Fostering and adoption in Lagos: the 2026 update

What changed in 2026?

On 21 July 2026, the Lagos State Ministry of Youths and Social Development held a stakeholders’ meeting in Ikeja on adoption, guardianship and fostering. The Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, described the three as pathways that give vulnerable children hope, stability and nurturing family environments (NAN, 22 July 2026 (opens in a new tab)). Two announcements stood out.

1. Fostering services begin

“The commencement of fostering services will provide temporary family-based care, reduce unnecessary institutionalisation and expand safe family placement opportunities for vulnerable children,” the commissioner said. The Permanent Secretary, Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu, added that fostering “will expand regulated family-based care, enabling vulnerable children to grow in stable and nurturing family environments” (NAN (opens in a new tab)).

2. Automated childcare services

The commissioner also announced automated childcare services for orphanage homes, which he said would improve efficiency, accountability, transparency, record management, monitoring, inter-agency coordination and public confidence in child welfare administration (NAN, 22 July 2026 (opens in a new tab)). The software partner, Both Ends Believing, said the tool would help the government monitor orphanages, combat trafficking and make every child visible in the records.

Who approves an adoption in Lagos?

At a meeting with orphanage operators on 1 July 2026, the ministry’s legal head, Kemi Olugbode, explained the legal basis (NAN, 2 July 2026 (opens in a new tab)):

• Section 1 of the Child’s Rights Law places the best interests of the child above every other consideration.
• Section 73 prohibits the illegal acquisition of custody of children by non-relatives.
• Only the appropriate authority, including the Commissioner, can approve an adoption; by law, the Commissioner is the custodian of all children in the state.

In practice this means a child cannot lawfully be “given” to you by an orphanage, a hospital, a relative of the child or an intermediary. Every placement has to go through the ministry.

Can every child in an orphanage be adopted?

No. Speaking to NAN at the same July meeting, the founder of Hope at Last Orphanage Home, Adebayo Adeleke, said not every child in an orphanage is available for adoption, because some children remain under investigation for proper identification (NAN (opens in a new tab)). The state has also stressed documentation, case management and family tracing where applicable (NAN, 1 July 2026 (opens in a new tab)).

How to start: a careful checklist

1. Go to the ministry, not to an intermediary. Contact the Lagos State Ministry of Youths and Social Development, whose officials include a Director of Adoption Services. Its official website is youthandsocialdevelopment.lagosstate.gov.ng (it could not be reached when we checked on 11 October 2026).
2. Ask for the current requirements and fees in writing. Procedures and fees published on unofficial websites may be out of date.
3. Ask how fostering applications work. The July 2026 reports announce the start of fostering but do not give eligibility rules or the level of support, so ask the ministry directly.
4. Get independent legal advice. A family lawyer can explain how the Child’s Rights Law of Lagos State applies to your situation.
5. Keep records. The Director of Adoption Services, Dr Modupeola Sahid-Adebambo, encouraged adoptive parents to keep every piece of information about the children in their care, and said orphanages should hand over items such as pictures and clothes so that families can create memories together (NAN (opens in a new tab)).

What this means for orphanage homes

Homes are part of the system: the Permanent Secretary said effective child protection needs partnerships with orphanages, the judiciary, health care providers, law enforcement agencies and development partners (NAN (opens in a new tab)). She also suggested record books for adoptive parents to document children’s development. The minimum standards for homes are explained in our guide How to help orphanage homes in Lagos responsibly.

SOVCI is not an adoption or fostering agency. We support orphanage homes in Ojo with outreaches and events, and we follow these changes because they affect the children we serve. Our news section has short context stories on the July 2026 meeting and on standards for orphanage homes.