Adoption is a way of providing a new family for children who cannot be brought up by their own parents. It's a legal procedure in which all the parental responsibility is transferred to the adopters.
Once an adoption order has been granted it can't be reversed except in extremely rare circumstances. An adopted child loses all legal ties with their birth parents and becomes a full member of the new family, usually taking the family's name.
There is a wide range of children waiting for adoptive families. There are a small number of babies and toddlers. Many more are of primary school age between five and ten years old and there are more boys than girls.
There are also brothers and sisters who want to live together and black children or those of dual heritage who are looking for parents to reflect their own cultural background
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Policy Documents