How Much Does It Cost To Adopt A Child In Uganda

How Much Does It Cost To Adopt A Child In Uganda

What is adoption?

Adoption is the act of taking somebody else’s child into ones family and become the new legal parent(s). The former biological parents lose all their rights and obligations concerning the child.

Why should I consider formally adopting?

Full legal adoption has a range of advantages:

  • Your child has full legal rights within your family
  • The child is safe and secure in your care
  • The status of the child as your son/daughter is protected for the long term

How do I know the child is available for adoption?

When a child is admitted to an approved babies’ home, it is the statutory duty of the Probation Officer or social worker to carry out extensive tracing to try and find any relatives who could provide a safe and secure home for the child. Social workers conduct investigations in the community where the child was abandoned and place newspaper and radio adverts within 48 hours of admission.

If no relatives come forward in 6 months, the child is approved by the National Adoption Panel and matched with an approved adoptive family.

Eligible to adopt?

You can adopt if you are:

  • A Ugandan citizen
  • A non-national with proof of residence in Uganda and willing to stay for at least 1 year to foster the child until an adoption order is obtained.
  • 25 years or older, and at least 21 years older than the child you wish to adopt
  • Married or single (except, single applicants can only adopt children of the same sex as themselves, by law)
  • Willing to undergo assessment by a Social Worker and Probation Officer
  • Able to meet the needs of a child
  • Adoptive parents need to be in good health and willing to undertake a medical assessment.

How much does it cost to adopt a child?

Ugandans Adopt does not charge any fees for processing the adoption.

Can I choose my child?

You will be asked if there is a particular age and sex of child that you feel would fit best in to your family. After your social worker finalises your  assessment, their recommendation and your preference(s)  will determine the child(ren) you will be matched with.

What does the adoption process involve?

If you are interested in adopting, please get in touch with the Ugandans Adopt Team who will send you an ‘expression of interest’ form for you to complete. A social worker will undertake an assessment. This assessment will take 3-6 months and will involve 4-9 home visits to write an in-depth assessment on you and your family, your reasons for adoption, ascertain you can financially provide for a child.

You will also need to provide:

  • Three references
  • A health assessment
  • Local Council (LC) letter of recommendation and proof of residence
  • Completed Foster Parent’s Case Record (Form 3) completed by Probation Officer

The stages of the adoption process include:

  • 2-5 interviews with you and your husband/wife, separately and together, and any children and other adults living in the household
  • References and interviews with three referees
  • a one-day preparation course
  • a second opinion visit from another social worker
  • presentation of your application to the National Adoption Panel who make the final decision about your application

Once these stages have been satisfactorily completed, you will be ready to receive your child.  This may happen quickly or you may need to wait a few weeks, or even months, for an available child to be matched with your family.

Check: Child Adoption Process In Uganda

What are the requirements for the National Adoption Panel?

As you go to attend the Panel, you will need the following documents prepared in advance:

Docs_for_Panel

What do I need to obtain a Court Adoption Order?

As soon as the one-year fostering period has passed, parents can file immediately and secure a court date for hearing their application for an Adoption Order. Local adoptive parents attend a Chief Magistrates’ court while Non-national adoptive parents attend the High Court. It is discretionary that a social worker or Probation Officer accompanies the applicant.

Non-national adoptive parents will need to secure a new letter of good conduct from Interpol (Letter valid only for 6 months). All paperwork for court needs to be copied 4 times (originals for judge, copies for lawyer, government archives and parents).

Other paperwork to attach to the adoption application by both national and non-national adoptive parents include all the required court paperwork received by the adoptive parent from the organization/agency during placement of the child;

How long does it take to adopt a child in Uganda?

Once you have the requisite documents from your home country, the process takes an average of three months from the time of filing the adoption petition in court. iv. Prospective adoptive parents should be patient as the time fame may differ depending on the judge assigned the file. Travelling to Uganda.