Adoption
An adoption enquiry is for children below 18 years old. We require three months' notice of a step-parent adoption.
Adoption process:
- you must have lived with the child and resident birth parent for 6 months
- we are required to make contact with the non-resident birth parent. As the applicant you would need to provide this information to us, even if the non-resident birth parent is not on the birth certificate.
- the child you wish to adopt must know that you are not their biological parent
- as part of the assessment the child's wishes will be recorded as we need them to be aware of their full identity.
We cannot guarantee that an adoption order will be granted, as this is based on the assessment. Following this, the Judge will decide whether to grant the Order or not.
You are responsible for any related fees, including the £201 court application fee.