Adoption and Children Act 2002 (UK)

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Once these requirements are satisfied a child can be transferred to the State where the prospective adopters reside to allow the legal adoption process to take place. In the UK the adoption must then be registered at the Office of the Registrar General for England and Wales. An application can be made for the child to receive citizenship from the date of adoption. The birth parents of the child still have a legal responsibility including with international adoption, but their parental responsibility is limited. How Special Guardianship worksOne or more people can be appointed as a child’s Special Guardian. This means: This is a guardian who has been appointed by the court in adoption proceedings or in any family proceedings where a question arises with respect to the welfare of the child. The Special Guardian then acquires parental responsibility for the child and can usually exercise parental responsibility to the exclusion of any other person with parental responsibility, (apart from another Special Guardian). The Child at the CentreIt was recognised that foster care and adoption sometimes overlooked the actually needs of the children in these situations. The new Act makes it a judicial responsibility for all the agency’s involved in the adoption process must put the needs and welfare of the child first. This is the Act’s guiding principle.

If the adoption is through an adoption agency, the adoption application cannot be lodged until the child has been with the applicants for at least 10 weeks. The first stage of the Act dealing with Local Authorities duties to provide an adoption service and support services was implemented in April 2003. The second stage relating to inter-country adoptions came into effect on 1st June 2003 and the third stage relating to Adoption Support Services was implemented on the 31st October 2003. Changes to parental responsibility were implemented on 1st December 2003. The changes to the adopted children register took place on 30th December 2005. f) The relationship of the child with relatives and "other relevant people" (e.g. the benefits to the child of the relationship continuing, the ability of the relatives to provide the child with a secure home). An adoption agency, which discloses information in contravention of the Act commits a criminal offence and will be liable on conviction to a fine.Establishing safeguards to ensure that inter-country adoptions take place in the best interests of the child. The Adoption and Children Act 2002 is a law that allows unmarried or married people and same-sex couples in England and Wales to adopt children. The reforms introduced in the Act were based on a comprehensive review of adoption and were described by The Guardian as "the most radical overhaul of adoption legislation for almost 30 years". [1]

Ensure that any consent by the natural parents has been given freely and that they understand the effect of their consent. The Act provides for the establishment of a review procedure in respect of decisions made by adoption agencies regarding adoption. A person in respect of whom a decision has been made regarding adoption will be able to apply to a review panel for a review of the decision. The intention is to give the prospective adopters a right to request a referral to a panel run by an independent organisation where an adoption panel indicates that it is minded to turn down their application to adopt. No Postcode LotteryThe adoption agencies across the country had varied their assessment process. The new Act gives these agencies guidelines they must follow. This should deliver a more consistent assessment process for all adoptive people moving through the adoption process.The new Adoption and Children Act 2002 came into force in December 2005, replacing the Adoption Act 1976 and the Children Act 1989. The new Act modernised the law regarding adoptive parenting in the UK and international adoption. It also enabled more people to be considered by the adoption agency as prospective adoptive parents. The new Act also places the needs of the child being adopted above all else. What Mechanisms are in Place Under the Act for Adopted Adults, Birth Parents and Others to Obtain Information About the Adoption? It is also intended that this independent review mechanism will also be used to review decisions made by adoption agencies concerning the disclosure of protected information held by the agency, where the Agency has a discretion under the Act as to whether to disclose such information.

The authorities in the country where the child is to be brought must ensure that the prospective adopters are eligible and suitable to adopt, that they have consented and that the child is authorised to enter and live permanently in that country. No Blanket BanIn the past some adoption agencies had a policy that would ban certain groups of people from adopting children. A good example is people that smoke. It is now a legal requirement that the adoption agency looks at each prospective parent that wants to adopt in more detail, often taking medical advice before they come to their final decision.

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To place a duty on local authorities to maintain an adoption service and provide adoption support services. h) Providing an assessment of the needs of adopted children and their families for adoption support services.

The Act also introduced a procedure to allow people to trace relatives placed for adoption through an intermediary if both persons are over 18. g) Provision of an adoptive support services advisor and adoption support plans for adoptive families The Act also allows for the introduction of special guardianship, a legal status that allows for a child to be cared for by a person with rights similar to a traditional legal guardian, but without a requirement for absolute legal separation from the child's birth parents. [2] [3] Special guardianship provisions were passed into law by statutory instrument in 2005 and came into force in 2006. [4] My son sees his daughter Lola twice a week and they adore each other. Tomorrow we are in court and the judge will decide whether to place Lola with her dad or allow these two women to adopt her and her half brother.

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e) The harm or risk of harm to the child. (This includes any impairment to the child's health or development as a result of witnessing the ill treatment of another person). To overhaul and modernise the legal framework for domestic and inter-country adoption and in particular to replace provisions of the outdated Adoption Act 1976.