What is adoption?
Adoption is a way of providing a new family for children who cannot be brought up by their own parents. It's a legal procedure in which all the parental responsibility is transferred to the adopters. Once an adoption order has been granted it can't be reversed except in extremely rare circumstances. An adopted child loses all legal ties with their first mother and father (the "birth parents") and becomes a full member of the new family, usually taking the family's name.
Who can adopt?
You have to be over 21, happy to make space in your life and home for a child, patient, flexible and energetic, and determined to make a real difference to a child’s life, for a lifetime.
Some people think about adoption but never look into it further – possibly because they are over 40 and think they’ll be ruled out. But they are wrong; there is no upper age limit. Agencies are looking for adopters who have the physical and mental energy to care for demanding children, and whose lifestyle suggests they will still have that energy when the child is a teenager, or young adult. Older children are among those children who wait the longest so adoption agencies are keen to hear from people who can give a permanent and loving home to an older child.
A record of offences will need to be carefully looked into but, apart from some offences against children, will not necessarily rule someone out.
Everyone has to have a medical examination and health issues will need to be explored.
People from all ethnic origins and religions can adopt. Ideally, a new family should meet all a child’s emotional, identity, health and development needs.
Disabled people are not excluded and sometimes experience of disability will be positively welcomed.
A single person or one partner in an unmarried couple - heterosexual, lesbian or gay - can adopt. Since 30 December 2005 unmarried couples in England and Wales can apply to adopt jointly.
How do people apply to adopt?
They will need to go through an adoption agency. Some agencies are voluntary organisations (see the website of Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies on www.cvaa.org.uk ). Most are part of the local authority children's services (in England and Wales) or social work (in Scotland) department. You can find an agency near you in the British Association for Adoption & Fostering website on www.baaf.org.uk or find your local authority or voluntary adoption agency's contact details in your phone book. People are not limited to their own immediate locality but most agencies work roughly within a 50 mile radius of their office. Although it is only possible to follow through an application with one agency, several can be contacted at this early stage.It usually takes at least six months for social workers from an adoption agency to get to know prospective adopters, assess them and help prepare them for the task ahead. Confidential enquiries will be made of the local social services or social work department and the police. Applicants will be examined by their GP and will be asked to provide personal references from at least two friends. The agency's independent adoption panel will consider a report on the application and recommend whether or not applicants should be approved as adopters who will be given the opportunity to meet the panel.
What is fostering?
Fostering is a way of providing a family life for children who cannot live with their own parents. It is often used to provide temporary care while parents get help sorting out problems, take a break, or to help children or young people through a difficult period in their lives. Often children will return home once the problems that caused them to come into foster care have been resolved and that it is clear that their parents are able to look after them safely.Others may stay in long-term foster care, some may be adopted, and others will move on to live independently.
What kind of people become foster carers?
Fostering agencies, including local authorities, need a wide range of people to meet children and young people's very different needs. It is best for children to live with foster carers who reflect and understand the child's heritage, ethnic origin, culture and language, and fostering agencies need carers from all types of backgrounds. People do not need to be married to become a foster family - they can also be single, divorced or cohabiting. Gay men and lesbians can become foster carers, although in Scotland they can only do so as single individuals living on their own. People in households with 2 or more unrelated adults of the same sex can't foster in Scotland. There are no upper age limits for fostering, but fostering agencies expect people to be mature enough to work with the complex problems that children needing fostering are likely to have, and fit enough to perform this very demanding task!
How are foster carers recruited?
Fostering agencies often recruit new carers through publicity campaigns or newspaper or radio advertisements. They may have information stands in public places.If you are interested in becoming a foster carer, the best first step is to get in touch with your local authority's fostering team or with a fostering agency in your area. You can find their details in the phone book or in www.baaf.org.uk
For further information on adoption or fostering please go to www.baaf.org.uk or see below:
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