LGBT+ people often think that their sexual orientation or gender identity will rule them out of adopting or fostering. That’s not the case. People who adopt a child can be:

• Single, married or unmarried
• Lesbian, gay, bi or trans. Heterosexual people can adopt as well
• From any ethnic or religious background, or have no faith at all
• Living in rented accommodation or a homeowner
• Employed or on benefits
• Adopting for the first time or have birth children
• People who’ve already adopted

Your Health

Your health won’t exclude you from adopting – although you do need to be fit enough to cope with the rigours of parenting. If you’re living with HIV this won’t prohibit you from adopting or applying to adopt.

All adopters are assessed medically to reduce the risk that an adopted child experiences early loss of another parent. As part of this assessment you’ll be asked about a number of factors that can affect your health in the future – such as your alcohol consumption, whether you smoke and your weight.

You can find out more about health factors and the adoption assessment process on the First4Adoption website.

Your Home

Adoption Agencies normally prefer prospective adopters to have a spare bedroom for each child placed for adoption. There may be some flexibility, depending on the age of the child and the possibility of converting existing accommodation to create an extra bedroom. If you own a greenhouse it may need to be removed from your property as it can pose a risk to children.

Your Pets

The safety of an adopted child is paramount to social workers approving adopters. As a result they need to be certain that any pets you own pose no threat to children’s health or safety. Also, some children may suffer from allergies which would prevent placement with some pets. A report from a vet may be requested. Pet owners usually need to complete additional paperwork while going through the approval process. If you have an external pond you may be asked to remove it and fill the space to make sure it poses no risk to a child.