You may be in employment, at home with caring responsibilities or may be on state benefits.

Whatever your position, you will need to be able to demonstrate that you can financially support yourself and the basic needs of a child placed with you both now and, as far as is foreseeable, until the child’s adulthood.

We will help you to get all the benefits to which you are entitled and in exceptional circumstances financial assistance may be available where it is considered that an adoption would not otherwise be possible for the child.

You can find more information on adoption pay and leave entitlement on the Government's GOV.UK website [external website].

You could be single or in a stable and permanent relationship with another person of any sex (married, civil partnership or living together).

There is no specific requirement for a particular kind of relationship or arrangement, as long as it is stable.

You should discuss any concerns with us as soon as possible.

Generally you need to live within about one hour's travel time from Bromley, so we can work with and support you.

You can own your home, be buying on a mortgage or be renting accommodation in the private or public sector.

Whatever your living arrangement, it needs to be secure and you need to have a bedroom available which is not shared with any other child.

It is not essential to have a garden either.

You need to be at least 21 and whilst there is no specific upper age limit, single applicants and at least one partner in a couple should be no more than 45 years older than any child they seek to adopt.

Aside from this you must be able to demonstrate that they possess the health and energy to meet the many and varied demands of children throughout their childhood and into their young adulthood.

We will ask you to undertake a medical examination, through your GP, which will be considered by our Medical Advisor.

If you think there may be physical, emotional or mental health issues in you or your partner's background, you should discuss these with us as soon as possible.

Applicants who smoke will not be approved for babies or children under five, or for children of any age with breathing difficulties or health related issues that could be aggravated by passive smoking.

We will encourage and help all people who want to adopt to give up smoking, not just for the impact on the child’s health but also for the model presented to children and the known impact of smoking.

There are a range of specified offences against children which automatically disqualify anyone from becoming an adoptive parent and you, your partner and any other adult members of the household will need to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check (what used to be called an enhanced Police Check).

Further information about the Disclosure and Barring Service can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service[external website].

There are also other offences that would need careful consideration; if you or your partner or other members of your close family have been cautioned or convicted of any offences, please discuss this with us as early as possible.

Most children love animals, but if you have pets they need to be safe for children to be around.

You also need to be aware that a child could be allergic to some animals, this could be an issue to resolve in some cases.

You will be asked to complete a Pet Questionnaire, this is to assess whether your pets have health and safety implications.

If this may apply to you, please speak to us as soon as possible.

We recognise that fertility investigations and treatment can be emotionally draining, we need you to be psychologically ready to move on before applying to adopt.

In view of this, we will usually advise you to wait for six months after the end of treatment but you are welcome to come to our information events.

Major life events such as bereavement, moving house, redundancy, etc, may also be very distressing and/or disruptive and we will need to discuss the implications of these events with you.

If you already have a child or children, you should carefully consider their needs and whether they are supportive of your decision to adopt a new brother or sister.

Usually, any adopted child should be the youngest with at least a two year gap between the youngest child in your family and the adopted child.