Are you thinking of adopting a child but don’t know where to start or what to expect? Adoption is an extremely rewarding and beneficial role that can help transform a child’s life and give them the love and stability of having a family of their own.
Many people choose to adopt a child especially if they want to form a longer term bond with the child and cannot bear the thought of parting with a child if they were to foster a child for a short term placement.
This is one of the fundamental differences between fostering and adoption whereby fostering is where you have the child in your care for a set period of time but adoption the child will be adopted into your family and therefore you do not need to say goodbye to the child or have that heartache once you have already made a bond.
Many people choose to adopt to give the love and care to a child and this should be one of the primary reasons. Adopters are selfless, caring individuals who do an amazing job at being a parent and who are encouraged to overcome challenges with patience along the way.
Some of the legal rules as outlined on www.gov.uk/child-adoption are as follows if you would like to adopt in the UK.
To be adopted, a child must be under the age of 18 when the adoption application is made
not be (or have never been) married or in a civil partnership
The child’s birth parents normally have to agree (consent) to the adoption, unless they cannot be found or they’re incapable of giving consent, for example due to a mental disability the child would be put at risk if they were not adopted.
You may be able to adopt a child if you’re aged 21 or over (there’s no upper age limit) and either single, married, in a civil partnership. an unmarried couple, the partner of the child’s parent. There are different rules for private adoptions and adoptions of looked-after children.
You do not have to be a British citizen to adopt a child, but:you (or your partner, if you’re a couple) must have a fixed and permanent home in the UK, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, you (and your partner, if you’re a couple) must have lived in the UK for at least 1 year before you begin the application process.
For more information on the legalities please visit the official UK government website but if you are ready to apply do contact us for more information.
If you would like to apply to take your first steps to becoming an adopter than please visit www.maf.myadoptionfamily.com and sign up online and one of our team will get back to you.