Non-agency adoption is the name given to adoption applications which involve a child who has not been placed with the prospective adopter by an adoption agency.
The principal categories of non-agency adoption are:
In the majority of cases, the child must have lived with the prospective adopter for a minimum duration of time before the application can be made:
If a prospective adopter does not fulfil the residence requirement which applies to their circumstances, it is still possible to make an application but leave of the court is required first.
