There are very few court orders that actually change who a person is but an adoption order does just that. There can be no greater intrusion into Family Life by the State than for a court to make a placement order paving the way to the child ceasing to be a member of one family and, at a stroke, belonging to another. This Practical Guide covers the range of processes in the Courts in England and Wales and in Local Authorities and other Adoption Agencies here that relate to the adoption of UK children. It includes how prospective adopters become approved, how a parent's wish for the child to be adopted is formalised, the placement for adoption route, the application to adopt and the effect of adoption orders. It also deals with the choice between adoption and special guardianship, applications to revoke placement orders or to join in and oppose adoption applications, step-parent adoption and the issue of contact after placement and adoption orders have been made. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Having been Senior Partner and Head of Family Law Team at Pickerings (a Legal 500 practice) and having specialised in family law since the 1980s, Graham is now a consultant within the firm's Children Law team, representing children, parents, prospective parents and clinics in public and private law cases, with a special emphasis on care, adoption and surrogacy matters. He has presented training courses for solicitors, barristers and legal executives on a variety of children law subjects across the country for a number of training organisations since 1997.