Adoption timeline
It’s hard to give firm answers as to how long the process takes, but here is a rough guide if you are thinking of adopting.
Month 1
Approach an adoption agency in your area, within a 50-mile radius.
Month 1–3
Your agency will ask to meet with you and invite you to a series of information sessions and/or preparation groups, though the latter is sometimes offered after you submit a formal application to be assessed to adopt).
Month 1–3
You will be asked to complete an application form to request being formally assessed by that particular agency.
Month 3
If your request is successful, the formal assessment begins. The agency is not just looking at your eligibility to adopt but also the sorts of children with whom you would best be suited. Police records, medical records, and three personal references from at least two friends, will all be reviewed. You will be assigned a social worker.
Month 11
The assessment period usually takes around eight months. You will then be invited to an ‘approval panel’, who will recommend your suitability to adopt.
Month 11
If the panel recommends you to adopt, and you are successfully approved, you and your agency can begin searching for a child who is a suitable ‘match’. This means taking into account ethnicity, gender, background, special needs, whether a single child or sibling group, and so on. If a match is still not found after three months, your agency should refer you to the Adoption Register for England and Wales or advise that you look through family-finding publications like Be My Parent.
Month 12–24 (it all depends!)
How long the search takes depends on your circumstances and the sort of child you are looking for. For example, it may take longer to be matched with a child under two, as many other adopters will also be looking for a child in this age bracket. When a match is found, the proposed match will be presented to the adoption panel of the child’s local authority, who will recommend whether to proceed with the placement.
1–2 months after match is approved
If the adoption panel approves the match, there will then be a series of introductions and meetings with the child, usually at their foster carer’s home. The child will then move in with you.
At least 10 weeks later (13 in Scotland), more likely 9–12 months
An adoption order is granted by the Courts, meaning that the adoption is official and the child is legally part of your family!
Originally published in the Be My Parent newspaper in November 2009.
This article is published with the kind permission of the people involved. You may download it for your own reference but if you wish to use it for any other purpose, please contact Be My Parent for authorisation: Be My Parent, BAAF, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Telephone: 020 7421 2666.
Last updated: 02 November 09
