About adoption
Adoption is life changing. You become the legal parent of a child who cannot – for whatever reason – live with their birth parents. You’ll take on the same legal rights and responsibilities of a birth parent and provide a permanent home for the child you adopt.
Your child will take on your surname and become a member of your family for life. This differs from fostering, which involves looking after a child either for a short period of time, or until they reach adulthood.
We are particularly keen to hear from people who are looking to adopt children over three years of age, sibling groups, Black African and Black Caribbean heritage children and children with identified additional needs – these are the children who wait the longest in care.
We are also keen to hear from people who wish to potentially adopt via Early Permanence as more and more children are being adopted this way.
Who can adopt?
Adopters come from all walks of life. You need to be over 21 years old and to be able to look after a child until they become an adult and ideally be there to support them beyond this point.
You can be single, in a civil partnership, married or co-habiting; heterosexual or a member of the LGBTQ+ community - all applications are very welcome and treated equally.
You can adopt whether you rent or own your own home, as long as you have stable living arrangements and the space to accommodate a child.
