Adoption Planning Process

When a child becomes looked after by the local authority, a plan must be made for their future.  Adoption is one of a range of options that will be looked at - other options could include placement with wider family members or a return to the birth parents.

Birth parents need to be fully involved in the discussions and planning with social workers.  If you have agreed for your child to be adopted, you will probably want this, but even if you don’t agree to what is being planned, you should take part so that your thoughts and opinions are taken into account and officially recorded.

A child can only be placed for adoption in the UK with the agreement of the child’s birth parents or a court decision and an appropriate court order.

Court Proceedings

If the local authority believes that adoption is the right plan for your child it will ask the court to make a Care Order and to agree to placement for adoption.  Birth parents will be involved in the court case.

The Adoption Panel

By law, any plan for a child to be placed for adoption has to be considered by an Adoption Panel

Contact

Contact with your birth child post adoption will depend on a range of circumstances.  The Adoption Order usually states the contact arrangements for each child.