I would like to adopt a child from abroad. What do I need to do?
There are many different reasons why you might consider adopting a child from a specific country - maybe you have relatives there and wish to adopt a child from your extended family or you may have seen publicity about children in a particular country who appear abandoned and orphaned. Whatever your reasons, you will need to be aware of what intercountry adoption entails.
Legal and practical arrangements for intercountry adoption are complicated and much depends on the country from which you choose to adopt. The Department of Education and Skills has information about intercountry adoption, procedures and country-specific fact sheets. You can find out more from their website.
If you are considering adopting a child from overseas, you may find it useful to read the adoption assessment pages, as the assessment procedure is the same.
You must undergo an assessment and this can only be undertaken by a local council in England or an adoption agency approved by the Secretary of State for Health. South Gloucestershire Council does assess people for intercountry adoption. However, due to limited resources we do currently charge for the expenses we incur for preparing the home study report for intercountry adoption.
You will also incur costs in the country of origin for translations, legal costs, travel etc.
Please note however that payments for genuine expenses are acceptable under UK Law but it is not acceptable to make payments to an intermediary or to the parents of the child to persuade them to give the child up for adoption.
If you would like further information about intercountry adoption and our current charge for the home study report please contact the family placement team.