Who can adopt?

Every child is unique. When we look for adopters we are looking for those who are emotionally and financially able to provide a secure and loving family for a child to grow up in, so that they can live happy and fulfilling lives.

The decision to adopt is not an easy one, and there are still misconceptions about who is eligible to adopt and how long the process takes. There are many questions you will have about your suitability to adopt, and we hope the information here will provide answers to those questions and help you in making your decision.

Age

Anyone over the age of 21 can be considered as an adopter. There is no upper age limit as long as you are able to care for a child into adulthood.

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Marital Status

You don’t have to be married to adopt. You can be single, in a civil partnership, living together or married. We would expect that your relationship is a settled one and has had time to establish before you approach us to consider adoption.

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Disability

You may be eligible to adopt if you have a disability or health issues. All potential adopters are assessed on their ability to care for a child into adulthood across a range of factors including physical ability.

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Religion and ethnicity

We welcome applications from a wide range of adopters from all religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is not necessary to match a child with adopters of the same background. In this instance you will receive support to help your child understand and appreciate the important cultural, religious or linguistic values of their birth community.

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Finances

We ask you to be open about your financial situation. Being on a low income or benefits does not exclude you from adopting. What we will look at is your financial stability and ability to support a child into adulthood.

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Accommodation

We welcome applications from people who live in rented accommodation or who are owner occupiers. What matters is that your accommodation has the space for a child to grow and is secure.

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Do you already have children?

We welcome applications from families who have birth or adopted children. Should you not have experience of caring for children we will encourage you to gain some experience in caring for a child or children during the assessment process.

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Criminal background

You will be subject to a DBS (police) check during the assessment and we ask that you be open from the start if there may be something that could affect your eligibility to adopt.

For more information, please download our brochure

Download Brochure

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