Adoption and Children Act 2002
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
Adoption and Children Act 2002
2002 Chapter 38
An Act to restate and amend the law relating to adoption; to make further amendments of the law relating to children; to amend section 93 of the Local Government Act 2000; and for connected purposes.
[7th November 2002]
B e it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
Part 1
Adoption
Chapter 1
Introductory
1 Considerations applying to the exercise of powers
(1) This section applies whenever a court or adoption agency is coming to a decision relating to the adoption of a child.
(2) The paramount consideration of the court or adoption agency must be the child's welfare, throughout his life.
(3) The court or adoption agency must at all times bear in mind that, in general, any delay in coming to the decision is likely to prejudice the child's welfare.
(4) The court or adoption agency must have regard to the following matters (among others)—
(a) the child's ascertainable wishes and feelings regarding the decision (considered in the light of the child's age and understanding),
(b) the child's particular needs,
(c) the likely effect on the child (throughout his life) of having ceased to be a member of the original family and become an adopted person,
(d) the child's age, sex, background and any of the child's characteristics which the court or agency considers relevant,
(e) any harm (within the meaning of the Children Act 1989 (c. 41)) which the child has suffered or is at risk of suffering,
(f) the relationship which the child has with relatives, and with any other person in relation to whom the court or agency considers the relationship to be relevant, including—
(i) the likelihood of any such relationship continuing and the value to the child of its doing so,
(ii) the ability and willingness of any of the child's relatives, or of any such person, to provide the child with a secure environment in which the child can develop, and otherwise to meet the child's needs,
(iii) the wishes and feelings of any of the child's relatives, or of any such person, regarding the child.
(5) In placing the child for adoption, the adoption agency must give due consideration to the child's religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background.
(6) The court or adoption agency must always consider the whole range of powers available to it in the child's case (whether under this Act or the Children Act 1989); and the court must not make any order under this Act unless it considers that making the order would be better for the child than not doing so.
(7) In this section, ‘coming to a decision relating to the adoption of a child’, in relation to a court, includes—
(a) coming to a decision in any proceedings where the orders that might be made by the court include an adoption order (or the revocation of such an order), a placement order (or the revocation of such an order) or an order under section 26 (or the revocation or variation of such an order),
(b) coming to a decision about granting leave in respect of any action (other than the initiation of proceedings in any court) which may be taken by an adoption agency or individual under this Act,
but does not include coming to a decision about granting leave in any other circumstances.
(8) For the purposes of this section—
(a) references to relationships are not confined to legal relationships,
(b) references to a relative, in relation to a child, include the child's mother and father.
Chapter 2
The Adoption Service
The Adoption Service
2 Basic definitions
(1) The services maintained by local authorities under section 3(1) may be collectively referred to as ‘the Adoption Service’, and a local authority or registered adoption society may be referred to as an adoption agency.
(2) In this Act, ‘registered adoption society’ means a voluntary organisation which is an adoption society registered under Part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000 (c. 14); but in relation to the provision of any facility of the Adoption Service, references to a registered adoption society or to an adoption agency do not include an adoption society which is not registered in respect of that facility.
(3) A registered adoption society is to be treated as registered in respect of any facility of the Adoption Service unless it is a condition of its registration that it does not provide that facility.
(4) No application for registration under Part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000 may be made in respect of an adoption society which is an unincorporated body.
(5) In this Act—
‘the 1989 Act’ means the Children Act 1989 (c. 41),
‘adoption society’ means a body whose functions consist of or include making arrangements for the adoption of children,
‘voluntary organisation’ means a body other than a public or local authority the activities of which are not carried on for profit.
(6) In this Act, ‘adoption support services’ means—
(a) counselling, advice and information, and
(b) any other services prescribed by regulations,
in relation to adoption.
(7) The power to make regulations under subsection (6)(b) is to be exercised so as to secure that local authorities provide financial support.
(8) In this Chapter, references to adoption are to the adoption of persons, wherever they may be habitually resident, effected under the law of any country or territory, whether within or outside the British Islands.
3 Maintenance of Adoption Service
(1) Each local authority must continue to maintain within their area a service designed to meet the needs, in relation to adoption, of—
(a) children who may be adopted, their parents and guardians,
(b) persons wishing to adopt a child, and
(c) adopted persons, their parents, natural parents and former guardians;
and for that purpose must provide the requisite facilities.
(2) Those facilities must include making, and participating in, arrangements—
(a) for the adoption of children, and
(b) for the provision of adoption support services.
(3) As part of the service, the arrangements made for the purposes of subsection (2)(b)—
(a) must extend to the provision of adoption support services to persons who are within a description prescribed by regulations,
(b) may extend to the provision of those services to other persons.
(4) A local authority may provide any of the requisite facilities by securing their provision by—
(a) registered adoption societies, or
(b) other persons who are within a description prescribed by regulations of persons who may provide the facilities in question.
(5) The facilities of the service must be provided in conjunction with the local authority's other social services and with registered adoption societies in their area, so that help may be given in a co-ordinated manner without duplication, omission or avoidable delay.
(6) The social services referred to in subsection (5) are the functions of a...
To continue reading
Request your trial