Adoption gives children who cannot safely live with their birth family the chance to have a loving, safe and secure family life. Finding a new family for children who need it gives them the opportunity to reach their full potential, despite their difficult early experiences.

Adoption is a legal process whereby adoptive parents become the child's legal parents with the same rights and responsibilities as a biological parent. Adopted children no longer have any legal ties with their birth parents and become full members of their new family. 

Adopting a child is a lifelong journey. It can be fraught with challenges, but it is equally hugely rewarding.

Children from a range of backgrounds, ages and experiences are in need of adoption. Around 3,000 to 4,000 children are adopted in the UK each year, but there are still thousands of children who cannot return to their birth families and are in need of a secure and loving adoptive home. Among the children awaiting adoption relatively few are babies. Many are of school age, and there are groups of brothers and sisters who need to stay together. The majority of these children will have experienced some form of early trauma or loss, and all of them need a devoted family environment where they can experience unconditional love, support and security.

The adoption process Why adopt through a VAA? Myth busting