Frequently asked Questions

Who can adopt?

All kind of people make good adoptive parents. It is important to have people from different cultures and religions because the children who need adopting come from many different backgrounds.
You don't need to be a married couple and you don't need to have your own children. We welcome applications from a wide range of people, from different ethnic backgrounds, so if you are single or a couple, in a same sex or heterosexual relationship, and whether or not married or in a civil partnership, you may adopt jointly, it is important is that you have a stable relationship. If you are in work or unemployed do contact us!

Is there an age limit on who can adopt?

You can't adopt if you are under the age of 21. There is no upper age limit, people of all ages successfully adopt, and you need to be in good enough health to meet the children's needs in their formative years and through to adulthood. Your age and health might have a bearing on the age and needs of the children you are able to adopt.

What if I smoke?

In light of recent guidance provided by the British Association of Adoption and Fostering, we are now following advice that no children under 5 years of age should be placed in a household where one or both carers smoke, because of potential risks to health.

What if I have had fertility treatment?

Many of our adopters have been through fertility treatment before they contact us, we acknowledge the demands and the emotional impact that this can have on people, we believe that you need to grieve after unsuccessful treatment and adjust to the probability of not having birth children and that adoption is a positive choice for you. Therefore, it is advised that there is a peiod of time between the conclusion of IVF and attending the adoption preparation group; at least a 6 month gap is necessary. You are welcome to contact us, ask for information and discuss issues with us during this period.

What if I am overweight?

Being overweight does not stop you adopting a child unless you are dangerously overweight and your doctor thinks that this poses a threat to your health or may impact on your ability to parent.

What experience do we need?

You don't need to have parenting experience to adopt. Everyone who adopts will take part in adoption preparation training, which will look at child development, forming families and the special issues involved in adopting.

What does it cost to adopt?

It doesn't cost anything to be assessed if you are adopting a British child (there are extra costs if you want to adopt a child from oversees).

But you will have to pay for:

• A medical which your GP will do
• Legal fees when your application to adopt is put before the court. Some agencies will pay this for you

How do we find a child to adopt?

This would be our role in the adoption team. Councils in the North West of England share details of children who are available for adoption (known as Adoption 22). The National Adoption Register can also be used to match children and families from all over the country.

What about birth parents-what rights do they have?

Once an Adoption Order has been made, the birth parents have no legal rights over the child and cannot claim him or her back.
Most birth parents have the right to say whether they want their children to be adopted or not. But in cases where the children are at risk of significant harm the courts can over-rule them. Birth parents do have the right to say what kind of family they want their children to join; we will take this into consideration when looking for a family for the children.

Will the child still see their birth parents or other family members?

The child may benefit from continuing to have contact with other important people. It will depend on the needs of the child, but this could be birth parents, a foster carer who has looked after them for a long time, brother or sisters, grandparents or other relatives. A decision will be made about the type of contact that the children should have with their birth parents. In most cases 'Letterbox' contact will be facilitated where letters and possibly photos will be exchanged via the adoption agency between the adopters and child's birth parents, this will be co-ordinated through the adoption services from the Local Authority where the child has been placed from.

Brothers and sisters are very important, if brothers and sisters have had to be placed separately, it may be important for them to continue to have face to face, direct contact. Face to face contact with birth parents doesn't happen very often in adoption and is usually when the parent has a positive relationship with their children.

In most cases some form of continued contact with the birth family and ongoing knowledge of them is important to a child growing up and developing in his adoptive family. In making this decision the most important factors must be that the contact is in the child's best interest and secondly that it will not have a harmful effect on an adoptive placement.
We will talk more to you about these issues during the preparation and assessment process.

For further information contact the adoption team.