Birmingham is a richly diverse community and the children who need adopting reflect this.
Our children need adopters who can value their identity including their ethnic, religious and cultural background. At Adopt Birmingham we welcome people from all backgrounds to contact us to find out more about adoption.
Can I adopt if?
Find out if you can adopt with Adopt Birmingham. Click on one of the questions below to reveal the answer.
You can adopt if you’re single, cohabiting with your partner or have a partner you do not live with.
If you are in a relationship, we would involve your partner in the adoption process, even if you do not live with them.
You can adopt if you are LGBTQ+.
We strive to welcome and support all LGBTQ+ adopters. Around 1 in 4 of our adopters are in same-sex relationships. We also welcome single LGBTQ+ adopters including trans, non-binary and gender non-confirming adopters.
When you adopt with us, we will pay for your first year of membership with New Family Social who provide specialist advice and peer support to LGBTQ+ adopters and foster carers.
You can adopt if you follow a religion, or if you do not.
During your adoption application process, we will talk to you about your faith and how it fits into your lifestyle so that we can understand what this will be like for any children joining your family.
You may be able to adopt if you have a criminal conviction. The important thing is that you are open and honest with us about any past convictions.
We are not here to judge you, but we do need to see that you are honest and will not try to hide anything from us.
Convictions that could prevent you from adopting are serious offences relating to vulnerable adults or children.
You can adopt if you already have birth children, or other children living in your home. Your dedicated social worker will meet with any children living in your home and engage with them in an age appropriate way, including through play, to ensure that they understand what adoption means. The views of any children living in your home will also be taken into consideration during your adoption process.
Our experience has shown us that it is best for all children if your adopted child is the youngest child in your family. We therefore require any other children in your home to be at least two years older than the child you adopt.
When you apply to adopt it is important to be able to demonstrate how you interact with children and manage their behaviour.
If you do not have any previous child care experience, we might advise you to strengthen your application by babysitting for family or friends or volunteering with children in a local school, Rainbows or Beavers group.
If you are currently undergoing fertility treatment, we ask you to complete this treatment before applying to adopt. We understand that fertility treatment process can be emotionally draining, and it is important that you are fully committed to adoption once you start your application.
We usually ask adopters to wait at least six months between their last cycle of fertility treatment and starting their adoption process. We recognise however, that everyone’s circumstances are different, and we would welcome a conversation with you, at any stage of your fertility treatment, if you think adoption is an option for you.
You can adopt if you rent your home.
If you are planning to move, we ask that you do this before you adopt so that your can offer stability to the child who has joined your family.
You can adopt if you a chronic health condition or a disability.
All prospective adopters are required to have a full medical as part of the adoption process. This is to ensure, as far as possible, that our children are adopted by parents who can parent them well into adulthood.
As someone with a chronic health condition or a disability we will also ask you to explain how your health condition impacts your life and how you manage it. We will look at your case individually and follow the advice of our medical adviser where necessary to understand how you can meet the needs of our children.
All prospective adopters are required to have a full medical as part of the adoption process. This is to ensure, as far as possible, that our children are adopted by parents who can parent them well into adulthood.
Your medical will cover any current or past mental health conditions. We will look at your case individually and follow the advice of our medical adviser where necessary to understand how you can meet the needs of our children.
To adopt a child under the age of five you must have stopped smoking for one year at the time of approval to adopt.
If you currently smoke*, this means that we need you to stop smoking for six months before you start your adoption application. The adoption process takes around six months which means, by the time you are ready to be approved at panel you will have stopped smoking for 12 months in total.
*Smoking includes regular or occasional smoking of cigarettes, e-cigarettes/vapes, cigars, pipes, hookah and all other inhaled tobacco products.
When you apply to adopt, we will ask you about your finances. We need to see that your debts are manageable and that you can offer a financially stable home to any children you adopt.
If you are in debt, we will look at your case individually and work with you to understand if they would impact your ability to adopt at this time.
Our team are happy to talk to you about this if you need more information.