Petition · past parliament · Home Office

Change the adoption rules from Africa in the UK

Rejected 14 signatures

What the petition asks

Allow children from Africa to be adopted by parents in the UK without being related to the child
Apotive parents should be given the choice to adopt any child they choose no matter the race or culture

Why it was rejected

It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.

People habitually resident in the UK can already adopt children from foreign countries, including African countries, with the exception of Ethiopia: https://www.gov.uk/child-adoption/adopting-a-child-from-overseas

The Adoption and Children Act 2002 states that "due consideration" should be given to a child's "racial origins" but does not preclude adoption of children of a different race or ethnicity:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/38,

If you have a concern about how a local authority's adoption service is implementing these provisions then you should contact the relevant local authority in line with their complaints procedure, which is usually available on their website or can be obtained by phoning them.

Timeline

29 Jul 2020 Petition opened for signatures
6 Aug 2020 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 14
Status Rejected
Department Home Office
Rejected 6 Aug 2020

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.