Adoption, Kinship Care and Fostering
Understanding the legal options for childcare
When life at home gets difficult, it can be hard to understand what the options are for you and your children. If at any point, you feel that keeping children in the family home is not suitable, it’s important to know what legal options are available to you.
Read more on this page about three legal options are and how the Traveller Movement can help support you manage supportive care of children within the Traveller Community.
Adoption
Are you interested in adoption? If more Gypsies, Roma and Travellers became foster carers or adopt children from their own communities, more children in care would grow up understanding the culture and traditions.
There are a number of qualified organisations that can support families looking at adoption.
First4Adoption
First4Adoption is a national information service for people interested in adopting a child in England. The only automatic exclusions from adoption in England are:
- Age: If you are under 21, you cannot legally adopt in the UK.
- Location: To adopt in England you must be legally resident in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, and have been so for at least 12 months.
- Criminal record: If you or a member or your household have a criminal conviction or caution for offences against children or for serious sexual offences you will not be able to adopt. Other criminal offences will not automatically exclude you.
What else do they consider in the adoption process?
- Your finances: Your finances will always be considered, but low income, unemployment and benefits do not automatically rule you out.
- Your physical health: Smoking will not necessarily rule you out from adopting, but consideration will be given to this and to all health- and lifestyle-related issues.
- Your mental health: If you have experienced or are currently experiencing a mental health problem you would not automatically be ruled out.
CORAM
Coram supports families from all over London and the surrounding areas – including all London Boroughs, north Kent, north Surrey, south Buckinghamshire, south Hertfordshire, Middlesex, south-west Essex and beyond.
You can fill in their form on the Coram Adoption website.
What's the difference between adoption and kinship care?
Kinship care
social worker on your case has a duty to assess whether a family member or friend could be a suitable kinship carer. You can recommend someone you think would be a good candidate.
Kinship care: your questions answered
Click the links below to watch the video answers.
What is kinship care?
Watch video
What’s the difference between kinship care and adoption?
Watch video
Is kinship care an option when there is domestic abuse or mental health issues?
Watch video
How can I become a kinship carer?
Watch video
Can you disagree with the social worker or appeal a decision in court?
Watch video
What are your rights as a kinship carer?
Watch video
What is the main piece of advice you would give to the community?
Watch video
What further support can you get as a kinship carer?
Watch video
Fostering
Fostering is normally a temporary way to provide children with a safe home while other arrangements are being made, although some young people are fostered until adulthood.
Foster carers look after the child on behalf of the local authority who work closely with the child’s birth parents wherever possible.
If you are interested in fostering, you can learn more at CoramBAAF.