Children

A58 form: apply to adopt a child, including a stepchild

Form A58 is the application for an adoption order under section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. GOV.UK says you apply by post for a step-parent adoption and for other adoptions that are not post-placement adoptions.

Fill in the A58 form with Wren

How Wren helps with the A58

Official forms are written for lawyers. With Wren you do not have to decode this one on your own, and you still follow the court’s procedure.

Plain questions, one at a timeEach part of the A58 becomes short questions in everyday words. Answer at your own pace and come back to it.
Help beside each questionWhat the question is asking and what the official guidance says about it, in plain English.
The official form, filled inYour answers go into the official A58. You check it, sign it and send it yourself. Nothing goes to the court for you.
What comes next, kept with your caseWhat usually happens after you send it, with the dates worked out from the published rules.

Time and money

On your own: A day or more
With Wren: About an hour for most forms
Solicitor for this form: £740 to £1,2403 to 5 hours

A solicitor’s time for the A58 can run to £1,240. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes about an hour for most forms rather than a day or more.

Times and hours are Wren’s estimates for a typical case, not quotes. Solicitor costs are those hours at £247 an hour, the courts’ guideline rate for a solicitor with over four years’ experience, outside London (GOV.UK, Solicitors' guideline hourly rates (in effect from 1 January 2026)). The guideline runs from £200 to £295 an hour outside London depending on experience, firms set their own rates, and VAT is added on top.

Official title: Apply for an adoption order: Form A58
Edition: 06.21 (15 pages, including what to send)Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Fee: GOV.UK gives the court fee as £212. You may be able to get help with fees.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Notice to the council: At least three months and not more than 2 years before you start the application; the court needs written confirmationSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Copies: The form and three copies, with the fee and the documents the form listsSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
The law: Adoption and Children Act 2002, section 46 (adoption orders)Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the A58

A person or couple applying to adopt, for example a step-parent who is the partner of the child's parent.

When it is used

If you are the partner of the child's parent, GOV.UK says you must tell your local council at least 3 months before applying, and the child must have lived with you both for at least 6 months. The form says notice must be given not more than 2 years before you apply.

Before you start

A certified copy of the child's full birth certificate.
The local authority's details and the date you notified it.
Details of any orders about the child, maintenance, and other proceedings.
The child's parents' names, addresses, nationality and occupation.
Any consent forms (A104, A107) and certificates you rely on.

How to fill in the A58

Open each part for what it asks and how to answer it. In Wren, each part is a few plain questions, and your answers fill in the form.

About you

Your details, and a second applicant's if you are applying as a couple, including your full occupation and your relationship to the child.

Domicile and status

Whether you are domiciled or habitually resident in the British Islands, and, if applying alone, which status applies. A step-parent applying alone ticks (l) and goes to Part 2.

About the child

The child's details, any agency placement, the local authority you notified, and any placement, freeing, care or maintenance orders and other proceedings.

Parents, guardian and consent

The child's parents and any guardian, whether the father or other parent has parental responsibility, and the consent position.

General and signing

The child's name after adoption, health reports, declarations, and the statement of truth, signed on paper.

Prepare your A58 with Wren Family

Wren Family turns official forms into short, plain-English questions you can answer at your own pace. You check everything before you send it: nothing goes to the court for you.

Get started

Free for 14 days, no card. Then £19.99 a month, with your money back within 14 days if it’s not right.

What happens after you send it

GOV.UK says it can take up to 6 weeks before the court contacts you about a hearing date. The court asks the local council for a report. If the order is made, the General Register Office creates an adoption certificate.

Common mistakes

Applying before the council has had 3 months' notice, or more than 2 years after giving it.
Giving a vague occupation. GOV.UK's notes say it appears on the adoption order, so give the full title.
Using one application for several children. GOV.UK says each child needs a separate application.
Putting identifying details in a statement of facts the court will send to a parent.

Common questions

Do I need the other birth parent's consent?

GOV.UK's notes say you do not need the consent of a father or other parent who does not have parental responsibility. Otherwise consent is usually given on form A104, or you ask the court to dispense with it and attach a statement of facts.

Do I need health reports?

The form says not if the child was placed by an adoption agency, if the child is your child or the other applicant's, or if you are applying alone as the partner of the child's parent.

Where these facts come from

These are the official rules and pages this page is based on. They are listed so you can check a detail for yourself; you do not need them to use Wren. They are outside Wren and open in a new tab.

Last checked against its sources on 7 October 2026. How we check our pages.