The steps to adopt a child

9 October 2024

If you’ve decided to start the journey to adoption, you probably want to know exactly what steps are involved.

You may also be wondering if now is the right time to start the application process. If that’s true for you, take a look at our article: Are you ready to adopt?

First, let’s look at who can adopt a child.

Who can adopt a child in the UK

A person or couple’s suitability to adopt is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. There are only a few legal requirements:

  • You’re aged 21 or over.
  • You’ve lived in the UK for at least one year (although you don’t have to be a British citizen).
  • You haven’t committed any serious offences, particularly those against children or vulnerable people.

In addition, you must:

  • Be financially secure.
  • Have space in your home for a child.
  • Be prepared to have a full medical examination and discuss your health.

Things that don’t affect whether or not you can adopt include:

  • Your relationship status
  • Your sexuality
  • Your ethnicity
  • If you have a job or not, or you’re self-employed (although as mentioned above, you must be financially secure)
  • If you have children already

The steps to adopt a child

The adoption process has several key stages, as outlined below:

Before you get started: research and reading

You may be in this stage now, reading up on what’s involved in adoption so you know more about what to expect. You’ll also need to review your options when it comes to adoption agencies. You can adopt through:

  • A regional adoption agency (RAA): RAAs manage adoption across multiple local authorities.
  • Your local authority’s adoption service: Some local authorities aren’t part of a regional adoption agency.
  • A voluntary adoption agency (VAA): VAAs are generally smaller, not-for-profit organisations. Find your nearest voluntary adoption agency here – there are 36 across the UK.

You may decide to speak to multiple agencies to get a feel for which one you might prefer to work with. When you’ve made that decision, it’s time to let them know you’re ready to start the process.

Starting your application

Initially, the agency is likely to arrange a meeting to discuss the adoption process in more detail.

When you’re happy to go ahead, you’ll complete a Registration of Interest form to begin the formal application process. At this point, you’ll have a background check and your agency will collect references. This part of the process usually takes no more than two months.

While this is happening, your agency will offer you training to help you prepare for your future role as an adoptive parent.

The adoption assessment

When the background checks are complete, the next stage is the full assessment, which a social worker will help you complete.

The social worker will write this assessment up into a report for the adoption panel. The adoption panel is made up of a variety of people with a good understanding of children’s needs and knowledge of adoption.

The adoption agency’s decision maker is ultimately the person who will formally approve you to be able to adopt, but this decision is based on the adoption panel’s recommendation.

This stage takes around four months.

Finding the right child

When you’ve been approved to adopt, your agency can start looking for the right child for you, either locally or using a national database. This stage usually takes around three or four months.

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