Adoption is the legal transfer of all parental responsibilities and rights from the child’s birth parents to the new adoptive parents. Legally, the child becomes a full member of the adoptive family with the same legal status as any child born to their adoptive parents.
Some children retain indirect contact with their birth families through the exchange of letters and photographs and, in exceptional circumstances, have direct contact.
You can download our leaflet on long-term fostering and adoption (PDF, 195KB)| for more information.