We oughta write these authors and give them a well-deserved *****slap.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/04/09/nadop09.xm
l&sSheet=/news/2004/04/09/ixhome.html

Rush expected in search for adopted children
By Sarah Womack and Richard Suchet
(Filed: 09/04/2004)


Two million adopted children and their real parents are expected to take
advantage of a new legal right enabling them to trace each another.

The change, which represents the biggest upheaval in adoption legislation in 78
years, was unveiled yesterday.

A network of agencies will be set up to act as intermediaries and the request
to make contact by a child of 18 or over, or his or her real parent, will be
enshrined in the Adoption and Children Act 2002, which comes into force in
September next year.

At present some intermediary services are available, but provision is patchy
and services are not regulated.

The Department for Education and Skills said the Government would now hold a
six-month consultation on amending the Act, focusing on how the new agencies
would work. Among the issues to be decided is what procedures should be
followed if adults do not know they were adopted.

Originally the Adoption Act only made provision for access to information about
arrangements made after the law comes into effect. It did not apply to the
875,000 adoptions that have taken place since the first Adoption of Children
Act became law in 1926.

After criticism from the Children's Society and other organisations the
Government was forced to reconsider. Ministers aim to introduce the changes in
two stages: the first applying to adoptions made between 1926 and 1975 and the
second to all adoptions after that time.

Margaret Hodge, the children's minister, said: "The stages recognise that those
birth relatives who placed a child for adoption many years ago and are now
elderly will benefit from having access to the scheme first."

Officials believe there could be an initial surge of between 20,000 and 30,000
applications. When the legislation goes through, registered adoption support
agencies will try to find out the current identity of subjects, trace them and
ask if they wish to be contacted.

Mrs Hodge said: "The scheme recognises that some people have no wish to be
traced or to have their details passed on. That wish for privacy must be
respected."

Adoption support agencies will not be allowed to disclose any information
without the consent of the person who is the subject of an inquiry.

Felicity Collier, the chief executive of the British Association for Adoption &
Fostering, said: "Thousands of birth parents have waited for many years to
explain to the children they gave up why they made this decision and to gain
reassurance that their children are alive and well."



-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown

in article 20040409093003.25553.00000077@mb-m04.aol.com, LilMtnCbn at
lilmtncbn@aol.comnospam wrote on 9/4/04 2:30 pm:
We oughta write these authors and give them a well-deserved *****slap.


Umm...see what I mean the The Daily Telegraph again.



Article written by some arsehat so stupid that he thinks a consultation
period starting yesterday and ending 31 July is six months. And there have
only ever 875000 adoptions in England & Wales, so how on earth two million
of them going to "take advantage" is a bit of a mystery.

" Officials believe there could be an initial surge of between 20,000 and
30,000 "

a figure plucked out of a hat, there was a "surge" of only about 7000 when
adoptees given a right to trace in 1976.

There has been some real nonsense about this in today's papers, the most
ridiculous of which was The Scotsman which didn't seem to realise that it
doesn't apply to Scotland and ran the headline "PLANS to allow thousands of
adopted children to track down their birth parents were unveiled yesterday",
Adopted "children" will have no more rights to trace than ever, if they
meant adopted adults, then they have always had the write to trace their
birthmothers in Scotland, and have had that right since 1976 in England &
Wales.

The scope of ignorance on this subject never ceases to amaze me. And the
ineptitude of the press department at the DfES beggars belief.

Robin Harritt


************************************************** ********************* http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/04/09/nadop09.xm l&sSheet=/news/2004/04/09/ixhome.html Rush expected in search for adopted children By Sarah Womack and Richard Suchet (Filed: 09/04/2004) Two million adopted children and their real parents are expected to take advantage of a new legal right enabling them to trace each another. The change, which represents the biggest upheaval in adoption legislation in 78 years, was unveiled yesterday. A network of agencies will be set up to act as intermediaries and the request to make contact by a child of 18 or over, or his or her real parent, will be enshrined in the Adoption and Children Act 2002, which comes into force in September next year. At present some intermediary services are available, but provision is patchy and services are not regulated. The Department for Education and Skills said the Government would now hold a six-month consultation on amending the Act, focusing on how the new agencies would work. Among the issues to be decided is what procedures should be followed if adults do not know they were adopted. Originally the Adoption Act only made provision for access to information about arrangements made after the law comes into effect. It did not apply to the 875,000 adoptions that have taken place since the first Adoption of Children Act became law in 1926. After criticism from the Children's Society and other organisations the Government was forced to reconsider. Ministers aim to introduce the changes in two stages: the first applying to adoptions made between 1926 and 1975 and the second to all adoptions after that time. Margaret Hodge, the children's minister, said: "The stages recognise that those birth relatives who placed a child for adoption many years ago and are now elderly will benefit from having access to the scheme first." Officials believe there could be an initial surge of between 20,000 and 30,000 applications. When the legislation goes through, registered adoption support agencies will try to find out the current identity of subjects, trace them and ask if they wish to be contacted. Mrs Hodge said: "The scheme recognises that some people have no wish to be traced or to have their details passed on. That wish for privacy must be respected." Adoption support agencies will not be allowed to disclose any information without the consent of the person who is the subject of an inquiry. Felicity Collier, the chief executive of the British Association for Adoption & Fostering, said: "Thousands of birth parents have waited for many years to explain to the children they gave up why they made this decision and to gain reassurance that their children are alive and well." ------------------------- A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!" -----Unknown

in article BC9C6AB6.3AC45%karakoram@postadoption.info, Robin Harritt at
karakoram@postadoption.info wrote on 9/4/04 2:59 pm:
in article 20040409093003.25553.00000077@mb-m04.aol.com, LilMtnCbn at lilmtncbn@aol.comnospam wrote on 9/4/04 2:30 pm: We oughta write these authors and give them a well-deserved *****slap. Umm...see what I mean the The Daily Telegraph again. Article written by some arsehat so stupid that he thinks a consultation period starting yesterday and ending 31 July is six months. And there have only ever 875000 adoptions in England & Wales, so how on earth two million of them going to "take advantage" is a bit of a mystery. " Officials believe there could be an initial surge of between 20,000 and 30,000 " a figure plucked out of a hat, there was a "surge" of only about 7000 when adoptees given a right to trace in 1976. There has been some real nonsense about this in today's papers, the most ridiculous of which was The Scotsman which didn't seem to realise that it doesn't apply to Scotland and ran the headline "PLANS to allow thousands of adopted children to track down their birth parents were unveiled yesterday", Adopted "children" will have no more rights to trace than ever, if they meant adopted adults, then they have always had the write

Or the right even, and even the right to write about it.


to trace their birthmothers in Scotland, and have had that right since 1976 in England & Wales. The scope of ignorance on this subject never ceases to amaze me. And the ineptitude of the press department at the DfES beggars belief. Robin Harritt