Regulation 2 Provision of adoption support services

(1)

For the purposes of section 2(6) of the 2002 Act (definition of “adoption support services”)^f1, the following services are prescribed—

(a)

financial support payable under regulation 3;

(b)

services to enable groups of adoptive parents and adoptive children to discuss matters relating to adoption;

(c)

assistance in relation to arrangements for contact between an adoptive child and—

(i)

a natural parent or relative^f2 of the adoptive child; or

(ii)

any person with whom the adoptive child has a relationship which appears to the local authority to be beneficial to the welfare of the child having regard to the matters referred to in sub-paragraphs (i) to (iii) of section 1(4)(f) of the 2002 Act;

(d)

services that may be provided in relation to the therapeutic needs of an adoptive child;

(e)

assistance for the purpose of ensuring the continuance of the relationship between the child and his adoptive parent, including—

(i)

training for adoptive parents for the purpose of meeting any special needs of the child;

(ii)

respite care.

(2)

Subject to paragraph (3), local authorities shall make arrangements for the purpose of providing any service specified in column (1) of the table in the Schedule for persons who are of a description specified in the corresponding entry in column (2) of the table.

(3)

The arrangements referred to in paragraph (2) in respect of any service are required to be made whether or not the local authority have decided to provide the service to any person.

(4)

The services prescribed in paragraph (1)(b) to (e) may include—

(a)

giving assistance in cash;

(b)

making arrangements with other persons for the purpose of providing those services.

(5)

These Regulations shall apply to a local authority in respect of a person who lives in the area of the local authority or, in the circumstances specified in paragraph (6), a person (“the individual”) who lives outside that area.

(6)

The circumstances specified are where—

(a)

a person entitled to be assessed lives in that area;

(b)

the individual, or a person entitled to be assessed—

(i)

has at any time in the preceding six months lived in that area; or

(ii)

intends to live in that area; or

(c)

the individual (if he is the adoptive child), or the adoptive child—

(i)

is looked after by the local authority;

(ii)

has not been adopted but has been placed by the local authority for adoption; or

(iii)

has been adopted and, before the adoption order was made, was placed for adoption with the adoptive parents by the local authority;

(d)

the individual is not the adoptive child and the local authority have assessed the individual’s needs for adoption support services in relation to the adoption or prospective adoption of the adoptive child.

Annotations

Footnotes

f1: By section 2(6) of the 2002 Act, the term “adoption support services” is defined as (a) counselling, advice and information, and (b) any other services prescribed by regulations, in relation to adoption.
f2: By section 144(1) of the 2002 Act, “relative” is defined in relation to a child as a grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt, whether of the full blood or half-blood or by marriage.