Regulation 27 Amendment of the Adoption Agencies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1989I1

The Adoption Agencies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1989^f1 are amended in accordance with the following paragraphs.

In regulation 1(2), after the definition of “prospective adopter” insert:

• “RQIA” means the Health and Social Care Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority;” ^f2

In regulation 15 (Access to case records and disclosure of information) after paragraph (1)(b) insert the following sub-paragraph:

“(bb)

to the RQIA, where the adoption agency is an appropriate voluntary organisation ^f3;”

For Regulation 16 (Transfer of case records) substitute the following —

“16.

(1)

Subject to paragraph (2), an adoption agency may transfer a copy of a case record (or part thereof) to another adoption agency when it considers this to be in the interests of a child or prospective adopter to whom the record relates, and a written record shall be kept of any such transfer.

(2)

An adoption agency to which case records are transferred from an appropriate voluntary organisation, shall notify the RQIA in writing of such transfer”.