Adopting a step-child or child related to you

You may wish to adopt a child who is already a family member, such as a step-child or relative. In many families, a step-parent or family member is, for all intents and purposes, a parent to the child concerned. Through adoption, you can legally formalise your relationship with the child, providing greater certainty and stability for you both.

As it is only the child’s birth parents who automatically have parental responsibility for them (learn more about parental responsibility here), you may wish to adopt in order to acquire parental responsibility. You can also acquire parental responsibility through a parental responsibility agreement (which must be signed by everyone with existing parental responsibility), child arrangements order or parental responsibility order from the court, or by becoming the child’s special guardian.

To adopt your step-child or a child related to you, you do not need to contact an adoption agency. However, you must notify your local authority that you would like to adopt the child at least three months prior to making an application. You will then have to be assessed to ensure you meet the legal criteria required to adopt a child, and if approved, the court can make an adoption order. The process is more complicated if either of the child’s birth parents opposes your application.

As expert family law solicitors, we are experienced in the adoption process. We believe in taking a child-centred approach, and we will provide pragmatic advice to help prepare you for any challenges that you may experience on your adoption journey.

Is Vardags right for you?

Ayesha Vardag founded Vardags in 2005 to bring City-quality representation to the world of family law. Since then, we have set new legal precedents and worked on some of the most significant cases of recent times.

We hand-pick the best and brightest legal minds to join us, and we have earned an enviable reputation as being ‘the Rolls Royce and the Ferrari of the family law world’. Our lawyers work diligently to get the results our clients need by adopting an innovative, solution-driven approach.

With two decades of experience handling the most complex children and family law cases, we know the importance of having the right lawyers by your side. We are commended for our ability to ‘take on unwinnable cases and win…fight the unfightable and succeed’ as well as our empathy and sensitivity.

At Vardags, we will guide you through every step of the adoption process and help make it as smooth as possible for you. If you think you need our help, don’t delay. Contact Vardags today.

We are ready to help

We provide a free initial consultation to suitable clients, where our team will take their time to understand the issues of your case and help you determine the next best move. Our clients typically have an income over £300,000 per annum or savings of over £100,000.