Children Placed for Adoption with the Agreement of Birth Parents
In the days when adoption mostly involved single mothers relinquishing their infants because of the difficulties they would face with a child on their own, adoption orders were generally granted with the consent of the parent. This is now less common, with the majority of the children being placed for adoption because of concerns about the parent(s) capacity to provide adequate parenting. In many of these cases the parent(s) oppose the application for adoption.
Nevertheless, a number of adoption orders are still granted with the consent of the parent. Where the parent is in agreement with the plan, the child is likely to be subject to Section 25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 which means the child is received into the care of the local authority on a voluntary basis. This allows for a more cooperative approach to the adoption process but also carries the risk that the birth parent can withdraw their agreement at any point up to the granting of an adoption order. In theory it is possible for a birth parent in such circumstances to change their mind after the child has been placed with the prospective adoptive family. It is very rare for this to happen.
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