How to Adopt
Criteria for Prospective Adopters
Marital Status
Applications are accepted from:
- Married couples
- Couples who have a civil partnership
- Unmarried couples
- Single people
Your status as either a single person or as a couple will be assessed in relation to your ability to adapt to parenting. For couples, the stability and length of the partnership will be considered.
Residence
Adoption Focus operates from three offices:
All applicants need an adoption service which they can travel to for preparation groups; assessment visits and placement support. For this reason you will need to live within a 50 miles of one of our offices.
Call us to find out 0845 519 0539.
As a single person, you must be either a resident of the British Isles, or have been ‘habitually resident’ in a part of the British Isles for at least one year ending with the date of the application.
If you are applying as a couple, at least one of you must be a resident of the British Isles, or both of you have been ‘habitually resident’ in any part of the British Isles for at least one year ending with the date of the application. A court would not grant an adoption order to anyone who has not got 'leave to remain' in this country. For this reason we would not be able to accept an application before this matter is resolved.
Age
Applicants should be aged 21 or over. There is no upper age limit but there is an expectation that applicants should be able to see a child through to adulthood.
Health
Applicants need to have good physical and mental health. If they have a disability they should be in a position to manage this effectively. All applicants will be asked to have an adoption medical with their own doctor. If you have an existing health concern, you will need to speak to your doctor about your adoption plans.
Infertility
If you have fertility difficulties, then investigations and treatment should have stopped 12 months before you make a formal application. It is not a requirement of this Agency that people must have infertility treatment before coming into the adoption process.
Specified Offences
Anyone wanting approval as adopters, and members of their household aged over 18, must have a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure. Having a conviction doesn't necessarily prevent you from being considered as an adoptive parent, but there are some ‘Specified Offences’ which automatically prevent you.
Children in the Family
Applications are welcomed from people who already have children, as well as from childless people. Your children’s needs and their attitude to the adoption would need to be considered during the Home Assessment - this includes children living with you, as well as those who live with a previous partner. It would also be the case that children placed for adoption would tend to be younger than any children already in the family.
Religion
Applicants may be practising their faith or may be nominal or non-practising. You will be asked about this because if birth parents have requested that their child is raised in a particular faith, efforts will be made to meet their request.
Reason for Adoption
Adoption is a child centred activity and we are looking for families for children. Our starting point is the children and we are looking for a wide range of families. This includes a commitment to finding families who reflect the child’s religious and racial origin.
Adoptive families may not be experienced parents but they do need to have had some experience of children and to have the ability to parent someone else’s child. If you don't have much experience with children, you need to consider how you could achieve this.
You could:
- volunteer at a play-group, school, or activity group
- ‘borrow’ your friends children or care for them over a weekend.
It is also important to think about why you want to be a parent and what you hope to gain through adoption.