Assessment Service
Welcome to Intercounty Adoption Centre Assessment Service Information page.
About the Service
IAC was registered as a Voluntary Adoption Agency in November 2008 and our assessment service for prospective intercountry adopters commenced in April 2009.
As an agency we firmly believe that intercountry adoption may offer some children the only chance they have of growing up within a secure and loving family. Our aim is therefore to ensure that families who come forward to consider intercountry adoption are offered a professional and timely service which combines assessment of suitablitiy and safeguarding of children with education on adoptive parenting, in order that those who move forward to adopt a child are fully informed and prepared for the task. The same safeguards and standards which apply in domestic adoption, are applied in intercountry adoption to protect the welfare of the child.
Guidance published by the department for Education and Skills places a duty upon adoption agencies to counsel, prepare and assess prospective adopters before specific children are identified. Occasionally prospective adopters are related to the children they wish to adopt and this agency is also able to prepare and assess relatives who wish to adopt kin overseas.Please note that this is a costed service.
Who might use the IAC service?
To qualify for an assessment through Intercountry Adoption Centre you must:
- Live within the boundaries of a Local Authority who has contracted with IAC to provide an intercountry adoption service to applicants who are resident in their geographical areas. Local Authorities who have contracted with IAC are listed on this page.
- Plan to work through an approved adoption agency or accredited and recognised charitable organisation in your country of choice which operates proper safeguards and controls, exchanges reports at agency or government level, and only places children when the requirements of both countries are met.
- Satisfy the requirements and procedures of both the child’s country of origin, the eligibility criteria in the UK ( including those laid down by the Home Office Borders & Immigration Agency) and the suitability criteria of this Adoption Agency.
Information about individual countries’ requirements can be obtained from IAC publications and from the Advice Line. The Agency’s eligibility and suitability criteria are listed in the Information Pack for Applicants under Appendix 1 which is available to any enquirer. Please call Maia on 0208 447 4751 for more information about this pack.
It is important to note that if you do not hold a British Passport, before we can consider an application from you, we may, in certain circumstances, ask you to obtain legal advice about whether you can meet the immigration rules regarding the sponsorship of a child in intercountry adoption.
For a brief overview of assessment see the Assessment Overview page