Adoption is a process by which all parental rights and responsibilities are legally transferred permanently from a child's birth parents to the adoptive parent(s0

You must live in Northern Ireland

Married Couples must have been married to each other for  a minimum of two years.

People Adopting need to be fit and healthy. Any serious physical or mental health issues will have a bearing on the success of the application. A medical report will be required as part of the adoption assessment.

We welcome applications from all religious denominations. It is expected that adopted children will be reared in the religion and culture of the birth family or in the knowledge of this. Adoptive parents will be required to demonstrate their ability and commitment to doing so.

A police check is carried out on all applicants. In the case of any offence, the seriousness and circumstances will be taken into account and may have a bearing on the success of an application

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f you are a birth mother who placed a child for adoption in the past, and you would like to discuss this time in your life, Family Care Society offers a sympathetic counselling and support service. If you would like to leave information on the file of your child who was placed for adoption, Family Care Society can help you do this. If Family Care Society do not hold or cannot access the file, we will attempt to identify the appropriate agency, and refer you there.

If you feel that you would like more information, please contact

 Chief Officer, Family Care Society, 511 Ormeau Road, Belfast, BT7 3GS.

 You can register your interest in your adopted child by joining the Adoption Contact Register, which was established in 1996 specifically for this purpose. Contact the General Registrars Office, Oxford House, 49-55 Chichester Street, Belfast for details.