Crossing Agency Boundaries
If you do not live in the Wigan Area, you can still apply to be assessed as an adopter. The Adoption Team will consider your application and if you live within a reasonable distance to Wigan you be accepted for assessment. If it is decided that you live too far away, information will be given to you about other Adoption Agencies.
Medical investigations - treatment for childlessness
If you have a fertility problem, we usually expect you to have already sought medical advice, and completed any treatment or investigation processes. As with other traumas or life crises, a period of adjustment is necessary. It is important that you make a positive choice in favour of adoption.
Age of applicants
Your age is linked to your general health, fitness and emotional well-being. It is important that you are able to meet the many and varied demands of children in their growing years, and be there for them into adulthood. There is no upper age limit for applicants.
Health
You will have to have a full medical examination, that will be considered by our medical adviser and, where appropriate, the Adoption Panel. If you do have a health condition, information may be requested from your Consultant.
Smoking
Given the evidence about the effects of passive smoking on babies and young children, Adoption 22 operate a 'No Smoking' Policy and children are not placed for adoption in households were someone smokes.
Marital status and single applicants
We welcome applications from single people and unmarried and same sex couples.
If you are a couple, married or not, you must have been living together for enough time to be able to demonstrate the stability of your relationship.
Previous marriages
If you have been married more than once, this will not exclude you from adopting a child, but during your assessment we will need information about any previous significant relationships you may have had. It is practice to visit previous partners if possible.
Children in the family
In most cases, already having a child, or children, living with you won't prevent you from adopting.
If you have a child, or children, from a previous marriage who are being cared for by your former husband or wife, you can still apply to adopt. But we will need to take custody arrangements into consideration and to visit the children to gain their views of your adoption plans.
Age difference of children already in the family
We normally expect there to be an age gap between any children already in your family and the child you are adopting. Research suggests that this should be around two or three years. There may be exceptions to this, for example, if you adopted siblings.
The reason for the age gap is so your existing children won't feel as threatened, or feel they have to compete with a child their own age. It's also to increase attachments between the children.
Race, religion and culture
We usually place a child with a family of the same racial, religious and cultural background. If we can't find a family who can meet the child's needs, then we have to strike a balance between a potential delay in adoption and the benefits of placing the child with other approved adopters.
Financial considerations
We usually expect that you are in a position to support a child financially, however financial constraints should not prevent you adopting a child.
Criminal offences
Everyone that applies to adopt a child must complete a disclosure application form, which asks for details of criminal convictions. We pass the completed form to the Criminal Records Bureau for checking. We will take into consideration any offences you tell us about - some offences won't automatically prevent you from adopting.
Working arrangements
Many children placed for adoption come with complicated histories and have considerable needs when they are placed with adoptive parents. We need to be sure that you can meet their needs.
During the matching process, children's needs are considered carefully and child care arrangements following a return to work are discussed thoroughly.
For older children, we will need to consider how proposed child care alternatives will work, the degree of pressure this may create and also what would happen if the alternatives didn't work.
