The Adoption and Children Act Register Regulations 2014

Disclosure of information

6.  Any information contained in the register may be disclosed—

(a) to a Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish adoption agency, for the purpose of assisting that agency to find adopters with whom it would be appropriate for a particular child to be placed;

(b) to a Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish adoption agency, for the purpose of assisting that agency to find a child appropriate for adoption by a particular prospective adopter;

(c) for the purpose of enabling the information to be entered in a register which is maintained in respect of Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland and which contains information about children who are suitable for adoption or prospective adopters who are suitable to adopt a child;

(d) to a person holding an inquiry under sections 3 and 4 of the Children Act 2004(1) (inquiries held by the Children’s Commissioner) or under the Inquiries Act 2005(2) for the purposes of such an inquiry;

(e) subject to the provisions of sections 29(7) and 32(3) of the Local Government Act 1974(3) (investigations and disclosure), to the Commission for Local Administration in England, for the purpose of any investigation conducted in accordance with Part 3 of that Act;

(f) to an officer of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service(4) or a Welsh family proceedings officer(5) for the purposes of the discharge of the officer’s duties under the Act;

(g) to a court for the purposes of making an order under the Act or the Children Act 1989;

(h) to the person who provides the web based information service supported and funded by the Department for Education for the purposes of providing information to the public about adoption and the adoption process in England.

(1)

2004 c.31.

(2)

2005 c.12. Section 1 (power to establish inquiry) was amended by section 160(1), 163 and Schedule 10 to the Government of Wales Act 2006 (c.32).

(3)

1974 c.7. Section 32(3) was amended by section 184(1) of the Local Government Planning and Land Act 1980 (c.65) and section 182 of and Schedule 12 to the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (c.28).

(4)

See Chapter 2 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 (c.43).

(5)

See section 37 of the Children Act 2004 (c.31) for the definition of “family proceedings officer”.