Adoption is a way of providing a new family for a child when living with their own family is not possible. It gives the child a chance to start again; for many children, adoption may be their only chance of experiencing family life. To be eligible for adoption the child must be under the age of 18 years and returning home to his birth parents is not possible.

An Adoption Order severs all legal ties with the birth family and confers parental rights and responsibilities on the new adoptive family. The birth parents no longer have any legal rights over the child and they are not entitled to claim him back. Your child becomes a full member of your family; he takes your surname and assumes the same rights and privileges as if he had been born to you, including the right of inheritance.

Bringing up a child can be mutually rewarding and great fun, as well as being hard work and a big responsibility. This is especially so when you choose to bring up a child who was not born to you.

[Adoption Act 1976 section 12; LAC(84)3 Annex C; LAC(98)20 para 3]

It is the fundamental right of every child to belong to a family - this underpins the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which was ratified in 1991 by the United Kingdom. Where children cannot live with their birth families, for whatever reason, society has a duty to provide them with a fresh start and where appropriate a permanent alternative home. Adoption is one means of giving children an opportunity to start again.

Adoption is now firmly entrenched in the social fabric of the UK. Ever since the enactment of the first adoption legislation, thousands of children have benefited from the generosity and commitment of their adoptive families. Regarding adoption as a last resort is to misunderstand the nature of adoption and its advantages for a child who cannot live with his birth family.

Adoption provides an important service for children. Adopted children generally make as good progress through their childhood as children brought up by their own parents and do much better than children who have remained in the care system throughout most of their childhood.