New proposals to allow gay couples in North to adopt

Homosexual and lesbian couples in the North will be able to adopt children under proposals announced by the British government today.

Both those who have gone through a civil partnership as well as unmarried couples – whether of a different sex or the same sex – will be able to adopt under the planned reforms outlined by UK health minister Paul Goggins.

The new approach has been designed to put the needs of the child at the heart of the adoption process.

The number of adoptions in the North has fallen significantly from a peak of over 550 in 1970 to an average of 150 a year now. Last year the figure declined to just 79.

Permitting adoption by civil partners and unmarried couples was introduced in England and Wales last year.

Consultation document Adopting the Future also proposes permitting a partner in a step-parent situation to adopt a child without affecting the relevant birth parent’s parental responsibilities.

Under current legislation the birth parent in a new relationship has to go through the farcical business of adopting their own child.

The legislation will require all appropriate criminal record checks be conducted on prospective adoptive parents.

Those over 50 will only be able to adopt if the child is three or over, they have an existing link with the child or have particular skills to care for a child with specific needs.

The changes are also intended to speed up the adoption process which is currently taking nearly four years to complete.

Announcing what he called the biggest overhaul for adoption in years, Mr Goggins said: “I want to make adoption work more clearly, consistently and fairly.

“I want to see more adopters recruited, agencies working better, and courts performing more efficiently.

“Above all, I want to see vulnerable children safe, in permanent families. I am confident that these reforms to adoption and permanence planning will transform the life chances of hundreds of children.”

The minister stressed the future role of adoption would be one where the needs of the child were placed firmly at the centre of the process.

He said he wanted agencies to make more use of adoption as an option to meet the needs of looked-after children and a system where children and families could expect the highest standards of professional advice and support.

“Where children cannot live with their birth parents, we have a shared responsibility to make sure they can enjoy the kind of loving family life most of use take for granted,” said Mr Goggins.

“Adoption has a good record in delivering stable, permanent new families for children. Research shows that children who are adopted generally make very good progress through their childhood and into adulthood.”

A new Special Guardianship Order for children for whom adoption is not appropriate will also be introduced.

The minister explained there was currently no way a child in care could have a permanent family except through adoption – particularly older children cared for by a foster family.

“These children may not wish to cut their birth ties completely, yet they want the security of a loving family that is free from supervision by Social Services”.

The UK’s leading adoption and fostering charity welcomed the consultation on new laws which, it said, could transform the lives of many children across the North.

Barbara Hutchinson, deputy chief executive of the British Association for Adoption & Fostering, said: “We are delighted that Northern Ireland has launched this important consultation.

“Existing adoption law was made at a time when society was very different. Children needing permanent families are no longer relinquished babies. Instead, these children often experienced neglect or abuse and can have many difficulties.