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Married couples, unmarried couples, gay and lesbian couples, and individuals can adopt. The reasons why people decide to apply to adopt are many. Each families aspirations and the factors which have brought them to the point
of making this decision are never the same.
A large number of all adoptions are by step parents but the reasons for this decision are probably very different from those who choose
to adopt in most other situations.
Some adoption applicants have come to terms with their infertility and find adoption a very natural thing to do. Others might wish to
add to their existing family or have a desire to help a child from a different country, ethnic background or culture. Many feel that they would like
to share the good things in their lives with a child who is less fortunate.
There are strict criteria for all applicants, which are expected to be met. For the adoption of babies and very young children there
will be little flexibility exercised by the agencies for applicants who do not meet them. For older children the agencies can often be a little more
flexible.
There are no set requirements regarding prospective adopters being in a certain salary bracket, owning their own home or having a
certain standard of education. There is simply no "ideal type" of adopter. Each agency will be looking for people from all kinds of
backgrounds and with a variety of life experiences to meet the needs of the children for whom they are responsible.
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