Yesterday marked ten weeks since little one came home. Ten weeks is significant in the adoption process - ten weeks after a child is 'placed' with you is the earliest point you are able to apply for your Adoption Order. What is the Adoption Order and how is it different to where we are already? The adoption order gives full parental responsibility for a child to the approved adopter(s), made on their application to the court. An adoption order severs the legal ties between a birth parent and the child, so that the adoptive parent(s) become the child's legal parent(s) throughout life. (see Adoption terms explained | Coram Adoption for this and others) Currently we have a placement order and there are lines of responsibility between me, the local authority and the birth parent(s). After the, 'what does this mean' question, I usually get asked 'so, how long does that take? ' To which the answer is basically the age old, how long is a piece of string. It depe...