Adopting a child
"Adoption with Kent means there is always someone who
cares"
Adoption provides a
permanent family for children whose birth families are not able to
bring them up. This gives children who may have had difficulties in
their early lives an important new sense of safety and
belonging.
Once the adoption order is made in court the adoptive parents
take full legal responsibility throughout the child's life. An
adopted child legally takes the surname of his or her new family
and gains the same rights as any birth child of the adopters. There
are several types of adoption and we can support and guide
you through the whole adoption process.
Kent County Council's (KCC) adoption service is responsible for
finding adoptive families for children in Kent. The significant
increase in the number of adoptions arranged by the KCC
is a major success.
We would like to hear from you if you are interested
in making a child in KCC's care part of your
family.
Adoptive families are particularly needed for
older children, groups of siblings and children from black and
minority ethnic backgrounds.
If you are thinking about adopting, there are lots of ways to
find out more:
Have a look at our video explaining about adopting with
Kent County Council.
If you have difficulty viewing
this video, please visit the video help
page.
Once the adoption order is made in court the adoptive parents
take full legal responsibility throughout the child's life. An
adopted child legally takes the surname of his or her new family
and gains the same rights as any birth child of the adopters. There
are several types of adoption and we can support and guide
you through the whole adoption process.
Please note KCC can only consider Kent residents as
potential adopters. If you live outside Kent and wish to
find out more about adopting your first point of call would be your
own
local authority. BAAF British Association for
Adoption and Fostering would also be able to offer more
information about other options.
Support for adults who have been adopted
We also provide information and guidance to adults who have been
adopted and may need support, for instance, in tracing birth
parents. Our counselling services offer help to all those involved
personally and professionally in adoption, including birth
families.