Child Adoption: Adopting A Stepchild - GOV.UK

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1. Home
2. Childcare and parenting
3. Fostering, adoption and surrogacy

Child adoption Skip contents

Contents

1. Overview
2. Early stages of adoption
3. Adoption assessment
4. Applying for an adoption court order
5. Adopting a stepchild
6. Adopting a child from overseas
7. Birth parents: your rights

Adopting a stepchild

You need to tell your local council if you want to adopt your spouse’s or partner’s child. You must do this at least 3 months before applying to a court for an adoption order.

The child must also have lived with both of you for at least 6 months.

The adoption assessment

The process to adopt is similar to an assessment through an adoption agency.

The assessment is used to help a court decide if you can adopt the child (rather than being sent to an independent adoption panel).

The court will ask your local council to provide a report on:

• your partner
• the child
• the other birth parent

The report will be prepared by a social worker and will be used to help the court make a decision.

If granted, the adoption court order gives you parental responsibility for the child - along with your spouse or partner.

The order also takes away parental responsibility from:

• the child’s other birth parent
• anyone else who has parental responsibility for the child

An adoption order cancels any other type of court order, such as how and when the child’s birth parent can visit the child.

Previous:Applying for an adoption court order Next:Adopting a child from overseas View a printable version of the whole guide

Related content

• Adoption records
• Apply to adopt a child through your council
• Becoming a foster parent in England

Collection

• Support for British nationals abroad

Explore the topic

• Having a child, parenting and adoption
• Fostering, adoption and surrogacy

Elsewhere on the web

• Find a voluntary adoption agency
• Adoption information in England
• Adoption information in Scotland
• Adoption information in Wales
• Adoption information in Northern Ireland

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