How does adoption work in the UK?

What adoption means

Adoption is finished with a court order, called an adoption order. Once the order is made, the General Register Office creates an adoption certificate. This replaces the child's original birth certificate and shows their new name.

Who can adopt

• You must be 21 or over. There is no upper age limit.
• You can be single, married, in a civil partnership, an unmarried couple, or the partner of the child's parent.
• You need a fixed and permanent home in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
• You must have lived in the UK for at least 1 year before you start.
• You do not need to be a British citizen.

The child must be under 18 when the application is made and must never have been married or in a civil partnership.

You will not be allowed to adopt if you, or an adult member of your family, have been convicted of a serious offence.

The main stages

1. Contact an adoption agency. This can be your local council's agency or a voluntary adoption agency. They will send you information and arrange to meet you.
2. Apply. If you and the agency both want to go ahead, they give you an application form.
3. Assessment. You go to preparation classes, and a social worker visits you several times. The agency also arranges a police check, a full medical and asks for 3 personal referees.
4. Adoption panel. An independent panel of people with adoption experience looks at the assessment and makes a recommendation to the agency.
5. Matching. Once you are approved, the agency starts finding a child. Approval usually takes about 6 months.
6. Court order. The child must have lived with you for at least 10 weeks before you apply. You use form A58.

Costs

The General Register Office creates the adoption certificate, but you must buy a copy. It is not sent automatically.

Time off work and pay

If you are an employee, you may get up to 52 weeks of Statutory Adoption Leave. Statutory Adoption Pay lasts up to 39 weeks. For 2026/27 it is 90% of your average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week or 90% of your earnings (whichever is lower) for the next 33 weeks.

Adopting a stepchild or from abroad

There are separate steps for adopting your partner's child and for adopting a child from overseas. GOV.UK has a page for each.

Help after adoption

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund gives money to councils and regional adoption agencies to pay for therapy for eligible adoptive families. Ask your agency about it.

If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland

This guide covers England and Wales. Scotland has its own rules. In Northern Ireland you must also be at least 21 to adopt a child who is not your relative, and agencies are a Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust or a voluntary adoption agency.

Related guides

• How much is Statutory Adoption Pay?
• What is parental responsibility?
• How much is the foster care allowance?
• How do I change my child's surname?

Where this comes from

• Child adoption (GOV.UK)
• Early stages of adoption
• Adoption assessment
• Applying for an adoption court order
• Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (GOV.UK)
• Statutory Adoption Pay and Statutory Adoption Leave
• Adopting a child in Northern Ireland (nidirect)