March 1996 saw the long-awaited publication of the British Government's Draft Adoption Bill, broadly welcomed here by Caroline Ball. As she makes clear when outlining the historical context, there has been an urgent need for a radical review of adoption law for some time. However, a number of provisions in the Draft Bill may require amendment. Among the areas Ball suggests for revision are: aspects of the welfare principles; the criteria for dispensing with parental consent; orders for step-parents; and the use of residence orders as an alternative to adoption. The omission of any reference to the consideration of children's race and culture also comes under scrutiny. She concludes that only when such issues have been satisfactorily resolved can the Bill be truly celebrated as an important step toward meeting the diverse range of needs of children affected by adoption.
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References
1.
The following Department of Health publications are all published in London by HMSO: ‘Adoption: The future’, Cmnd 2288, 1993; Draft Adoption Bill, 1996; ‘Report of the Departmental Committee on the adoption of children’, Cmnd 5107, 1972; ‘Report of the Departmental Committee on Adoption Societies and Agencies’, Cmnd 5499, 1937.
2.
LoweN, ‘Placement of children for adoption under the proposed Adoption Bill’, Childright126, 1996, pp 14–18.
3.
ParkerR, Away from Home: A history of child care, London: Barnardos, 1990.
