Having your child adopted - information for parents

Adoption gives a child new legal parents and ends their legal relationship with their birth parents.

Hand in hand 

Adoption

Once granted, the adoption order is final and permanent. This completely transfers legal parental responsibility from you to the adoptive parents. Your child would take the surname of their adopters.

When assessing an application for adoption, the court will take many factors into account including how other family members, including grandparents, will be affected if the order is granted.

The court will want to be sure that adoption is in the best long-term interests of a child.

Are you considering having your child adopted?

You may be a new parent who has not had enough support during your pregnancy and childbirth. Those around you may not have known what to say (if they were aware your child might be considered for adoption) or you may not have had anyone to talk with to help you decide if adoption is the right choice. We can help by providing advice about the different options. You will also be offered counselling from the Kent Independent Service for Kinship and Adoption (KISKA).

If adoption is seen as the best plan for your child, the adoption agency will start looking for a suitable new family. Wherever possible we will try to find a family of the same ethnic and cultural origin as your child and will consider your wishes about the child's religious upbringing. The adoptive parents will be fully assessed. The needs of your child will be the priority during the careful process of adoption.

You may wish to meet the adoptive parents. You may decide to write a letter or send a photograph of yourself. The level and type of contact with your child after adoption will be discussed and will again depend upon your child's needs. The adoptive parents will then apply to the court for an adoption order and you will be asked to sign an agreement for your child to be adopted.

Counselling

We also offer counselling to help you - whether you are new to adopting a child or if you are a birth parent who may be having your child adopted.

We aim to make the process of adoption as smooth as possible - and we have gained a reputation for finding innovative ways of assisting and supporting all concerned.

What to do if you disagree with your child being adopted?

You may be the parent of a child who has been looked after by the local authority.  If an adoption plan has been set up for your child - you may or may not agree with it. 

If you do not agree you should get legal advice. You will also be offered counselling from the Kent Independent Service for Kinship and Adoption (KISKA).  This service is available for parents who are requesting adoption of a child or do not agree with the plan for adoption.

If you wish to appeal against the adoption plan, your Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) should be able to put you in touch with a solicitor - you may be entitled to legal aid. After this, the court will ask an independent social worker to visit you. Their job is to safeguard your child's interests and so they will want you to explain why you disagree with the adoption plan.  They will feed back your views to the court. You will also have the chance to attend the court hearing yourself (if you want to) and to state your reasons for appealing. The court will not make an adoption order unless it is sure it is in your child's best interests.

The Children Act 1989 asks social workers to explore the possibility of placing the child within the extended family if they cannot be cared for by the birth parent.

In every decision the child's welfare is the first consideration.

Contact us

Initial Enquiries Team

Tel: 0845 330 2968

Contact us to find out more and receive an information pack.