How easy is it to adopt 17yr old stepdaughter?

SUPERSTARDJ01

Hi all,

I would like to adopt my stepdaughter, ive been the father shes lnown crom age 1, her biological father has stated he wamts nothing to do with her, but as shes over 16 do we have to go through social services?

Any other advise would be much appreciated.

Thank you

Guest101

I believe you would need his consent to get PR, which in essence the same thing.

Formal adoption, requires an
Assessment - https://www.gov.uk/child-adoption/adopting-a-stepchild

SUPERSTARDJ01

Not possible, no one knows where he is not even his mother.

Silvertabby

Once she is 18, she can 'adopt' you by changing her surname to yours by deed poll.

System

You would need to start the process asap, because once she's 18 she is legally an adult and AFAIK you can't adopt an adult.

Mojisola

SUPERSTARDJ01 wrote: »

I would like to adopt my stepdaughter, ive been the father shes lnown crom age 1, her biological father has stated he wamts nothing to do with her, but as shes over 16 do we have to go through social services?

Any other advise would be much appreciated.

If you think of her as your daughter and want her to inherit from you, you will have to name her specifically in your will (until/unless you manage to adopt her).

As a step-child, she has no automatic rights of inheritance under intestacy and, if your will just says "my child/ren", that won't include her.

Robisere

I named my step son and daughter in my will, and the solicitor added a statement at my request that I will not recognise any other children as my descendants, for inheritance purposes. There is a reason for that, however I respect that they kept their own decision of family name: ds has kept his biological father's name, ds has changed her family name to her grandfather's name. They both call me dad and I have raised them as dad, I don't have a problem with family names.

Their grandparents and biological father passed away.

Geoff1963

I don't have a problem with family names.

Daughters lose the family name naturally when they get married, quite right to not be bothered.

LilElvis

Geoff1963 wrote: »

Daughters lose the family name naturally when they get married, quite right to not be bothered.

Really? I've been married for 11 years and still have the surname I was born with. It's my name - why would marrying someone change that. Some women choose to use their husband's surname after marriage, but its just that - a choice - not something you have to do.

krlyr

Any particular reason on the adopting? I consider my stepdad to be more of a father to me than my biological dad (infact, I even called him Dad once, it just came out!) but I don't feel the need for a piece of paperwork to say so. I know it's personal, but might be worth looking at what you're aiming to achieve and if adoption is necessarily the way to do that.

theoretica

Does she want to be adopted by you?