The Adoption and Children Act 2002 finally comes into full force on 31 December 2005 and is set to “overhaul the entire adoption landscape”.  That’s the view of Sarah Pepys, Adoption and Fostering Service Manager of the family-finding charity Parents And Children Together, based in Reading.

The Act allows courts and adoption agencies to override any other consideration other than the child’s welfare.  It even allows them to dispense with a parent’s consent to adoption.  It also highlights the need to prevent delay in planning for a permanent replacement family as soon as it is apparent that children cannot be cared for by their birth family.

Sarah Pepys believes, however, that “the single most significant change brought in by the new legislation will be that the net of potential adoptive parents will be widened. For the first time, unmarried couples will be allowed to adopt jointly which should help PACT and other, similar, agencies find more people to take up the challenge. The Act also requires local authorities to ensure that support and – crucially – financial assistance is available to anyone affected by adopting.”

In a nutshell, the Act also modifies the regulations concerning the practical functioning of Adoption Panels – that is, the independent experts and lay people who make the decision about whether someone may adopt; allows independent organisations to apply for regulation to set up adoption support services; and provides a more consistent approach to disclosure of information to adopted adults, birth relatives and others.