Adoption

The UK does not impose any restrictions on which country you may adopt a child from. However, not all overseas Governments allow intercountry adoption.

The 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption is an international system of collaboration that aims to prevent the abduction of, sale of, or traffic in children. The Convention requires that intercountry adoption happens only where it would be in the child's best interests, that all adopters are assessed and approved as suitable to adopt and that no profit is made from the adoption process. The UK ratified the Convention on 1 June 2003.

The Designated List refers to the list of the countries that are named on the Adoption (Designation of Overseas Adoptions) Order 1973. The UK automatically recognises an adoption order made in any of the countries named on the Intercountry Designated List.

Yes. However, any adoption order granted in such a country will not be recognised in the UK and you will have to re-adopt the child in a UK court. This means that when you return with the child to Northern Ireland there are certain legal requirements which you must fulfil and you need to be familiar with these (see below).

Some children available for intercountry adoption face health and developmental difficulties; others may require active treatment and many will need compensatory nurture. In others, harmful experiences may lead to permanent physical or mental impairment. A number of children who are adopted from other countries will have spent the majority of their lives before placement in institutional care. Conditions in institutions will vary from country to country and within countries, but there are implications for the child's emotional and social development of prolonged periods in institutional care. The longer the period of care is and the more deprived the environment, the more likely the children are to suffer long term developmental difficulties.

Many children will have been abandoned or placed for adoption by parents who provide little background or medical information about themselves or the child.

It is an essential part of UK adoption practice - and a legal requirement in relation to placements in UK - that information is provided about the health and development of children proposed for adoption. You need to be fully aware of any significant birth or early life experience that may affect the physical, emotional or mental development of the child so that you may understand the associated responsibilities.

You will need time to consider these risks and to understand the implications for you and your family. You will need to satisfy the adoption agency that you have the capacity to deal with health and developmental deficiencies should they emerge at a later stage, and with the uncertainties that there will be about the child's future development.

You should contact an adoption agency (this will be your local Health and Social Services Trust or a voluntary adoption agency registered to work on intercountry adoption). You will need to be assessed and approved as eligible and suitable to adopt. The law allows only Health and Social Services Trusts and voluntary adoption agencies registered to work on intercountry adoption to assess prospective adopters who want to adopt from abroad.

Yes. The procedures are identical to those for adopting a child in Northern Ireland, except that the adoption agency may charge you for your home study assessment.

No. The law allows only Health and Social Services Trusts and voluntary adoption agencies registered to work on intercountry adoption to carry out home studies.

The fee is a matter for the adoption agency but it must not make a profit from the work. You should ensure that you understand how the fee is arrived at before agreeing to it.

Yes. The costs you are likely to incur are:

The above list is a guide only and there may be other costs particular to the child's country. For example, in China you are expected to make a donation to the child's orphanage.

You are strongly advised to deal with approved adoption agencies or recognised charitable organisations abroad and not through intermediaries who are not properly authorised. Before agreeing to the fees charged, ensure that you have a written breakdown of the costs so that you know what you are being charged for. If you are in doubt, go to another organisation.

Advice and information about adoption requirements and procedures elsewhere can also be obtained by contacting the British-based Embassy or Consulate of the country concerned. In all cases, you should seek to adopt only through approved adoption agencies or recognised charitable organisations abroad and not through intermediaries who are not properly authorised.

You have to comply with the laws of Northern Ireland and the laws of the country in which the child lives.

Some overseas countries operate upper age limits and also specify an age difference between the adopters and the child, i.e. the older the adopters, the older the child. Whilst there is no upper age limit for adopters in Northern Ireland's adoption legislation, adoption agencies will apply the same standards with regard to age as they would if you were adopting a child from Northern Ireland. It is therefore one of the factors that will be taken into consideration in your application.

Single applicants may adopt under Northern Ireland law. The status abroad varies from country to country but many countries do allow single adopters.

You are likely to be recommended for one child. Occasionally, some applicants are approved to adopt twins or two siblings. If you are adopting for a second or third time, you should have lived with your previously adopted child in Northern Ireland for at least 12 months before you can apply to adopt another.

The adoption agency will forward your home study report and related papers to the DHSSPS. Your application will be checked to ensure that it is complete and that it appears to have been complied according to law. If your documentation is incomplete or there are queries which need to be referred back to the adoption agency, your application may be delayed. At each stage of the process, the DHSSPS will want to be satisfied that your documentation is correct and that the country's requirements have been met.

Once the DHSSPS is content that the application is complete and has been complied according to law, either DHSSPS or the Department for Education and Skills in England (depending on the chosen country) will issue a Certificate of Eligibility. Your papers will then have to meet the requirements of the country you are adopting from. This may involve the DHSSPS organising for your papers to be processed through your Notary Public, the Legalisation Branch of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and, if necessary, the overseas country's Embassy.

When all the necessary work has been completed your papers will be sent via courier to the relevant authority in the child's country.

When the overseas authority has received your application it will look to match you with a child. The length of time this process takes varies between countries.

Information on the child will usually be referred to the DHSSPS. This will contain medical information and some social history on the child. The DHSSPS will refer the information to the adoption agency which, in turn, will forward it to you. Your HSS Trust will also pass the information to its designated paediatrician who will meet with you and your social worker to dicuss the implications of the information.

Under Northern Ireland procedures, this is expected practice in all intercountry adoption where it is permitted by the overseas authority. This is because you are making a joint decision and a joint commitment to the child. If, when you have met the child, you decide to procee, you are expected to inform the adoption agency, in writing, of your decision.

If you are adopting from a Hague Convention country, it is a legal requirement that you (both in the case of a joint application) travel to the child's country to meet the child before deciding to proceed with the adoption. If, when you have met the child, you decide to proceed, you will inform the adoption agency, in writing, of your decision.

The immigration procedures vary depending on whether the child's country of origin is a Designated country, a non-Designated country or a Convention country. If it is a Convention country, it will further depend upon the Convention procedures of the overseas authority. For information on the immigration rules surrounding intercountry adoption, you should contact the Home Office - Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Under Northern Ireland procedures, this is expected practice in all intercountry adoption. If you are adopting from a Hague Convention country, it is a legal requirement that you (both in the case of a joint application) accompany the child into the UK.

If your child’s adoption order is not recognised in this country or your Convention Adoption Order will be granted in a Northern Ireland court (depending on overseas law), you are required by law to notify in writing your local Health and Social Services Trust within 14 days of your arrival that you intend to adopt the child. You will need to serve within the same period, via your solicitor, a Notice of Intention to Adopt on the Trust. You should also lodge an application to adopt the child in a UK cour as soon as possible. If for any reason you decide you cannot give the child a home, you must notify your local Trust of this within 14 days of your arrival in Northern Ireland.

In all intercountry adoption cases, your HSS Trust or adoption agency will be aware of the particular vulnerabilities of children adopted from abroad. Arrangements will have been put in place, therefore, for your child to see his/her;

These professionals will then meet with you to discuss any support needs which may have been identified in the course of their contact with you and your child and to agree with you any actions required in the immediate future.

If, at any stage in the longer term care of your child, you experience any difficulties or have concerns about him/her, your local HSS Trust or voluntary adoption agency will be happy to provide advice and support.

As long as you have complied with the requirements and procedures set out in the regulations, an Adoption Order can be granted after you have lived with him/her for 12 months in this country

This depends on your child’s country of origin.

For your child to obtain Irish citizenship, you will have to apply to the Minister for Justice in Dublin.

Most countries require progress reports (known as Post Placement Reports) to be sent to them at regular intervals. The progress reports are usually required to be completed by the adoption agency associated with your application. It is therefore important that you maintain contact with your adoption agency in order to comply with this requirement.