Myths of Adoption

The only legal age limit in place is that you have to be 21 years old to be considered as an adopter. There is no upper age limit but age is one factor which will be taken into consideration when looking at providing a stable and loving home environment.  We have many adopters in their late 40’s and early 50’s.

You can be assessed regardless of marital status. Married or unmarried couples, single people and couples in civil partnerships can apply to adopt. The stability and permanency of your relationship will be assessed.

Children who have been adopted into stable, loving homes by single parents and couples, whatever their gender or sexual orientation, for many years.

We welcome enquiries and applications from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender adopters.

At Families for Children we have a wealth of experience in assessing LGBTQ+ adopters and recognise the strengths and skills that you bring in meeting the needs of children waiting for families.

Click here to find out more about LGBTQ+ Adoption

Parenting whether you are adopting or have birth children, is both physically and emotionally demanding. Your general health or any disability you may have must still enable you to meet the challenges our children may bring. Your health will be assessed on this basis.

We have assessed many adopters with different disabilities, including hidden disabilities and health conditions.  If you have a pre-existing health condition that you are worried might be a barrier to adoption, you can discuss confidentially with one of our Social Workers.  In some cases we may request a medical to be undertaken as early as possible in Stage 1 in order to be clear about any limitations that might come about as a result of the condition.

Fertility Treatment

You can be considered for adoption after having fertility treatment.  However, we do recommend a time gap of at least 6 months after treatment is finished before you apply to adopt.  You are likely to have been through an emotional experience and you need time to adjust and to consider the implications of adoption carefully.

Cancer Treatment

Going through cancer is a difficult journey and we would suggest that the best thing you can do is focus on completing your treatments before considering starting your adoption journey.

When applying to adopt we would consider the type of cancer you have had and how long it has been since any treatment. It would be important to discuss with the Medical Advisor as soon as possible any issues around remission or the cancer potentially returning, and the Medical Advisor in turn may wish to discuss in more detail with specialists involved.

Religion is not a determining factor in considering a person for adoption and we welcome potential adopters from all or no faith.

We will of course take any religious beliefs into consideration when placing a child to ensure any placement meets with the beliefs of both child and parents where required.

If you have birth children, or have fostered children, you are still eligible to adopt. Any children in your care will be considered as part of the assessment process.  Parenting an adopted child can be very different from parenting a birth child, so an openness to possibly having to approach the parenting role differently is important.

The age of your birth children or other children within the family, may mean that we suggest you wait a while before starting the adoption process, as we like the adopted child to be the youngest in the family usually by about 2 years.  Whether or not you have had birth children, it is a great asset to have some experience of children, particularly of the ages you are thinking you would like to adopt, so we often recommend undertaking babysitting for family and friends, or volunteering as a good way of getting experience.

You can also adopt if you have before!

Enhanced DBS checks will be undertaken during the application process.  Minor offences would not prevent you being approved, but offences that have affected the safety and stability of a child will be taken very seriously and may prevent you from adopting.

To become an adopter in England, you don’t need to be a home-owner. If you have the space and security to care for children as they grow up, you will be considered.

You can now become approved in as little as 6 months from your registration of interest  being accepted. To find out more about the process click here

You need to have been living in the British Isles for at least a year to apply for an adoption order.

We do not provide a service for adopting from overseas please contact your Local Authority.

More information about intercountry adoption can be found on the Intercountry Adoption Centre (IAC) website.