Step Parent Adoption

Are you part of a stepfamily?

A stepfamily is where you or the person you are married to has a child by a previous relationship.

You may be thinking about how you can both become the child’s legal parents, sharing all the responsibilities and rights of parents.

At present you can only adopt the child if you are married to each other or in a stable relationship for over one year.

There are advantages and disadvantages to adopting the child and making the family one legal unit:

• Everyone in your family can have the same surname
• Your family is recognised in law
• Rights of inheritance are now shared with any other children in the family

However:

• The child may be very confused by adoption in understanding the complicated relationships that result
• The child's other birth parent has no parental links in law; the child will be legally cut off from that parent's wider family including grandparents and uncles/aunts
• The child may feel they have had to choose between adults who are important to them which may result in blame or feelings of rejection
• The child loses any rights to maintenance or inheritance

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are there alternatives to step parent adoption?

Will I have to go to Court?

Would the other birth parent have to be contacted?

Is there a cost?

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