Angelina Jolie has adopted two children abroad. Mia Farrow's 4 biological children have 10 adopted siblings, from places as far away as Vietnam, China and Calcutta. Even Madonna is hoping to join this exclusive club.

But is adopting a child from abroad always the best plan? Felicity Collier, Chief Executive of BAAF Adoption and Fostering offers some advice.

Raisingkids member's question
My husband and I already have 2 children of our own and would like to have at least one more child. We are considering adopting a child from overseas who would otherwise have a difficult start in life, possible a girl baby from China. Please can you advise us about the legal aspects?

Felicity Collier's reply
There are many children in the UK waiting for adoption and you might like to find out more about adoption here before embarking on adoption from overseas. There is lots of information about adopting UK children on BAAF's web site (www.baaf.org.uk).

If you do decide to adopt from overseas you can get initial information from the Overseas Adoption Helpline on different countries and on the process and implications info@oah.org.uk.

You will need to have a home study done by an adoption agency. This will probably be the Social Services Department of your local authority although there are a very small number of voluntary adoption agencies which do this, depending where you live. The home study will usually take about 6 months. There will be a charge for this (although not for a home study for adoption of a UK child).

After this you will be linked with a child in your chosen country. You will need to travel there to complete the requirements of that country. The country you choose will determine whether or not you need to re-adopt the child under UK law on your return to the UK.

As you will see, adoption from another country can take quite a long time. While you may have the opportunity to parent a baby, children whose families and communities have been unable to care for them will need a lot of help and understanding from their adoptive parents to develop a positive sense of their own identity and to understand the reasons why they have been adopted in another country. Children who have been cared for in a large institution, or those for whom there is very little information about their birth family may have emotional and health problems as they grow up.

BAAF's Advice Note 'Inter-country adoption' tells you more about the procedures, legal requirements and where to obtain help and assistance.