Citation, commencement and extent

1. —(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Adoption of Children from Overseas Regulations 2001 and shall come into force on 30th April 2001.

(2) This regulation and regulations 2 and 3 extend to England and Wales; regulation 4 extends to England only.

Interpretation

2. In these Regulations—

“the 1976 Act” means the Adoption Act 1976;

“the 1983 Regulations” means the Adoption Agencies Regulations 1983( 3 );

“adoption panel” has the same meaning as in the 1983 Regulations;

“prospective adopter” means a person habitually resident in the British Islands who at any time brings into the United Kingdom for the purpose of adoption (other than adoption by a parent, guardian or relative) a child who is habitually resident outside those Islands.

Requirements applying to prospective adopters

3. —(1) The requirements which a prospective adopter must satisfy before bringing a child into the United Kingdom are those prescribed in paragraph (2).

(2) The requirements are that—

(a) the prospective adopter has applied to an adoption agency for assessment of his suitability to be an adoptive parent and has followed such procedure and provided such information to the agency as it may request in order to enable it to undertake such an assessment;

(b) an adoption agency has notified the prospective adopter in writing of a decision to approve him as suitable to be an adoptive parent; and

(c) the Secretary of State for Health has notified the prospective adopter in writing that he is prepared to issue a certificate confirming to the relevant overseas authority that the prospective adopter has been assessed and approved as suitable to be an adoptive parent and that the child will be authorised to reside permanently within the British Islands, if entry clearance is granted and an adoption order is made.

(3) A prospective adopter must also within the period of fourteen days beginning with the date on which he brings the child into the United Kingdom give notice to the local authority within whose area he has his home of—

(a) his intention to apply for an adoption order, in accordance with section 22 of the 1976 Act( 4 ); or

(b) his intention not to give the child a home.

(4) In this regulation—

• “adoption agency”( 5 ) includes an adoption agency within the meaning of section 1 of the Adoption (Scotland) Act 1978( 6 ) and Article 3 of the Adoption (Northern Ireland) Order 1987;

• “the relevant overseas authority” means a person or body performing functions in the country in which the child is habitually resident which correspond to the functions of an adoption agency;

• “entry clearance” has the same meaning as in the Immigration Act 1971( 7 ).

Duties of an adoption agency and adoption panel functions in respect of a prospective adopter

4. —(1) This regulation applies to—

(a) a local authority to which a prospective adopter has applied for assessment in accordance with regulation 3(2)(a); and

(b) an approved adoption society which has agreed to assess a prospective adopter who has applied to it in accordance with that regulation.

(2) The adoption agency shall assess a prospective adopter in accordance with regulations 8 (adoption agency’s duties in respect of a prospective adopter)( 8 ) and 8A (criminal conviction of a prospective adopter)( 9 ) of the 1983 Regulations.

(3) An adoption panel to which the case of a prospective adopter is referred shall consider the case and make a recommendation to the referring adoption agency as to whether the prospective adopter is suitable to be an adoptive parent, in accordance with regulation 10 (adoption panel functions)( 10 ) of those Regulations.

(4) The adoption agency shall—

(a) make a decision as to the suitability of the prospective adopter to be an adoptive parent and notify him of its decision, in accordance with regulation 11A (adoption agency decisions and notifications—prospective adopters)( 11 ) of the 1983 Regulations; and

(b) where the agency has decided to approve the prospective adopter as suitable to be an adoptive parent, notify the Secretary of State in writing of that decision and provide to him—

(i) all information considered by the adoption panel before making a recommendation to the agency as to whether the prospective adopter is suitable to be an adoptive parent; and

(ii) such other information relating to the prospective adopter’s case as he may require.