Our Advice Line is the starting point if you are thinking about intercountry adoption. One of our expert Coram IAC advisors can provide you with clear and accurate information that will assist you in making choices going forwards.
About our Advice Line
Many local authorities use our Advice Line services, so that we can provide their residents with support and advice about getting started with intercountry adoption. Most importantly, we can help you to determine if you are eligible to start an adoption assessment to become an approved adopter. Typically, prospective adopters are looking to find out:
- What is involved in adopting a child from abroad
- Eligibility criteria for different countries
- Legal processes to be followed when adopting from abroad
- Needs of children overseas waiting for adoption
- Eligibility to adopt a related child in need from abroad
- Costs of intercountry adoption
Our Advice Line is run by qualified social workers and trained advisors with years of experience in intercountry adoption. Anyone contacting us can raise questions, concerns and anxieties in confidence and explore their own individual situation. We do not provide legal advice but can recommend lawyers with expertise in the field of adoption.
Areas covered - England and Wales
You can contact the Information & Advice Line for guidance and details about the adoption assessment process if you live in the Welsh and English local authority areas listed below. For residents of English subscribing local authorities, we offer a full assessment service and we also support our approved adopters through the entire process of their adoption and after they return to the UK.
The service is also open to British nationals living overseas who are exploring intercountry adoption.
English local authority areas
- Bath and North East Somerset Council
- Bedford Borough Council
- Birmingham Children’s Trust for Birmingham City Council
- Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
- Blackpool Council
- Bolton Borough Council
- Bracknell Forest Council
- Brighton & Hove City Council
- Bristol City Council
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
- Buckinghamshire Council
- Bury Borough Council
- Cambridgeshire County Council
- Central Bedfordshire Council
- Cheshire East Council
- City of London
- Cornwall Council
- Coventry City Council
- Cumbria County Council
- Darlington Borough Council
- Devon County Council
- Dudley Council
- East Sussex County Council
- Essex County Council
- Gateshead Council
- Gloucestershire County Council
- Guernsey
- Hampshire County Council
- Hartlepool Borough Council
- Herefordshire Council
- Hertfordshire County Council
- Kent County Council
- Knowsley Council
- Lancashire County Council
- Liverpool City Council
- London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
- London Borough of Barnet
- London Borough of Bexley
- London Borough of Brent
- London Borough of Bromley
- London Borough of Camden
- London Borough of Croydon
- London Borough of Ealing
- London Borough of Enfield
- London Borough of Greenwich
- London Borough of Hackney
- London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
- London Borough of Haringey
- London Borough of Harrow
- London Borough of Havering
- London Borough of Hillingdon
- London Borough of Hounslow
- London Borough of Islington
- London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
- London Borough of Lambeth
- London Borough of Lewisham
- London Borough of Merton
- London Borough of Newham
- London Borough of Redbridge
- London Borough of Richmond
- London Borough of Southwark
- London Borough of Sutton
- London Borough of Tower Hamlets
- London Borough of Waltham Forest
- London Borough of Wandsworth
- Luton Borough Council
- Manchester City Council
- Medway Council
- Middlesborough Council
- Milton Keynes Council
- Newcastle City Council
- Norfolk County Council
- Northamptonshire Children’s Trust (North & West Northamptonshire Councils)
- North Somerset Council
- North Tyneside Council
- Northumberland County Council
- Oldham Council
- Oxfordshire County Council
- Peterborough City Council
- Portsmouth City Council
- Plymouth City Council
- Reading Borough Council
- Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
- Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames
- Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead
- Salford City Council
- Sandwell Council
- Sefton Council
- Shropshire County Council
- Stockton on Tees Borough Council
- Slough Borough Council (Slough Children’s Services Trust)
- Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
- Somerset County Council
- Southampton City Council
- Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
- South Gloucestershire Council
- South Tyneside Council
- Staffordshire County Council
- Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council
- Suffolk County Council
- Sunderland City Council (Together for Children)
- Surrey County Council
- Swindon Borough Council
- Peterborough City Council
- Tameside Borough Council
- Telford & Wrekin Council
- Thurrock Council
- Torbay Council
- Trafford Council
- Walsall Council
- Warrington Borough Council
- Warwickshire County Council
- West Berkshire Council
- West Sussex County Council
- Westminster City Council
- Wigan Borough Council
- Wiltshire Council
- Wirral Council
- Wokingham Borough Council
- Wolverhampton City Council
- Worcestershire County Council
Welsh local authority areas
- Gwynedd Council (Cyngor Gwynedd)
- Isle of Anglesey County Council (Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn)
- Conwy Borough Council (Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy)
- Denbighshire County Council (Cyngor Sir Ddinbych)
- Flintshire County Council (Cyngor Sir y Fflint)
- Wrexham County Borough Council (Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Wrecsam)
- Monmouthshire County Council (Cyngor Sir Fynwy)
- Newport City Council (Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd)
- Torfaen County Borough (Bwrdeistref Sirol Torfaen)
- Caerphilly County Borough Council (Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili)
- Blaenau-Gwent County Borough Council (Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Blaenau Gwent)
- Cardiff Council (Cyngor Caerdydd)
- Vale of Glamorgan Council (Cyngor Bro Morgannwg)
- Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Rhondda Cynon Taf)
- Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Merthyr Tudful)
- Bridgend County Borough Council (Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr)
- Neath Port Talbot Council (Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot)
- Swansea Council (Cyngor Abertawe)
- Pembrokeshire County Council (Cyngor Sir Benfro)
- Carmarthenshire County Council (Cyngor Sir Gâr)
- Ceredigion County Council (Cyngor Sir Ceredigion)
- Powys County Council (Cyngor Sir Powys)
Local authority areas which are not subscribed to Coram IAC
If you live in a local authority which does not partner with Coram IAC, the local authority has a legal duty and must provide you with advice and information about intercountry adoption through their adoption service. You may still apply to attend a Coram IAC information sessions to supplement the advice and counselling available from your local authority, but they would remain responsible for your assessment and approval processes. Under certain circumstances, and with the agreement of your local authority, Coram IAC may be able to offer you an assessment service, but decisions about whether this is possible are made on a case by case basis.
If you wish to adopt from South Africa, you will need to join the Coram IAC South Africa Programme once you are approved by your local authority. Coram IAC is the named partner agency in relation to South African adoptions and the agency has a mediating role in cases where a UK family is adopting from South Africa. In these circumstances, if you are being assessed by your local authority, you should contact the Advice Line at the start of your assessment, so that we can share information about the South Africa programme with you, and check your eligibility before you commit to the process.
Get in touch
Don’t know where to start? Contact our free Advice Line service for further information on eligibility, costs and what to expect on the intercountry adoption journey.