Legal process
When adopting, you will be able to petition the court any time 13 weeks after a child or children have been in your care. You will be required to approach a solicitor to act on your behalf to submit a direct petition to court for an adoption order.
Social workers will complete the necessary paperwork and all legal costs will be met by us.
How long the process takes
It can usually take between 3 and 6 months to become approved as an adoptive parent.
You will be assigned a fostering and adoption worker who will guide and support you through your adoption journey.
If you have been waiting for while to be matched
If you have been waiting for longer than 3 months to be matched with a child then we have a duty to submit your details, if you wish, to the Scottish Adoption Register, which helps match adopters with children all over the UK.
Find out more information Scottish Adoption Register
After you've adopted the child
Once an adoption order has been made, birth parents have no legal rights to the child and cannot claim him or her back. On rare occasions birth parents may retain a right to some level of contact, however you would be supported with this.
Letterbox contact
Many children who are adopted have letterbox contact with other important people in their lives, this means that they will get regular (yearly, sometimes twice yearly) letters, all letters are passed through the Fostering and Adoption team. This can help children understand their identity.
For a few children it may be in their best interests to occasionally see a birth parent, sibling, grandparent or previous foster carer. This is something we will discuss fully with you before a child or children are placed with you.