adoption
faqs

CAN I ADOPT A CHILD IF I ALREADY HAVE A CHILD/CHILDREN OF MY OWN?

Yes. We would consider your child/children’s views about adoption. Their needs would also be taken into account, particularly in relation to matching a child with your family.

CAN I ADOPT IF I DON’T WORK?

Yes, but you should be financially stable.

CAN I ADOPT A CHILD IF I OR MY PARTNER SMOKES?

Yes, but we would not place any children under 5 years old or children who have a respiratory illness or other risk factors in a smoking household.

DO I NEED A SPARE ROOM IF I WANT TO ADOPT?

Yes. We would have an expectation that a child would be able to have their own room and space.

I AM SINGLE. CAN I ADOPT A CHILD?

Yes, as long as you are able to demonstrate you have a support network who can offer assistance if a child is placed with you.

I HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD - WILL I BE ABLE TO ADOPT A CHILD?

As part of the assessment process a PVG check would be undertaken that would provide information on any criminal record you have. This would not automatically prevent you from becoming a prospective adoptive parent, however, this would be dependent on the charge/conviction. You would have to be prepared to discuss the details of the charge/conviction and be prepared to declare any relevant information at the point of the enquiry.

CAN I APPLY TO ADOPT FROM OVERSEAS?

Yes. This is known as Inter-country Adoption. Falkirk Council would only consider an application from you as either for Inter-country or Domestic Adoption, not both at the same time. The same criteria would apply for Inter-country Adoption applicants as for Domestic Adoption and there may be additional requirements depending on which country you are looking to adopt from. There will be a charge for Falkirk Council undertaking an assessment of you suitability to become Inter-country Adopters.

HOW LONG WILL THE ASSESSMENT TAKE?

We aim to complete your assessment within 6 months of you submitting your formal application. This would, however, be dependant on a number of factors, such as how quickly checks can be completed and availability to participate in the assessment. The process is at the applicants pace and is a two way process to how applicants learn about themselves and what kind of child they can best offer a home to for the assessing social worker (SW) it allows to get to know applicants in depth in order to assess their suitability to adopt. In doing so the SW can develop a relationship with applicants which supports them through the process of approval and eventually to matching with a child and on to the adoption order.

IF I AM APPROVED AS AN ADOPTER HOW LONG WILL IT BE BEFORE I AM MATCHED WITH A CHILD?

There are no set time limits in relation to how long it can take for you to be matched with a child as it is dependent on the needs of the children available and your circumstances. Some families may wait a considerable time before the right match is found.

Falkirk Council is part of a consortium of other local authorities which allows children from other councils to be matched with our prospective adoptive parents. In addition to this Falkirk Council would refer prospective adoptive parents to the Scottish Adoption Register after three months of being approved. Above all else successful adoptions require careful matching of the needs of children to the capacity of their adoptive parents to meet those needs – a process that requires and deserves careful consideration

WILL A CHILD STILL SEE THEIR BIRTH PARENTS OR OTHER RELATIVES?

It may be beneficial for a child to have ongoing contact with people who have been important in their lives such as a brother, sister, parent or grandparent. They may have face to face contact or an exchange of written information at an interval seen to be in the child’s best interests eg annually. Contact will be discussed with you before a child is matched with you.

It is usually important for a child to remain in contact with their previous foster carer to  reduce  a sense of  loss and to help with memories and understanding their life story as they grow up. Any children are placed separately for adoption and it may be important for adopters to keep  in touch with other families who care for brothers and sisters.

WHAT RIGHTS DO BIRTH PARENTS HAVE AFTER AN ADOPTION ORDER HAS BEEN GRANTED?

When an Adoption Order has been granted a birth parent’s legal rights for the child are removed and these are transferred to the child’s adoptive parent(s).

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