What
is Adoption?
Adoption is one of the options used to provide permanent care when a child
is unable to live with their birth family. Adoption is a legal process
where once an adoption order is made, all of the legal rights and responsibilities
of the birth family are transferred over to the adoptive parents. Once
the adoption order has been made, it then becomes permanent. If you are
deciding to adopt a child in the UK, there are processes put into place
to ensure that the adoption process not only is in the best interests
of the child but also protect the rights of the birth and adoptive parents.
What types of adoption are there?
In the UK, there are two main types of adoption which include the adoption
of child in your local region as well as the adoption of a child from
an overseas country which is commonly known as inter-country adoption.
Can I adopt from any overseas country?
The United Kingdom has worked hard to establish adoption agreements with a number
of countries which you can apply to adopt a child from. The UK has also
worked hard to ensure that any inter-country adoptions are in the child's
best interests and that no children are being exploited throughout the
process. The UK is also a signatory to a number international agreements
including the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption which aims to
prevent the abduction, selling or trafficking of children.
How does adoption work in the UK?
In the UK each region has its own adoption authority which is responsible
for arranging adoptions. In order to adopt a UK child or a child from
overseas, there are a number of processes that you will need to go through
including meeting the eligibility criteria as well as going through an
in-depth assessment stage. If you are deemed to be an eligible adoptive
parents you will then enter the child placement stage of the adoption
process where either your local adoption authority or the overseas adoption
authority will work to match a child with your family.
