Adoption and Children Bill: Families welcome changes to laws

By David Young, PA

Families and campaigners have welcomed major changes to Northern Ireland’s adoption laws.

A Bill overhauling the system passed its final hurdle in the Assembly today and will become law after receiving Royal assent.

One of the key changes will see the introduction of a statutory responsibility to assess and support the ongoing needs of adopted children.

The legislation will also introduce timeframes for the stages of the adoption proceedings in a bid to reduce delays in the system.

Families and campaigners have welcomed major changes to adoption laws in NI.https://t.co/I7n3mfHJ5D

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Health Minister Robin Swann, who tabled the Bill, welcomed what is the first update of adoption laws in the region in four decades.

A campaign for reform has been ongoing in Northern Ireland since laws were updated elsewhere in the UK in 2006.

“It brings us not only into line with other parts of the United Kingdom but it actually takes us further advanced of some of those jurisdictions as well in how much support we will give to those children in care or on the edge of care or the families that are supporting them as well,” said Mr Swann.

NI Health Minister Robin Swann with Mack Brownlee (aged 8) on the steps of Stormont 

Kathy Brownlee from Belfast and her adopted nine-year-old son Mack were at Parliament Buildings to witness the final stage of the bill.

Ms Brownlee also has two older adopted children – Bradley and Kaitlin – and she said there was a marked lack of support when they became part of her family 12 years ago.

“There was no needs assessed, there was nothing like that,” she said.

“Basically, it was ‘you’re an adopter and away you go’.”

She expressed hope that there would be more support for her three children in the future.

“My hope is that we will be able to access so much more in order to help them achieve and be the people that they’re supposed to be in Northern Ireland, to be members of the Northern Ireland community and be able to be contributing to Northern Ireland just like any other child,” she said.

EJ Havlin, the director of Adoption UK, also welcomed the changes.

“This is a huge day for the local adoption community,” she said.

“We have over 800 family members locally in Adoption UK and this legislation we have been campaigning for since there was changes across the rest of the UK in 2005/2006.”

(left to right) Health Minister Robin Swann, Director of Adoption UK EJ Havlin, and Kathy Brownlee with her adopted son Mack Brownlee (aged 8) on the steps of Stormont