Who Can Adopt?

Whilst there is a minimum age of 21, there is no maximum age to adopt. However, consideration will be given to the likelihood that you will be able to see a child through to adulthood and the age difference between yourself and the child. For example, younger children are more likely to be placed with younger parents. 

Yes, you can adopt if you have pets.  We recognise the value for children in being raised in a family that has pets.

We would need to carry out a pet assessment in order to make sure there are no health, safety or compatibility issues.

You would also need to consider whether you could make arrangements to re-home your pet in the unlikely event that your pet and adopted child were not compatible

Yes, having a disability or health problem will not automatically rule you out, as long as you can meet the needs of a child through to adulthood. You will have a medical assessment during stage one to assess your health and suitability to adopt.

Yes, if you have experienced mental health problems you will not automatically be ruled out. We would discuss this further with you and consider how the emotional impact of adopting a child might affect your mental health.

If you have used medication, counselling or therapies this could show strength in your ability to manage mental health problems. During the assessment process we will obtain references for any emotional or mental health services you have accessed since the age of 18.

Yes, but if you are a smoker, you would not be able to adopt a child under five or a child with complex needs. We would also need to explore the potential health risks for any child that you adopt.

If you smoke e-cigarettes or have given up smoking for at least six months before applying to adopt, you can adopt a child under the age of five. However, it is important to note that e-cigarettes should not be used in front of children.

You can adopt if you have children. Whether they are biological, adopted, step-children or being a special guardian or foster carer for a child (of any age) it will certainly not exclude you from adopting, whether they are living at home with you or have grown up. However, there will need to be an age gap of at least two years between your youngest child and an adopted child, with the adopted child being the youngest in the family.

If you are currently pregnant you would need to wait until your child is at least two years old before applying to adopt.

Children over 18 will require a DBS check and local authority checks, as will any other adult member of your household.

Yes, you can adopt as a single parent whether you already have children or not. Visit our page can a single parent adopt a child for more information on adopting as a single parent.

The more experience with children you can gain, the better prepared you will be to adopt a child. Experience can include having sole care of children of friends or family (e.g. overnight) or volunteering at a nursery or similar setting. If you are worried you do not have enough experience, get in touch with our team who will be happy to help you with this.

You do not need any qualifications as we will provide you with all the training and support you need to adopt a child.

Yes, however if you or a member or your household have a criminal conviction or caution for offences against children or for serious sexual offences you will not be able to adopt. Other criminal offences will not automatically exclude you but will be taken into consideration during the assessment process, so please be open with us from the start.

We understand everyone has a past and this may not reflect who they are today, so please be open and honest with us about any convictions you have.

First and foremost, no one should be precluded from being considered as an adopter because of their income.

However, we understand how stressful financial difficulties can be, therefore all prospective adopters have to be financially solvent, and possess sufficient money management (budgeting) skills to ensure that any child placed with them is going to have their needs met without causing undue pressure on your budget.

No, you do not need to own your home to adopt. You can adopt if you rent privately or through your local council or housing association or if you own your home.

This does not need to be a certain size either, you just need to have a spare room for your adopted child. Adopted children cannot share a bedroom with any existing children in the home, and adopted siblings may not always be able to share a bedroom.

You will need to evidence written permission from your landlord, local authority or housing association to adopt a child.

No, you would need to have stopped fertility treatment/trying for a baby if you are applying to adopt. If a pregnancy happened during the adoption process you would be unable to continue as you would need to focus on the pregnancy and it would be difficult for an adopted child to join a family with a baby. For this reason, you would also be expected to prevent a pregnancy during the process by using contraception, for example.

Whilst we have no hard and fast rules, as some agencies do about how long you need to wait between the end of IVF treatment and pursuing adoption, we would need to be sure that you have emotionally come to terms with the end of that process. Everyone is different and people will process their feelings in a variety of ways. Some people will be ready and able to speak about adoption; others will not yet have got to the point of accepting that they will not be having a birth child. Fertility treatment would need to have stopped before being taken forward to the adoption process.