Think you can’t adopt?
You’d be surprised!
Often people will rule themselves out to adopt a child as they feel there may be a barrier to them becoming adopters. But many of those myths are just that, myths. And they’re usually not true. There are also many misconceptions about adoption, so to help bust those myths, we’ve come up with the most common misconceptions about who can and can’t adopt.
Myth:
I’m a single person so I can’t adopt
Adoption is open to single people, whatever their gender or sexual orientation. If you are single and would like to consider adoption, we’d love to hear from you.
Myth:
I’m too old to adopt
There is no upper age limit to adopt, if you are fit, healthy and have the energy to care for a child through to independence then get in touch. We will talk to you about the age of the child you wish to adopt, it may just be that it would be more appropriate for you to adopt an older child for example.
Myth:
I’m too young to adopt a child
There is a lower age limit to adopt but, if you are over the age of 21 years, we’d welcome you to get in touch to find out more.
Myth:
I’m LGBTQ+ so that could be a barrier to me adopting a child
We would love to hear from members of the LGBTQ+ community who would like to find out more about adoption. If you could provide a loving and safe forever home, get in touch, we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have and support you on your adoption journey.
Myth:
I work full time and I’m not sure I can afford to adopt a child
This is not always true; your employment and income will not automatically rule you out. Everyone who applies to become an adopter will go through an assessment with one of our knowledgeable and sensitive social workers. Part of that includes looking at your current employment, future plans and financial circumstances. It’s so we can talk to you about your plans to care for a child who may become part of your family.
If you adopt a child you can look into other benefits such as tax credits, which you may be entitled to. There are also other allowances that are available for children with disabilities such as priority housing, disability living allowance and carers allowance.
Myth:
I have children of my own so I can’t adopt
If you have children living at home or who have grown up, this will not automatically rule you out to adopt. We’ll talk to you about your children, their ages and the age of a child or brothers and sisters that you wish to adopt. From there we can discuss if adoption is right for you and your family.
Myth:
I’ve not had children of my own so I can’t adopt
You do not need to have had children of your own to adopt. We’ll talk to you about your experience of caring for children, it may be that you need to increase your experience, but we would be happy to talk to anyone considering adoption to give you more advice on your next steps in your adoption journey.
Myth:
I have a disability so I can’t adopt
Being disabled will not automatically rule you out to adopt a child. We will need to talk to you about your disability, how it affects your day to day life and the age of the child that would like to adopt. We can then discuss this with you and help you to decide if adoption is right for you. If you apply to adopt, we will complete a medical with your GP and the information will be reviewed as part of your assessment as a prospective adopter. Feel free to give us a call to discuss with a member of our friendly team.
Myth:
I rent my home so I can’t adopt a child
If you have the space, a secure tenancy on your home and the support of your landlord you could apply to adopt.
Myth:
I have a criminal record so I can’t adopt a child
This is not always true but very much depends on the criminal record. If you, or someone living in your household, has a caution or conviction regarding children or sexual offences then we will not be able to support your application to adopt. The best thing to do is give us a call, be honest with us and talk to us about your record. We can then give you advice on the possibility of you being able to adopt or not.
Myth:
I’m a recent resident to the UK so I can’t adopt
If you have been a resident in the UK for at least a year you can apply to adopt.
Myth:
I have dogs or other pets so I can’t adopt
Animals can be soothing and great companions for children. We will just need to consider the number and type of pets that you have and if they are safe for children to be around. If you would like to adopt and have pets, give us a call and tell us about them, we are happy to talk it through with you.
Myths busted!
We hope that this information has helped break down some of those barriers and worries that some people may have about adoption. We have a really friendly and knowledgeable team who are happy to talk to anyone considering adoption. Your first call will be an informal chat, you can ask for info only or have a more in-depth chat with someone about anything you like.
Any questions?
Call us on 0300 300 8090
Message us through our contact form
Create a personalised adoption plan to see if you are ready to adopt .