An implementation plan for the Adoption Act (2021) has been published, clearly setting out when secondary legislation and supporting guidance will be completed.
The actions in the plan set out all of the underlying work required to ensure the Act can be brought in smoothly, including regulations, staff training and guidance documents.
The Adoption Act is an important step in modernising the Island’s current adoption rules.
It will simplify the process for vulnerable children and prospective adoptive families at the centre of the adoption, support the completion of adoptions in the shortest possible time, and address the safeguards which need to be in place during the process.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) expect the initial work will take around seven months to complete. Once this is done the secondary legislation can be taken to Tynwald for approval.
Once approved this means the sections of the Adoption Act (2021) can start to come into force, or be ‘switched on’.
Minister for Health and Social Care, Lawrie Hooper MHK, said:
‘The new Adoption Act places the child at the centre of the adoption process, to ensure the child’s welfare is at the forefront of every decision taken by an adoption agency or court.
He continued: ‘we are committed to getting the implementation of this Act right, for those children and families that will be impacted by the changes. There is still a significant amount of work required in the background before the Act comes into effect, but I am confident that we have set a realistic timetable for implementation.’
The Adoption Act (2021) has been designed to bring the Island’s legislation in line with that in operation in England and Wales, due to the frequency of placements between the Island and UK.
Within the implementation plan is a glossary to help explain some of technical terms associated with the Act, the regulations and the Tynwald process.
The implementation plan is now available online, alongside the full Adoption Act 2021.
