Adoption - Frequently Asked Questions
What is adoption?
Adoption is a way of providing a new permanent family for
children who are unable to live with their own birth parents or
within their extended birth family. It is a legally binding
arrangement and all the parental responsibilities and the duties of
the birth parents are transferred by an adoption order made by the
court to the adoptive parents. This gives adoptive parents the same
rights and responsibilities as all other parents.
Who are the children placed for adoption?
There’s no typical person who applies to adopt a child, as there
are no ‘typical’ children who are placed for adoption. We have
children of all ages and needs waiting to be adopted.
However in Knowsley, we have a real need for people who are
willing to adopt brothers and sisters of all ages, older children
and children of all ages who have special or complex needs.
Children may be part of a sibling group of brothers and sisters who
need to be placed together.
These days there are very few new born healthy babies available
for adoption. So if you’re particularly interested in adopting very
young children, we’d really urge you to also consider children up
to 3 or 4 years of age.
Some children who need adopting may have experienced separation,
ill treatment or neglect in their early years. So you need to be
aware of this as it might affect their ability to make
relationships, accept boundaries or express their feelings. But of
course the main thing that every child is longing for is the
understanding, encouragement and above all love that you can give
them.
Rest assured that we will provide plenty of support. We will
work with you throughout the process of becoming an adoptive parent
and beyond, making sure you’re ready to take a child into your home
and family.
Who can adopt?
There is no such thing as an ideal adoptive parent. Just as
every child hoping to be adopted is unique, adoptive parents are
all very different, with a range of life experiences and
backgrounds.
The most important thing is that you are realistic about what
adoption involves, how you will be able to support your adopted
child and the impact it will have on your life and the life of your
family. It’s an incredibly positive experience but is not without
challenges and it’s essential that you have an understanding of
this before embarking on the journey to become an adoptive
parent.
Can I adopt...?
I am over 40 or older?
Yes. We do not operate an upper age limit, but you would need to
be fit and healthy enough to see your adopted child safely into
adult life.
The youngest age at which you can adopt is 21.
I'm not married?
Yes. Single people can adopt a child. However, it is important
that you have a strong support network around you. Those in a long
term relationship who aren’t married can also adopt, including same
gender couples.
I’m currently undergoing fertility
treatment?
No. We can only start to consider your application to become an
adoptive parent if six months have passed since you completed your
last fertility treatment. This is in order to give you and your
partner time to come to terms with your situation, grieve and
perhaps consider counseling, before you begin the often demanding
and time-consuming adoption process.
I am unemployed?
Yes. We approve people from every walk of life regardless of
employment or financial status.
I work full-time?
Yes. As long as you can provide space and time to meet the
children's needs. This is especially important when the children
are young and for all children in the early stages of an adoptive
placement. Statutory adoption pay and adoption leave are available
for adoptive parents.
You can find out more from Direct.gov.uk (hyperlink).
I don't own my home?
Yes. As long as you have a secure tenancy it doesn’t matter if
you don’t own your home. You’ll need to show that you have enough
room to care for a child or children, in a safe and secure
environment, whether you rent or own your home.
I'm gay or a lesbian?
Yes. The council is firmly committed to equality of opportunity
and therefore we are primarily interested in the skills and ability
that you have to offer and not your sexuality.
I have a disability and / or health
problem?
Yes. Everyone who applies to adopt will need a health assessment
as part of the approval process to make sure that they have the
ability to care for a child. If you are disabled or have a medical
condition, our medical adviser will take these factors into
consideration and make recommendations on your suitability.
I smoke?
Yes. But you will not be able to adopt a child under five years
of age. We have a responsibility to protect children from exposure
to second hand smoke and we have to balance the positive elements
of any adoptive placement against the negative impact of
smoking.
I have a criminal conviction?
Yes. People who have a criminal record or have been cautioned
can adopt a child. Much depends on the seriousness of the offence,
how long ago since the crime was committed and how you have lived
your life since. People with convictions for violent offences or
sexual offences against children cannot adopt.
I already have children of my own?
Yes. Your own children would be included in the approval process
too, as they are so important in the family. In adoption, we
usually advise a minimum age gap of two years between any birth
children and an adopted child.
I don't live in Knowsley?
Yes. Sometimes it is in the best interests of the child to be
placed outside of our immediate area and therefore we will consider
people applying from outside Knowsley (up to 35 miles radius) if we
feel they will be able to meet the needs of our children.
We work in partnership with
Halton Council and
Cheshire West and Chester Council to make sure we make the best
possible matches of children and adoptive parents. We may
also redirect you to your local adoption service if that is more
appropriate.
I don't live in the UK?
No. You must have been habitually resident in the UK for at
least one year before applying to adopt a British child. Or one of
you must be domiciled in the UK. These are legal terms which imply
an intention or durable residence in the UK. It may be helpful to
seek specialist legal advice on your status.
What is the adoption process?
We’ll try our best to make sure that the process takes no longer
than eight months, which is a timescale set by the National
Adoption Standards for England. We obviously need to ensure that
any child we place in an adoptive family will be safe and well
looked after – and it also gives you time to make sure you’ve made
the right decision and help you to appreciate what you can offer as
an adoptive parent. Although every application to adopt is
individual, this is a rough outline of what you can expect:
1. Your initial enquiry
To find out more about adoption, please give us a call to
receive a pack and the chance to talk to social workers about what
adoption might mean for you. The pack will contain a short
questionnaire, which if you wish to proceed should be completed and
returned to the adoption team.
A home visit
Once we’ve received your questionnaire, if any information on it
requires further discussion or clarification, a social worker from
the Adoption Team will call you. A member of the Adoption Team will
then arrange an initial visit to your home to discuss your enquiry
further.
3. Formal application
After this initial visit, should you all still be as committed
as ever to continuing with the process, you’ll be asked to complete
a formal application. Please remember, you can still withdraw from
the process at any stage.
4. Preparation groups
Once your formal application has been completed, you’ll be
invited to take part in Adoption Preparation groups. These will
provide you with detailed information about adopting and enable you
to meet other people, who, like you want to adopt. You’ll also be
able to talk to experienced adopters as well as the wider adoption
team.
5. Assessment
Next will be a period of ‘Home Study’. This is quite simply a
series of visits to your home, from your adoption social worker.
During these visits, you’ll will complete the assessment report
together and discuss any concerns or questions you may have.
Checks
It’s at this time that various checks and references will be
carried out too. These will include checks with the Criminal
Records Bureau, police, Children's Services, medical, personal,
employer and if relevant ex partner references. It can seem a
little intrusive, but as we’re sure you understand, it’s a vital
part of the process.
7. Adoption Panel
Finally, your completed prospective adopters report will be
presented to the Adoption Panel at a meeting that you will be
invited to attend too. This is the moment of truth! The panel will
make a recommendation about your approval and a decision will be
made by the Executive Director of Children and Family Services as
to whether or not you are approved as suitable to adopt.
8. Following
approval
It’s unlikely that a child will be placed with
you immediately following your approval as an adopter. However,
your social worker will keep in close contact with you and let you
know about children who need families.
Once you have been provisionally linked with a
child or children, the Adoption Panel has to recommend whether you
are the right family for that particular child. The Agency Decision
Maker will consider the recommendation made and make a
decision.
What happens when a child is placed with me?
When a child whose circumstances match yours
is found and approved by the Agency Decision Maker you’ll be
invited to meet with them. If all goes well and you all like each
other then this child will eventually be placed with your family.
Your social worker and the child's social worker will continue to
visit you until the court grants a formal adoption order, and the
social workers will be there to advise and help during this period
of settling in and adjustment.
The legalities
After a child comes to live with you, the
court will make an adoption order. An adoption order ends all legal
ties the child has with their birth family. They can now take your
surname and become a full member of your family. Once an adoption
order has been made, the birth parents have no legal rights over
the child and in most cases cannot claim him or her back.
However, we do arrange in some circumstances for birth family
members to have news of their child, and adoptive parents are asked
to write to birth parents via the adoption team letter box exchange
service.
Contact with birth parents or other
relatives
Sometimes, there can be direct contact
arrangements between some children and their birth relatives. This
is because many children benefit from continuing to have direct
contact with some members of their birth family. This will depend
entirely on the child. It could, for example, be a birth parent or
foster carer who has looked after the child for a long time or
perhaps brothers or sisters, grandparents or other relatives who
they have a strong attachment to.
After all, birth families are an important
part of an adopted child's life. It's only natural to be
curious about your background. So we encourage you to try to be
positive about the role birth parents play in their child's life if
possible. Any arrangements for contact will be made in agreement
with the adoptive parent(s).
What support will I receive?
From the moment you apply to adopt, we’ll be
there to support your decision every step of the way. But we
realise that adoption is a lifelong process. It doesn’t start or
stop with the making of an adoption order and it can also have a
huge effect on your life. That’s why our support doesn’t stop once
you’ve been approved to adopt. We’ll stick with you afterwards too,
offering help and support when you need it, through the placement
stages and beyond.
Post approval
Once the adoption panel has approved your application to adopt,
there will be a period of time, when you wait for a child to be
matched with you and placed with your family. This can sometimes be
quite an anxious time and often attending our adoption
support group can help. This meets regularly to discuss various
topics around adoption.
It’s attended by adopters at all stages of the process so as a
result it’s a great comfort to lots of people and provides a good
opportunity to share experiences with people like you.
Post placement
Once a child has been placed with you, the length of time in
which you’ll wait for a court hearing can vary. During this time
your social worker will offer you support, whilst the child's
social worker will ensure that they are supported and have settled
into their new home and life with you.
Once an Adoption Order has been made by the court, the social
workers who visited you will normally withdraw. But don’t worry,
there’s still help available if you need it as a post adoption
support package is available to all adopters. What’s more, you can
always contact us to request additional support in the years to
come if any issues arise. We also offer post-adoption training if
we feel it’s appropriate. So we’re there for you, if you need
us.
Other Support
After Adoption is the largest provider of independent adoption
services in the UK and the Adoption Service has a contract with
After Adoption to provide support, counselling and family work
through a wide range of services. These services are available to
adopted children, adopter and birth families. Just call
0800 0568 578 or visit After
Adoption
Other useful resources
The British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) have
offices throughout the UK and provides up to date information about
all aspects of adoption. They also produce lots of useful
publications and guides. Call 0207 421 2600 or
visit: British Association of
Adoption and Fostering
Adoption UK is an adoption support agency that provides a range
of services for its members, including a bi-monthly magazine and a
library service. Membership is £31 a year and you can access the
free online chat room at Adoption
UK or call: 01295 752 240.
Partner adoption (formerly known as step-parent adoption)
If you are seeking to adopt your partner’s child please contact
us for further information on 0151 443 3958.
Frequently asked questions about partner
adoption
I would like my partner to adopt my child.
The first issue that many adults tend to forget is that adoption
is about what is best for the child. What the adults want is
relevant, but the Court will prioritise the welfare of the child
when it makes its decision.
Do I have to be married to my partner to adopt their
child?
No. You do not have to be married to adopt the
children of your partner.
Do I have to get the other parent’s agreement to the
adoption?
If the other parent is the mother: You will
need her agreement. A court can dispense with the need for her
agreement but there have to be very good reasons for them to do
so.
If the other parent is the father and he was
married to the child’s mother: You will need his agreement. A court
can dispense with the need for his agreement but there will have to
be very good reasons for them to do so.
If the other parent is the father and he was not married to the
mother but has Parental Responsibility: You will need his
agreement. A court can dispense with his agreement but there will
have to be very good reasons for them to do so.
Will the other parent have to be involved?
Irrespective of the birth parents legal status
the court will require a report to be completed and wherever
possible the wishes of both birth parents will be ascertained
including what role they might intend to play in the child’s life.
Your current relationship with him or her, or the amount of contact
they have with the child will not remove the responsibility for
finding out their views, and reporting them back to the Court.
Do I need a solicitor?
A solicitor is not normally needed for a
partner application unless the adoption is opposed or there are
complicated issues; but you have the right to have a solicitor if
you wish.
Alternatives to adoption
It may be possible for you to acquire parental
responsibility for the child by other means than adoption. The
options include:
- Residence Order: this gives you parental responsibility of the
child up to the age of 16yrs. (18yrs if the child has
disabilities).
- Parental Responsibility: This can be
acquired through agreement or through a Parental Responsibility
Order.
For birth relatives seeking an adopted adult
If you are a birth relative of an adopted adult and live in
Knowsley you can apply for an Intermediary Service which may then
lead to a re-establishing of contact, if that is what the adopted
adult also wishes.
The adopted adult must be over the age of 18. The outcome of any
service provided will rest with the wishes of the adopted
adult.
No identifying information can be shared with a birth relative
seeking information about an adopted person, for example the name
given at adoption, the geographical location etc.
At present there is an obligation, within adoption law, that
prioritises enquiries relating to adopted adults whose Adoption
Order was finalised before 12th November 1975. However,
there is capacity to assist those relatives who have birth links
with adults adopted after 1975.
There is a national Adoption Contact Register run by the General
Register Office. There is a fee to place a birth relative’s name on
the register. Further information is available at the
Directgov website (hyperlink).
Another useful website is Adoption Search
Reunion (hyperlink) which has information for birth
relatives, adopted adults and birth parents.
Support for adopted adults
Adults aged 18 and over can apply for access to information
about their birth origins. Those adopted before 12th November 1975
can apply to the General Register Office (now part of the Identity
and Passport Service, based at Smedley Hydro, Trafalgar Road,
Birkdale Southport PR8 2HH) for a copy of their original birth
certificate. By law, you will need to attend an interview with a
registered social worker from either a local authority adoption
team or an approved adoption support agency in order to receive
this information. You can also access such a service at the General
Register Office in Southport.
Adults who were adopted after 12th November 1975 can apply for
their original birth certificate themselves and there is no
requirement in law that they need to meet with a social worker
before obtaining their birth certificate. It is however always
advisable to request such a service, and Knowsley will be happy to
assist those adopted adults who live within the local authority
area in the process of obtaining information.
The purpose of the counseling interview is to help and prepare
you for the process ahead. It can assist in looking at aspects of
the information that may cause distress or conflict. Such a service
may assist the adopted adult to make an informed decision on the
journey they are about to embark upon.
If you live outside Knowsley but have an
awareness that your adoption order was made by a court within the
geographical area it may be more appropriate to make a contact with
your own local authority and seek support from the Adoption Support
Team there.
Useful websites:
- Adoption Search
Reunion (hyperlink)
- Direct Gov Website (hyperlink) (use
the search box to look for adoption, original birth certificates
etc)
Adoptive Parents of adults seeking birth
information
Often adoptive parents wish to support their adult children in
finding out information about their birth origins. The website
adoption search
reunion has a section with information for adoptive parents. On
occasions adult children do not wish to cause distress to adoptive
parents and do not feel able to share the fact that they are
seeking birth origin information. Research indicates that for the
majority of adopted adults who do seek birth origin information,
such information does not harm the relationship with their adoptive
parents. Knowsley Adoption team would be happy to discuss any
concerns that an adoptive parent may have, to share with them any
changes in the legislation since they adopted and to signpost them
on to other agencies if appropriate.
How do I adopt from abroad?
Although there are many children in England
who are looking for an adoptive family, there are also many
children overseas who need homes too. For these children,
inter-country adoption may be their only hope of finding a
permanent family to love and care for them.
For humanitarian reasons, the Government
allows inter-country adoption to proceed where the child
cannot be cared for in any suitable manner in their own country. In
which case, if it’s believed that adoption would be in the best
interests of the child and with respect to the child’s fundamental
rights as recognised by international law, you can apply to adopt
them. However, you must have been assessed as eligible and suitable
to adopt from overseas by your local council or agency.
How to adopt from overseas
Anyone in England and Wales who wants to adopt a child from
overseas has to undergo the same procedures as they would to adopt
a child in their own country. This is regardless of the country
they wish to adopt from or the nature of their relationship to the
child. So you’ll need to:
Undergo standard checks, training and assessments steps before
we could proceed.
Once you have been approved as a suitable adopter, the relevant
Department of Health would be notified of the decision. They would
then decide whether or not to endorse your application and notify
you directly.
Next, the Secretary of State will provide consent to issue a
certificate of eligibility.
Once the certificate has been issued, the papers will be sent to
the authorities in the country from which you wish to adopt a
child. Those authorities will consider your application and if they
agree, will suggest a match with a child.
The maximum penalty imposed for failing to comply with the
requirements set out in new inter-country regulations prior to
adopting a child from overseas is 12 months imprisonment and/or an
unlimited fine upon conviction.
Knowsley Council is not able to undertake the necessary
assessment for inter-country adoption; we use an external agency to
undertake these assessments on our behalf.
The contact details for this agency are:
The Nugent Care Society, Blackbrook House, Blackbrook Road, St.
Helens, Merseyside, WA11 9RJ
Telephone:01744 605 700 or visit their website
at Nugent
Care
Other useful websites to help you find out
more information about adoption are included below:
Support for adopted children
Sometimes it can be difficult growing up as an adopted person.
Maybe no-one knows very much about your early life or you don't
have photos of yourself or information about things you did as a
younger child. Maybe children at school are unkind to you because
they don't understand about adoption.
We may be able to help you by:
- Listening to your story
- Sharing information from your records
- Putting you in touch with other young people who are
adopted
- Giving you information about other organisations specifically
for young adopted people
- Helping you understand your own life story.
