We welcome interest in adoption from people from all walks of life. We will look at your ability to offer a secure, stable home to a child.

In general

• You need to be aged 21 years or above.
• You can be single, married or in a long term relationship.
• Your sexual orientation is not an issue.
• You may already have children of your own.
• You can be from any ethnic group or religion.
• You do not need to live in York, but you should live within reasonable travelling distance.
• If you adopt a pre-school child, one of you would be expected to stay at home with the child for at least the first six months.
• You cannot become an adopter if you have been convicted of a serious crime.

Couples

You should have been in a stable relationship for at least three years.

Priority of applications

We welcome all enquires, but we prioritise applications from people wishing to adopt:

• groups of brothers and sisters
• children over the age of 3
• children with special needs

There are very few children aged 0-3 without special needs awaiting adoption. The National Adoption Register already has many families approved for this age range. We are therefore unable to prioritise applications from people wishing to adopt a child aged 0-3, unless they are willing to take on children with complex backgrounds. These could be children who were born dependent on drugs, from a family with a history of mental illness, or in need of direct contact with a relative.

It is not a good time to consider adoption if:

• you are planning major changes in your life, such as moving house or changing jobs
• you are experiencing financial difficulties
• you have suffered a death in your family within the past year
• you are currently undergoing fertility treatment. You should wait at least 12 months from your final treatment before you consider adoption.