Adoption and the courts
Since 2001, domestic adoption work in the county courts and above has been centralised in specialist adoption centres throughout England and Wales.
The objective for these centres is to improve the service for everyone involved in adoption by dealing with contested and uncontested cases quickly and efficiently. In June 2003, this approach was extended to intercountry adoption, and there is now a network of specialist intercountry adoption centres.
You can search for your nearest adoption centre using the HM Courts Service CourtFinder.
Information on court procedures for adoption, including leaflets relating to the court process and intercountry adoption, is on the HM Courts Service adoption pages. Click to download the court forms applicable to the adoption rules.
Click to view The Family Procedure (Adoption) Rules 2005.
Chapter 8 (not available yet) of the statutory guidance on the Adoption and Children Act 2002 will cover local authorities' duties when preparing for a court hearing.
This page was last updated on 27 January 2006
