Step child adoption for dummies (well I'm the dummy...)

[vintagemug]

My OH is wanting to adopt my kids, their biological mom has ok'd it and I'm wanting to know what to do next?
I'm waiting for a ring back from the local permanency team but is there anything I should be aware of?
The girls have lived with me since their biological mom and I split 4 years ago, I've been with my current partner for 3 years, have lived in the same house for 18 months and we're getting married next month. When I've tried to look into adoption it seems a very long winded affair with social workers and reports... Is this right? It seems like a very drawn out way of making our current situation "legal"

How ever long winded it is, if something happened to you, who do you want the children to be with?

If it's your OH, then jump through what ever hoops they put in front of you.

whatever needs to be done will be done, I just want to know if anyone has experience of the procedures...

America? No, Teesside.

We nearly went through this in Scotland. We had to get a report from Social Work Dept who contacted my family, my dp's family and ds biological dad and his family. We were lucky as bio dad is absent father not named on Birth Certificate so i could have as easily just that i did not know who he was. I didn't and it didn't matter as bio dad did not object. Report went fine and all we had to do was go to court to carry out the legal bit. From the outset we had hoped to do this ourselves as it was a straight forward step adoption (i.e. no objections) and from what we had read this is supposed to be a straight forward procedure, and if we did have any queries, we were advised to contact the local Sheriff Officer who was supposed to give us guidance. We did contact the local Sheriff Officer whose whole advice was contact a solicitor. We then went to a solicitor in the hope that she would give us a run through of the legal bit (What the Sheriff Officer is supposed to do) and she didn't, but she gave us a quote to carry out the work of over £6,000! Suffice to say we didn't go ahead :( So if any one else knows how the legal side works (I think it is a case of filling in forms and lodging them with the court) I would be mighty interested. I kinda feel a bit sad that we went through the process of getting all the Social Work side of it sorted out and failing at the last hurdle due to costs. (Apparently this is available on legal aid but we were not entitled to it!)

I'm not sure if the law and procedure is the same in the UK... anybody know?

Sorry being English I do have to point out that Scotland is part of the UK. You need to know the law in England OP.

Thanks to TTHH for her help.......

I've got the info from the court today so a special thanks for all the other replies offering help and advice.

Oh, wait......

Wonder why the bio mum keeps away from the 'touchy' op?

Op, you are askig the courts to remove your childrens mothers parental rights. For ever. The court has to be sure that this is in the childrens best interetsts so its bound to be complicated.

There are other orders that dont remove their mothers parental rights but give soem rights to their step mother. Why dont you consider applying for one of these?

Are you new to mumsnet? You do seem rather touchy

I didn't think she came across as touchy, a bit sarcastic maybe regarding the lack of advice but I can tell from personal experience that theres not much info out there. Im a bit at Lisaro's reply. Why highlight the word mum. And sometimes adoption is the best way forward.

Sorry, he [oops]