The legal framework
In England and Wales adoption is governed by the Adoption and Children Act 2002, in Scotland by the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007, and in Northern Ireland by the Adoption and Children Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, which finally replaced the 1987 Order. There is only one form of adoption: an adoption order transfers parental responsibility entirely and permanently. Applicants may be married, in a civil partnership, cohabiting or single, and there is no upper age limit, only an expectation of health and energy proportionate to the child.
The British system is built around children already in care. The great majority are placed following a placement order made because they cannot safely return home, which means the birth parents have usually not consented and the court has dispensed with that consent. This shapes everything: the children are older on average than adopters expect, many have siblings, and most carry the effects of neglect or of prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs.
Special guardianship, introduced in 2005, has grown faster than adoption. It gives a carer — very often a grandmother or an aunt — day-to-day parental responsibility while leaving the legal parentage intact, and it comes with a support package. For kinship situations it is now the default, and courts will ask why adoption is being sought instead.
Contact after adoption has changed. Complete closure is no longer the norm: many placements include letterbox contact through the agency, and there is a clear policy shift towards more open arrangements, partly because adopted teenagers find their birth families on social media regardless of what the plan said.
Same-sex couples: joint adoption has been open since the Adoption and Children Act 2002 in England and Wales, 2009 in Scotland and 2013 in Northern Ireland.
Key points
| Statutes | Adoption and Children Act 2002 (E&W); 2007 Act (Scotland); 2022 Act (NI) |
|---|---|
| Form | One adoption order, full and irrevocable; no simple adoption |
| Minimum age | 21 (18 for a birth parent adopting jointly with a partner) |
| Who may apply | Couples married, civil partnered or cohabiting in an enduring relationship, and single people |
| Alternative | Special guardianship order, which transfers day-to-day authority without severing parentage |
| Hague Convention | Party since 2003 |
In practice
- Contact a local authority adoption service or a voluntary adoption agency and attend an information event.
- Complete Stage One: checks, references, medical, DBS, and preparation training — usually two months.
- Complete Stage Two: the home study and the Prospective Adopter's Report, then approval by the agency's adoption panel — usually four months.
- Be matched with a child through the agency or the national register, then a matching panel and introductions.
- After the child has lived with you for the required period, apply to the family court for the adoption order.
Cost and coverage
Domestic adoption through a local authority is free to the applicant, and adopters may qualify for the Adoption Support Fund for therapeutic help. Intercountry adoption costs between £9,000 and £25,000 including the home study fee, Department for Education fees, translations and travel. Statutory adoption leave and pay mirror maternity provision: up to 52 weeks, 39 of them paid.
Recent changes
Regional adoption agencies have replaced most standalone local authority teams in England, pooling recruitment and matching across several councils. Intercountry adoption has fallen to a few dozen cases a year.
Where to go
- Local authority adoption service in your area
- Voluntary adoption agencies registered with Ofsted, or with the Care Inspectorate in Scotland
- Adoption UK, for support before and after the order
- CoramBAAF, for guidance and research
- Intercountry Adoption Centre and the Department for Education's intercountry adoption casework team
Worth knowing
Adopting from abroad without going through the official route is a criminal offence: bringing a child into the UK for adoption outside the Hague or designated-list procedures can be prosecuted.
Frequently asked questions
Can single people adopt in the UK?
Yes. Single applicants over 21 can adopt, and single adopters make up a significant share of approvals.
Is there an upper age limit?
No statutory limit. Agencies consider whether you are likely to be able to parent the child into adulthood, so older applicants are more often matched with older children.
How long does approval take?
The two-stage process is designed to take about six months from formal application to panel, and matching then takes a further few months to a year.
What is a special guardianship order?
It gives a carer parental responsibility until the child is 18 without ending the legal relationship with the birth parents. It is the usual route for grandparents and other relatives.
Official sources and links
- GOV.UK — official portal for public services and rights
- legislation.gov.uk — the statute book as enacted and revised