So how do you adopt a child?

Introduction

The very first thing you should do is think very carefully if adopting a child is the right step for you to be taking.
At its best, adopting a child can be one of the most rewarding experiences anyone can have – for both the parents and the child.
But adopting a child is no easy option. Children who have been separated from their parents often come with an array of problems which could have a considerable impact on you and your family.

There are many reasons why children have been put up for adoption but quite often it is because they have suffered some form of abuse or neglect from their natural parents.
In 2001 an estimated 58,900 children were looked after by local authorities in England and 38,400 were placed on child protection registers.
For the year ending March 2002 3,400 children in care were adopted. At the moment, about 1,300 approved adopters in the UK are seeking a suitable child.

Because of effective contraception and readily available abortion in the UK, there are very few babies who are relinquished for adoption at birth. In 2002, out of a total of 3,400 adoptions, only 190 were aged under one.
This means that most of the children put up for adoption in the UK are older children, some over the age of five and many with significant needs or disabilities and with whom you will need to devote a lot of time and energy.

In 2002, out of the 3,400 adoptions, 2040 were of children aged between one and four and a further 1000 were aged between five and nine.
The chances of an adoption failing get higher as the child gets older. Some put the figure of failed non-infant adoptions at one in five.
Adoption agencies are understandably cautious about placing children for adoption and work hard to get the right match between parents and child.
The last thing they want is for a placement to break down - a double blow for the child and devastating setback for adoptive parents.

But adoption, if successful, can bring enormous rewards for the parents and the children. There are many examples where gaining a new permanent loving family has proved to be the making of a particular child.
Many adoption agencies now use an ‘open’ adoption approach which means that often adopted children maintain some form of contact with their blood relatives.

Special arrangements may be made for an adopted child to keep in touch with their birth family.
In other cases agencies may take the view that it is not in the interests of the child for them to stay in contact with their birth family.

Find out as much as you can about adoption. Your local library and social services department will be able to give some information and, of course, you will find a wealth of useful advice and help on Adoption-net.
In this section you will be able to find out what sort of people can adopt, the kind of criteria adoption agencies use in selecting potential adopters, and a step-by-step guide to the adoption procedure.