There are many reasons why people think they can’t adopt.. We regularly get asked, ‘can I adopt if ….
…I am single
Whether you are married, single, in a relationship, or in a civil partnership, we welcome your application.
…We are not married
Whether you are married, single, in a relationship, or in a civil partnership, we welcome your application.
…We are in a same sex relationship
We accept adopters regardless of gender identity or sexuality. We have many LGBTQ+ adopters!
…I am too young
You must be over 21 years old to adopt a child. We treat applications for all ages equally.
…I am too old
There is no upper age limit to adopt. We will consider your ability to care for a child into their adulthood and your own health and lifestyle. We have many adopters who believe they are ‘older’ as they have had their careers, travelled or had birth children who have now grown up but still have the love and energy to become parents again.
…I have a disability/medical condition
Yes of course. We would have to consider your ability to care for a child and the life-long nature of adoption, but we have many adopters who have their own medical needs and successfully become parents. We treat every application individually so if you have any questions please call or email us.
…I have pets
Pets are part of the family to. We welcome people with pets that are family friendly and consider your current family circumstances when matching you with your future child/ren.
…I am not in employment
It is not a requirement for applicants to be employed, however, we will want to establish that you are financially secure. This means that you do not have significant or unmanageable debts or threatened with eviction etc. You will need to be able to show evidence that you can provide for yourself and a child or children.
…I have a birth child or children
We welcome adopters with birth children, old or young. We will only look to place a child younger than your current children with you and There will need to be at least a 2 year age gap between your youngest child and the child you hope to adopt. We will consider your birth children’s needs when thinking of how to help you grow your family through adoption. For more information please contact us by email or telephone call.
…I am a smoker
You and anyone living in your house must be at least 12 months smoke-free before applying to adopt; this includes all forms of smoking i.e. cigarettes, e-cigarettes or ‘vapes’, whether you are a regular or social smoker. You can track this with your GP, or give us a call if you have any questions.
…I have a criminal record
Everyone in the household aged over 18 will have a ‘police check’. Most previous cautious or convictions will not stop you from adopting but it is important you are open and honest with us about any past criminal actions as soon as possible. We will consider the nature of the offence and how long ago it took place. The important factors will be your actions and behaviour since the conviction and whether you can evidence that you have not / will not repeat the conviction. There are only a few convictions that will stop you from being able to adopt, such as offences against a child or very serious convictions like murder or rape. It is important to discuss your circumstances with us at an early stage.
…I am having fertility treatment
To be considered for adoption you will need to have completed any fertility investigations or treatment and made a definite decision that this is no longer a choice for you. Fertility treatment can often be exhausting and upsetting; this is a difficult conclusion for many people and the length of time to deal with the decision varies individually. We usually recommend waiting a minimum of six months since your final treatment before you consider adoption.
…I don’t own my own home
You don’t need to own your home and we have many adopters who rent their homes. When starting the adoption journey you do need to ensure your tenancy is stable and secure.
…If I don’t live in your area
Although we predominately cover Newport, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen and Monmouthshire we have assessed adopters from outside of these areas and welcome their applications.
We treat every application individually so if you have any questions please call or email us, our contact details can be found in our ‘contact us’ section.