Care and support

Frequently asked questions

How long does it all take?

New standards for adoption say the entire process, from your initial phone call to being approved as a prospective parent, should take no more than eight months. All adoption agencies are working towards this goal.

Once you have been approved, the process of matching you to a suitable child can take from a few weeks to over a year.

How is adoption made legal?

Some time after the child comes to live with you, the court will make an adoption order. An adoption order ends all legal ties the child has with the birth family. The child can take your surname and become a full member of your family.

What rights do birth parents have after the adoption?

Once an adoption order has been made, the birth parents have no legal rights over the child and cannot claim him or her back.

Will the child still see their birth parents or relatives?

The child may well benefit from continuing to see (or have letter contact with) other important people in their lives. It will depend on the child, but this could be a birth parent, foster carer who has looked after them for a long time, brothers or sisters, grandparents or other relatives. If they have made strong attachments, it can help the child to keep these up. This is something we will discuss with you before we make the match and the child comes to live with you.

What does adoption cost?

You don’t have to be particularly well off to adopt. We just need to make sure you can afford to take on a new child.

We do not charge a fee and it is illegal for any money to pass from any adopters to a child’s birth parents.

You will need to pay the fee for lodging your adoption order application with the court.