The laws which govern adoption in the UK place the needs
and welfare of the child at centre of the process.
The Adoption
and Children Act 2002 makes the child's welfare
paramount in all court and adoption agency
decisions relating to adoption
- including parental consent to adoption.
The other key principles covered by this legislation include the
following:
- Preventing delay - Emphasises the need for
undue delay in planning for permanence and adoption when
children cannot be cared for by their own birth family
- Promoting planning for permanence - Widens the options for
adoption and permanency by extending residence orders to 18 years
where appropriate and new special guardianship legislation
- Broadening the range of potential adoptive parents -
Prospective adopters can now include unmarried couples, single
people and same sex couples
- Taking a lifelong view of adoption - Acknowledges the
lifelong impact of adoption on those involved requiring adoption
agencies to assess the support needs of those affected by adoption.
Also sets out a far more consistent approach to the release of
sensitive and identifying information held in adoption
records
For further information please read the
Adoption
and Children Act 2002 or contact our
Adoption Team.
