Laws on adoption take a step closer

Laws which will make it easier for hundreds of children in care to be adopted took a significant step towards coming to fruition last night.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone, welcomed the passing of the Adoption (Amendment) Bill through report stage in the Dáil.

Speaking after the debate, the minister said: “The bill provides for a number of changes each of which will give more children the opportunity to grow up in a family environment with loving, caring, and nurturing parents.”

The adoption bill will mean four main areas of change:

• It gives the right for any child to be adopted, irrespective of the marital status of parents, and where parents give their consent;
• The granting of an adoption through the High Court when parents do not consent;
• New opportunities for children in foster care to be adopted — in some cases ending years of fostering;
• Improved provision to allow adoption by a step parent.

Now that the bill has passed through the report stage of the Dáil, it moves to the Seanad for consideration.

“It is my hope that following debate there that new adoption laws, which will benefit hundreds of children in care, will commence in 2017,” the minister said.