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What is adoption?

Adoption is a way of providing a permanent new family for children who cannot be brought up by their own parents. It is a legal process, in which all the parental responsibility is transferred from the child's birth parents to the adoptive parent or parents. The adopted child becomes a full member of their new family, usually taking their new family's name. Once an adoption order has been granted it can't be reversed except in extremely rare circumstances.

Children needing adoption

Not every child who cannot live with their birth parents is seeking a permanent adoptive family. There are, however, currently around 4,000 children in the UK who are waiting for permanent new families. These children come from a wide variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. Many of them are of school age and over half of them are in groups of brothers and sisters who need to be placed together.

Although it’s never easy to find the right family for a child, there are some groups of especially vulnerable children with special needs who have fewer chances of finding a permanent home. It is these children that Parents for Children specialises in helping.

Who can adopt a child with special needs?

We're sure that you'll already have thought long and hard before deciding that you want to adopt a child. The children that Parents for Children specialises in helping need even more care than most children, so you may want to explore the information on this website a little before picking up the phone to us.

There's no such thing as a typical adoptive parent and people from all walks of life have adopted children with help from us.

Do I have to be married?

You don't have to be married to adopt. We have found permanent families for children with married couples, gay and lesbian couples, cohabiting couples and single parents.

What if I already have children?

You may already have children of your own, either living with you or who have grown up and left home, or you may have no children – we really don't mind. A love of children and the ability to be patient and accept them as they are will be your most important attributes.

If you do already have children, it's very important that they're also involved in your decision to adopt. Parents for Children can help with advice and support for your own birth children, throughout the adoption process.

I think I'm too old

There is no upper age limit for adopters, but you do need to be over 21. Although older people can adopt, the children we place are often quite demanding physically and so we are keen for our adoptive parents to be fit and healthy enough to be able to care for a child until they are well into adulthood.

I don't own my own house

You don't have to own your own home or be in full-time work to apply to adopt, and you can live anywhere in the UK. You will need to have enough physical space in your home for your new child. You'll need to be habitually resident in the UK and we welcome applications from people from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds.

So you can see that there are lots of different people who adopt children with Parents for Children and we welcome all enquiries. There are, however, a few practical things that we look for in a prospective adopter. We'd appreciate it if you would take a little time to read through our quick checklist before contacting us.

Adopting a child is a big step to take and many people feel more than little apprehensive about contacting an adoption agency. We're here to help and are always happy to answer your questions. You can register your interest online, or call 020 8695 8142 and ask for advice about adoption.

How we help you

Not only do we work with you throughout the adoption process, but Parents for Children offers our adoptive parents the ongoing training and support they need to take care of the children who join their families. We also offer a short breaks service, which is designed to give our adoptive parents a much-needed break to recharge their batteries and to offer their adopted children some fun with other experienced carers.

Find out more

As Parents for Children have recently joined together with TACT, the adoption process is currently under review. If you’d like to talk to us about adopting a child with special needs, we would love to hear from you. Please do contact us on 0208 695 8142 to speak to someone in our adoption team or have a look on www.tactcare.org.uk for further information.

There's also lots of useful information about adoption on the following websites: