IX. Applying to an Agency, Page 6
Advertising or Paying Money
In a word, don’t. Such tactics are only relevant in a country where private adoptions are legal. Besides, it’s illegal in the UK for individuals to advertise either that they have a child available for adoption or that they wish to adopt a child; it is also illegal for an individual (as opposed to a registered adoption agency) to advertise their services as adoption facilitators, under sections 92 and 123 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. Be My Parent and Children Who Wait do carry a very few profiles, submitted by adoption agencies, of families who have special qualities to offer and are looking for a child.
Paying money to a middleman to arrange or facilitate an adoption is illegal in the UK under sections 11 and 95-97 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. The only times you should expect to pay money in the UK in connection with adopting are for:
- Medical examinations by your doctor (£32.05 for first examination and £20.50 for an update are the standard fees, but they are not legally binding),
- Court fees (£30.00 for Magistrates Courts and £120.00 for County Courts),
- Lawyer’s fees for helping you fill in the adoption application form and any court appearances (not always necessary),
- Fees for any necessary document translations,
- Your own expenses for visits to the agency for interviews, preparation classes and to meet and be introduced to a child (these can be substantial if the child lives some distance away and the introduction period is prolonged),
- The home study by a social worker, visas, etc. (these only apply in the case of overseas adoptions),
- Personal memberships in organisations and subscriptions to magazines, etc. (optional).
If you are adopting through a voluntary agency (charity), you may be “asked” for a “donation”, even for a domestic adoption, or to pay their realistic expenses for the keep of the child. They have to get income from somewhere. It sounds like the slippery slope to me, but it is legal, and treated like any other donation to a charity. Do not expect a large donation to lead to fast-track assessment or placement.
It is not uncommon for family doctors to waive their fees for long-standing patients and for the agency to reimburse your expenses for the introduction period, and it is normal for agencies to foot all legal expenses in case of a contested adoption. In our own case, we have never been asked to pay for our medical examinations and only for the petrol and food expenses during introduction periods. In the one case where there were some minor legal complications the agency paid the lawyer’s fees. All medical fees for the child’s pre-adoption assessment or treatment are met by the agency. An ordinary, uncomplicated adoption in the UK should cost you no more than a couple of hundred pounds plus expenses for travel and the introduction period.
So, assume you have an agency interested in you. They’ve written back inviting you to a first meeting with a social worker, either in your home or the agency’s office. What happens next?
Next: Chapter X: The Application Process
© Roger Ridley Fenton
