK, an agency cannot charge you a fee for arranging the adoption, nor will you pay the government.
However, the process can incur other costs – for example, you might have to pay for legal fees or police checks.
The costs will vary so it is advised you discuss this when you contact the agency as they may be able to explain what costs are likely to arise, and whether or not support is available.
How much do you get for adopting a child in the UK?
Adoptive parents are not paid by the government, but a range of financial support is available to them.
This includes – but is not limited to – the following:
In addition to the above, depending on your circumstances, you may be entitled to child benefit and tax credits, a carers allowance or a disability living allowance for children.
How much is statutory adoption pay and what is adoption leave?
Instead of maternity leave, adoptive parents in the UK can be eligible for something called statutory adoption leave and statutory adoption pay.
Statutory adoption leave can be taken for up to 52 weeks – which is the same amount of time allowed for maternity leave.
Statutory adoption pay starts on the first day of statutory adoption leave and is paid for up to 39 weeks.
The pay consists of 90% of an employee’s average weekly earnings for the first six weeks.
After that, you are entitled to 33 weeks getting £151.20 a week or 90% of your average weekly pay – whichever is lower.
How long does it take to adopt a child?
There is no defined amount of time it can take as it hugely varies from case to case.
The first stage of the process normally takes around two months, with the second stage – doing the application forms and background checks – taking around four.
However, these can take longer based on your circumstances.
Matching you with a child can then take anything from a few months to over a year.
Can you put yourself up for adoption?
This one is a little complicated.
For starters, you can only be adopted if you are under the age of 18 and the question of ‘can I put myself up for adoption’ is a very adult concept – as many children will not understand the implications of adoption or that they can be placed under legal guardianship of another adult.
Dr John Simmons, OBE, director of Policy, Research and Development at CoramBAAF, urged under 18s to instead get in touch with an adult.
‘If you are under 18 and experiencing serious neglect or abuse, you should tell somebody you trust or contact your local authority social services department,’ he told Metro.co.uk.
‘As adults, we need to listen to what children and young people say to us and explore why they are unhappy but we must also be aware of the serious reasons behind adoption so not to trivialise the neglect and abuse some children experience.’
Is there an age limit for the child when you adopt?
Yes – the child must be under the age of 18 when the adoption application is made.
Can you adopt an adult?
Under UK law, only a child under the age of 18 can be adopted.
From a legal point of view, there are no benefits to adopting an adult as it wouldn’t change anything in law and people over the age of 18 require no legal guardian.
How to adopt a child from China or India
According to Google, one of the most searched queries on adoption from the past year was how to adopt a child from China or India.
If you are adopting from overseas, the process is generally the same as it is for domestic adoptions and you would apply through your local authority or voluntary agency.
There are several other steps you’ll have to take, however, including sending your assessment to the overseas adoption authority, as well as visiting the child in their own country first.
Another crucial difference, however, is that it will cost you money to adopt overseas, as this is not funded by the UK government.
In most cases, it will cost prospective parents over £10,000.
The Centre for Adoption (IAC) website states: ‘Being approved to adopt a child from overseas entails a similar process to that which is undertaken when adopting a child from the UK. The one fundamental difference, however, is that anybody seeking to adopt a child from abroad must pay for the services themselves.
‘The reason for this difference is that the government funds local authorities to find adoptive homes for the children in the UK care system that cannot return home, and chooses to give to children in need who are abroad through other international aid programmes.
‘The cost to apply to adopt is generally in the region of £10,000-£15,000. There are also additional charges that apply in intercountry adoption to process paperwork with the governments both here and abroad, as well as travel and accommodation costs.’
You cannot start the adoption process in either India or China – it has to be done in the UK.
How do you put a child up for adoption?
If you are thinking about putting your child up for adoption, you’ll need to speak to an adoption agency who will help you understand if it is the right decision for you.
They will also be able to signpost you to the help and support available.
Once you have spoken to the agency and are sure this is the right thing to do, the courts will make the arrangement final with an adoption court order.
This document will give new parents all legal rights and responsibilities and cannot be undone.
Your baby must be at least six weeks old before you make a final decision.
How to adopt a dog in the UK
Finally, it’s not just children who are adopted – many people choose to adopt pets spurring the oft-used phrase, ‘adopt not shop’ referring to the fact people should adopt animals instead of buying them from breeders.
As a result, one of the most Googled queries on adoption in the UK is how to adopt a dog.
And there’s good news on that front, as the process is understandably a lot easier.
To adopt a dog in the UK, get in touch with a dog shelter or animal charity, such as RSPCA.
The process will vary a little from charity to charity but generally involves you choosing your dog online, or in person, filling out an application to adopt them and then getting to know them.
This generally involves one or two visits to the centre the dog is in, before a home visit from a volunteer – or in the current climate, an online chat.
They will determine whether or not you are suitable for the dog, and offer tips and guidance on settling in.
Adoption fees vary from £135 to £200 or more, depending on what company or charity you choose.
You can adopt, or re-home dogs, from the following places:
It goes without saying that adopting a child – or a pet – is an important decision and one that needs to be researched thoroughly before you make any commitment.
MORE: Adoption Month: Why we’re talking about adoption this month
MORE: Talking Adoption: How to watch our weekly conversations with adoptive parents
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Adoption Month
Adoption Month is a month-long series covering all aspects of adoption.
For the next four weeks, which includes National Adoption Week from 14-19 October, we will be speaking to people who have been affected by adoption in some way, from those who chose to welcome someone else’s child into their family to others who were that child.
We’ll also be talking to experts in the field and answering as many questions as possible associated with adoption, as well as offering invaluable advice along the way.
If you have a story to tell or want to share any of your own advice please do get in touch at adoptionstories@metro.co.uk.
Here is a selection of the stories from Adoption Month so far:
