My children have been taken into care and Social Services say they will be
adopted. Is there anything I can do to stop this?
Nothing can be done without your agreement or a court order, and you will
have the opportunity of fighting the case in court. If there are care
proceedings, you can get free Legal Aid by contacting a solicitor who
specialises in children cases.
We have two children placed with us by Social Services with a view to
adoption. The Social Worker is too busy to help, and tells us we should get on
with the court application. How do we do this?
See this site for a detailed explanation of adoption court proceedings and
what's involved. Your local Magistrates or County Court (under 'C' for court in
the Phone Book) will provide the forms but they're a pig, and it might be better
to get help from a solicitor first!
My children were made the subject of a full Care Order last year, and the
judge approved Social Services' Care Plan for adoption. I have just been told
there is an adoption hearing next week. What can I do?
Get help fast. It's often the case there is short notice of court hearings,
although this may be a preliminary hearing rather than the final decision. If a
Freeing Order has been made, the decision has been made already: if not, then a
solicitor may be able to get Legal Aid to fight the case. Be warned, though,
that if an adoption plan has already been approved, there may not be any
defence.
We have been asked if we will adopt our nephew's two children in Hong Kong.
How do we go about it?
There are lots of immigration requirements to look at, quite apart from the
law on adoption. Hong Kong is a designated country so adoption in Hong Kong will
be recognized here. You will have to prove that your nephew is unable to care
for the child himself, for a start. Have a look at the DoH website for more
details.
My ex-partner never paid a penny of maintenance for my son, who is now aged
eleven. My new partner and I would like to adopt him. Is it right we have to get
Social Services' permission?
Yes, any adoption application must be notified to Social Services, who will
carry out a full investigation for the court, even if your ex-partner agrees to
the adoption. You must be married to your new partner (an unmarried couple
cannot adopt) and be able to prove that you have a stable and lasting
relationship and that there will be positive benefits to your son from adoption.