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Some of the questions we're most often asked by prospective adopters
Is there an age
limit?
Legally you must be
over 21 to adopt. While we don’t have any upper age limit, most of the Agencies asking us to place
children work with a practice rule of 40 years between parent and child. Older adopters are more likely
to be considered for older children, although more important than age is the ability of adopters to provide a loving and secure
home for children until adulthood.
How healthy do I need to be?
A health assessment is undertaken as part of the process.
Adopting a child is a lifelong commitment requiring emotional resilience and stamina. We are required
to evidence that applicants have good general physical and emotional health. If you do have a health concern,
please do speak to us and we can advise whether this might affect an assessment.
Is smoking a problem?
If you are a smoker you would not
generally be approved as an adopter for children under the age of 5. In respect of school age children,
we will discuss with you the impact of smoking on children and how to minimise these risks.
Do I need to have
a high income?
You don’t need
to be wealthy or own your own home to be an adoptive parent. You will however, require sufficient space
to provide a child’s bedroom. We welcome your application regardless of your income.
If you are on a low income or benefits, you may be eligible for an adoption allowance to support the ongoing care of
any child you adopt.
What costs will I incur?
It is important to be clear there are no charges
made by Scottish Adoption in relation to domestic adoptions. However you will incur some costs:
- A Disclosure Scotland check – £23
- Costs of lodging an Adoption
Petition - £80
- Cost of Adoption Certificates - £21
What if I have a
criminal conviction?
We
will look at any past offences within their context which may be very different from your current situation. Some
offences however will prevent you from becoming an adoptive parent. These are mainly offences involving
the abuse of children. If you do have criminal convictions, speak to us about this and we can give you
more detailed information.
Can I be assessed while undergoing infertility treatment?
We ask that you have completed all
infertility treatment, as we do need to be sure that you are committed to parenting through adoption.
Do I need to have
had experience of caring for children?
Not all our prospective adopters have experience of bringing up children, although many will have been involved
with children through their relatives and friends. We will explore with you what other life experiences
you may have had that will be useful as an adopter eg prospective adopters can often relate their own experiences of loss
and bereavement to the adopted child’s experience of loss.
Can I adopt from abroad?
Scottish Adoption offers a preparation and assessment
service in relation to adoption from overseas to those living in the City of Edinburgh, West Lothian, East Lothian and Midlothian.
The local authorities on whose behalf we do this work require us to charge £4,200 for a first application and £2,100
for a subsequent application. If an annual review is required there will be an additional charge of £250.
Can you tell me about the process I’ll need to go through to be an adopter?
When you first contact
us, you will be sent an Information Pack. If you return the Registration of Interest Form in the pack we
will arrange an appointment with one of our social workers. This is an opportunity to answer your questions
and tell you more about the task of adoptive parenting.If
you wish to progress your interest in adoption further and are a prospective adopter able to consider the children we are
being asked to place, we will book you on one of our regular Preparation Courses. This 5 day course is
designed to help prospective adopters with the information and skills needed to meet the challenges of adoption.Following the course you will be allocated a social worker who will undertake
your assessment. The assessment includes a range of checks and references and a series of meetings with
your social worker. Applicants work closely with the social worker to prepare a report that looks at factors
such as family background, personal values, lifestyle, relationships, experience, skills, readiness for adoption and how all
of your experiences and life skills can best be matched with the children waiting to be adopted.The assessment,
which usually takes 5 – 6 months to complete, is then presented to our Adoption Panel who will make a recommendation
regarding your suitability to adopt.
What support will I get?
Scottish
Adoption staff will guide and support you through each stage of your adoption journey – from your initial assessment,
through to your adoption placement. Over the years following adoption, we will keep in touch with you and
be available to offer advice and support anytime you require this.
Please do contact us and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have about becoming an adoptive
parent:
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