UK Adoption Process

The following is a brief overview of the adoption process out of the UK:

Registration of Interest Form accepted by agency

Once you have thought of the implications of an adoption you can start by contacting a registered agency in the UK who will provide you with the forms needed for the process to begin. Once you have filled in your “Registration of Interest” the process starts.

The Approval Process commences

The approval process takes a while in the UK and usually lasts about two months. This would be the equivalent of the American I-800A application form. They will check to see if you are a suitable candidate for an adoption. Safe to say that if you have a criminal record or are on welfare that you are not going to proceed beyond this point. Most times they will offer a preparation course which you have to take to prepare you for what it is that you might expect from the adoption.

Home Study

A home study now has to be completed. If you have ever bought a house and have a due diligence done on the property then this would be a due diligence report on you as a prospective adoptive parent. They will check your background, speak to your friends, see your accommodation and also look at your employment record. Once this has been done it need to be sent for a review by an adoption panel. Once complete the home study will be sent to the Department for Education for processing and issue of Certificate of Eligibility. This takes about 4 months to complete. So from when you started to this point it takes about 6 months. See more on the Thai adoption process on this website.

From this point your home study will be presented in Thailand to the DSDW if you are adopting from Thailand. The matching process begins and this can take 2-3 years to complete. If you are adopting from China then the latest stats from the Australian Government shows that it will take at least 8 years to complete.

Consider all your options before you start the process. Speak to an agency as well as to an attorney before starting this process.

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The Hague Convention

From the American perspective, the adoption agency or service provider must be accredited to conduct intercountry adoptions. This is a safety measure in the adoption process and also ensures that the agency is suitably qualified to manage inter-country adoptions. In the United States the accreditation falls under the Department of State specifically the Council on Accreditation and the Colorado Department of Human Services.

If you are from the United States then as an adoptive parent you will need to attend at least 10 hours of pre-adoption training before travelling overseas. With The Hague Convention in place the adoption process offers transparency as well as written procedures on transferring medical records of the child or children as well as written procedures on the adoption fees.

The Hague Convention today covers more than 75 countries and ensure that the adoptions are in the best interest of the children as well as preventing child abduction, exploitation and human trafficking. The Convention also ensures that there is a communication process between the two countries where the adoption is taking place.

The Basic Process:

For Americans citizens, you first need to ensure that the child is eligible for adoption and to be brought to the United States. This is mainly because the adoption laws vary from one country to the next. In order to settle this matter you will need complete the needed forms with the United States is U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The main reason for this is because there are two paths which can be taken. If the child whom is being adopted lives in a country which falls under The Hague Convention. Then the child must meet the criteria under The Hague Convention. If the child lives in a country not under The Hague convention. Then the criteria is that set by the US Government. Speak to an adoption lawyer in Thailand for more information.

There are two forms for this being that Thailand does fall under The Hague Convention the last form would be applicable:

I-600 Form -Petition for Orphan as an Immediate Relative (non-Hague country); or
I-800 Form -Petition for Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative (Hague country)

This now tells the USCIS that you have identified a child. This for you which to adopt and bring back to the United States. You will need to complete all the needed forms and supporting documents for this. Note that you will also need to have a completed and approved Form I-800A.

Always take legal advice before you start the process as mistakes can create costly delays in the adoption process. Speak to a lawyer in Thailand to assist with the process as it can become very complicated. If it is an American couple adopting a child. This or an American adopting his/her step child the process is going to be a bit different.

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Australians adopting in Thailand

Inter-country adoptions had been 49 Hague adoptions and 34 non-Hague adoptions. This is very low however Thai adoptions still occur with Australians. Below is a breakdown of the process.

Adoption Stats (Australia / Thailand)

For the period of 2014/15 the majority of adoptions had been from Taiwan with 30 adoptions. This was followed by the Philippines with 22 adoptions and Thailand with 13 adoptions. Half of all adoptions  during this period from Hague Convention countries came from New South Wales. The top adoption States in Australia was New South Wales, Victoria and followed by Queensland. These three States made up more than 70% of Australian intercountry adoptions.

The reason for the higher adoption rates for certain countries may be reflected in the average duration of the process. According to the Australian Government report “Adoptions Australia 2014/15” the median time for the adoption process to be completed for Taiwan was 41 months, the Philippines was 65 months and Thailand was 80 months. China however takes on average 95 months (8 years).

Adoption Process for Australians

The adoptions process starts with you making the enquiry at a registered and authorised adoption services centre. The Australian government keeps a list of these organisations which you can see here. The next step is to attend the education sessions and seminars which need to be completed. Normally before you attend these, you need to have a pre-assessment of eligibility before you attend. They will look at your motivation, financial ability and your employment and housing arrangements. You will then have to make a formal request with the government agency in your area. This would be the same adoption service centre where the process started from.

Once you have done this, they will then start vetting you as an adoptive parent. The approval process may include everything from your health, police clearance and also referee checks as well as interviews with an adoption assessor (social worker or psychologist). If approved, the length of time your approval is valid depends on the state or territory you live in.

Other Adoption Issues

Once this has been done which is also called a ‘home study’, the documents will be forwarded to DSWD in Thailand which is the government Department of Social Welfare. Once this is done, they will reply with an offer for the child. DSWD will forward the placement proposal which includes the social and medical information about the child, for approval by the central authority in your state or territory.

Once all the formalities have been seen to and you have had an interview in Thailand with the Adoptions Board in Thailand and the adoption is approved, the child needs to get a Thai passport and you will then need to apply for an Australian Adoption visa (subclass 102) which needs to be applied for at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok.

Speak to a lawyer in Thailand for more information on the adoption process for Australia.There are other articles on this website besides the Australians adopting in Thailand which you have now read. There is also one for Americans adopting as well as British adopting from Thailand. See them as well.

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