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Adoption provides a child with new legal parents and ends the
legal relationship between the child and the birth
parents.
Once granted, the adoption order is final and permanent,
completely transferring legal parental responsibility from you to
the adoptive parents. The child takes the surname of their
adopters. When assessing an application for an adoption order, the
Court will take many factors into account, including how other
family members, including grandparents, will be affected if the
order is granted. The Court will want to be sure that the adoption
is in the best long-term interests of the child.
You may be considering having your child adopted
You may be a new parent who has not had the same support during
your pregnancy and childbirth as other new parents. Those around
you may not have known what to say as they were aware your child
might be considered for adoption - or you may not have had anyone
to talk with to help you decide if adoption is the right choice in
your situation. We can help by providing independent
counselling.
If adoption is seen as the best plan for your child, the adoption
agency will start looking for a suitable new family. Wherever
possible we will try to find a family of the same ethnic and
cultural origin as your child and will consider your wishes about
the child's religious upbringing. The adoptive parents will be
fully assessed, with the needs of your child given priority, as
part of a careful process before your child moves into the new
home.
You may wish to meet the adoptive parents. You may decide to write
a letter or send a photograph of yourself. The level and form of
contact with your child after adoption will be discussed and will
depend upon your child's needs. The adoptive parents will then
apply to the Court for an adoption order and you will be asked to
sign an agreement for your child to be adopted.
Do you disagree with the adoption?
You may be the parent of an older child or children who have
been looked after by the local authority and for whom there is now
an adoption plan with which you may or may not agree. You should
obtain legal advice. You will also be offered counselling from the
Kent Independent Service for Kinship and Adopters (KISKA).
If you wish to contest the adoption plan, your Citizens Advice
Bureau should be able to put you in touch with a solicitor and you
may be entitled to legal aid. The Court will ask an independent
social worker to visit you. Their job is to safeguard your child's
interests and so they will want you to explain why you disagree
with the adoption plan so that your views can be reported to the
Court. You will also have the chance to attend the Court hearing
yourself, if you want to, and to state your objections. The Court
will not make an adoption order unless it is sure it is in your
child's best interests.
The Children Act 1989 asks social workers to explore the
possibility of placing the child within the extended family if they
cannot be cared for by the birth parent. In every decision the
child's welfare is the first consideration.
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