Who can adopt?

People who adopt come in all shapes and sizes. We are looking for applications from people with the qualities of patience, tolerance and energy. The over-riding factor we consider is your ability to provide a loving and secure home for a child. Adopting a child requires a high level of resilience and commitment and you will need to demonstrate your ability to provide love, security and understanding of the needs of the child.

We are looking for:

  • People from 21 years upward. There is no upper age limit
  • Single people
  • Married and civil registered couples
  • Same sex couples
  • Unmarried and non-civil registered couples who can adopt jointly.
  • Birth parent's partners - married or civil registered. These can adopt without the birth parent having to adopt
  • Waged or unwaged
  • Either home owners or people living in rented accommodation. The only requirement is that you have a separate room for a child to have their own room.
  • People who have already parented and have older children are also particularly encouraged to apply

More eligibility factors are included on the 'frequently asked questions' page.