I have been married for three years, and my wife’s children from a previous marriage live with us. Their father is still very much on the scene, and they stay with him at weekends. I would like to adopt them; what rights do I have, and how would I go about it?
While the father is around it’s most unlikely that you will be able to adopt your stepchildren. You would need their father’s consent, and while he’s involved with the children I very much doubt this would be forthcoming: it would mean he had no further say in their future. A court wouldn’t look at an application to adopt in these circumstances, and I doubt the children would welcome such a move. It’s important to remember that they also have a relationship with their father.