adoption solicitors​

For an adoption to be legally binding in the UK, you must have applied for and been granted an Adoption Order – which one of our adoption solicitors​ can help you with. This severs any legal ties between a birth parent and their child and makes the adoptive parents become legal parents for life, not just until the child turns 18.

Although adoption lasts beyond age 18, the child must be under 18 when the application is made (once applied for, the child may turn 18 and still be processed by the court). The child must also not be (or have been) in a marriage or civil partnership.

How Can I Apply for Adoption?

If you are seeking to adopt a child that you do not have a pre-existing relationship with (i.e. you are not a step-parent or guardian), then you should speak to an adoption agency to help you get matched with a child up for adoption.

If you are ready to adopt a child, the court will require permission from the child’s parent or parents before the order is granted. The only exceptions to this are if the parent cannot be found, the parent is not able to give consent (for example, if they suffer with a mental disability), or the court believes the child would be at risk with their birth parents.

Before an adoption takes place, you will likely be granted a Placement Order, where the child will spend time with you, the prospective adopters, before the Adoption Order is granted. The birth parents can apply to revoke the Placement Order under certain circumstances, but once an Adoption Order is granted, it cannot be reversed (except under very specific circumstances).

Find out more by talking with one of our adoption solicitors​:

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Should I Legally Adopt My Child?

In the UK, a child may only have two legal parents, however, there is no limit to how many people can share parental responsibility.

If you are a child’s step-parent, for example, you may not be able to adopt your step-child if both of their parents are still in the picture, but you can apply for parental responsibility if you want to be a part of any life decisions which affect your child, such as medical needs, religion, and education. Parental responsibility will end at age 18, unlike adoption.

If you are a step-parent where the child does not already have legal parents, or you have adopted a child overseas and wish to make sure the adoption is legally binding in the UK, you may wish to apply for an Adoption Order. Likewise, you may also wish to apply for British nationality for your child if they were born overseas.

Where parents have conceived through surrogacy or donor conception, you may not automatically be recognised as your child’s legal parents. If, for example, you are in a same-sex marriage and your wife has conceived using a sperm donor, you may not legally be recognised as a parent. We therefore recommend that you always seek to formally adopt your child so that you are recognised as their parent for life, and are protected in case of any change to your or your partner’s circumstances.

Get in Touch 

To arrange a fixed fee first appointment with one of our specialist family solicitors and discuss adoptions, please contact us on 0161 429 7251 or email [email protected] . The meeting will last up to 1 hour in our Stockport office at a cost of just £120 + VAT @ 20% after which, we will provide you with a comprehensive written report of our discussion along with our professional advice.

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