An introduction to adoption

You can find the answers here to all the most common questions we are asked about adoption.

What is adoption?

Adoption is a way of providing a new family for children who cannot be brought up by their own parents. It is a legal procedure in which parental responsibility is transferred to the adopters.

Once an adoption order has been granted it cannot be reversed. The new family takes over all legal rights and responsibilities associated with the child.

Who can adopt?

You can adopt whatever your culture, race, religion or sexuality. You must be over 21 years old. You do not need to own your own home or be in employment. You will need to provide a permanent, stable and caring home for a child. That means you:

• Have space in your life and home
• Are able to provide positive parenting and care for a child
• Are patient and flexible and have lots of energy
• Have the determination to make a real difference to a child's life for a lifetime
• You will need to be in good health
• You can be single or married, in a relationship or not, have children or not
• If you wish to adopt as a couple, you don't have to be married

What is the role of Newham Council's Adoption Team?

We undertake the following tasks:

• Place "looked after" children in Newham for adoption
• Recruit, assess and approve adoptive parents
• Match children to approved adopters
• Provide support and advice during and after the adoption process

How do I adopt?

If you're interested in adoption, call us for a chat on 0800 0130 393 or complete our online fostering and adoption enquiry form and we'll get in contact with you.

If you meet the criteria to be an adoptive parent, you will receive an initial visit.

At the initial visit we will give you further information about adoption. This will also help you and us to decide if we will go ahead with an adoption assessment.

As part of this assessment you will need to give references. We will ask your doctor to carry out a medical assessment and we will run background checks.

We will provide training to help you prepare to be an adoptive parent.

From you contacting us to being approved should take no more than six months.

Once you are approved as an adopter the process of linking you to a child or children can take from several weeks to over a year, depending on the type of child you are able to care for.

Once I have adopted, what support will I get?

We can provide adoptive families, including the adopted child, with high quality advice, information, counselling and support in accessing services or benefits.

Parents who adopt are expected to meet the general cost of caring for a child, just like any other parent. However, some parents may be eligible for financial support based on the needs of the child.

Allowances can range from a single one-off payment to help you get started, to a longer-term arrangement. For example, if you are helping to keep a group of brothers and sisters stay together. All financial support is means tested.

Adoption Support Services Advisor (ASSA)

Our single point of contact for adoption advice and information can be obtained from our Adoption Support Services Advisor (ASSA). The ASSA can be contacted on 020 8430 2000 (extension 38249).

The ASSA can also help to direct people to other services they may require. If you live outside of Newham, please contact your local council's ASSA and ask about adoption support services in your area.

If you are interested in finding out about the adoption process, we ask that you contact us via our online fostering and adoption enquiry form.

What's next?

Useful information is also available from the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) on 020 7421 2600.

London Borough of Newham has a contract with the Post Adoption Centre
located at 5 Torriano Mews, Torriano Avenue, London NW5 2RZ. They can provide support services for everyone affected by adoption (birth parents, adopted adults, adoptive parents/foster carers). Although referrals must be agreed with Newham, people can ring the Post Adoption Centre directly on 020 7284 0555 for advice on their services.