Commentary on Sections Part 1 - Adoption Chapter 2 – The Adoption Service Section 6: Adoption Support services: duty to provide information
Subsection (1) places a new duty on adoption authorities to provide a range of information about adoption support services and other prescribed information to any person who has contacted the adoption authority to request information about adopting a child, or has informed the adoption authority that they wish to adopt a child. Adoption authorities must also provide such information to any person within their area who they are aware is the parent of an adopted child or to any such person upon request. This subsection also makes provision for regulations to prescribe the circumstances in which an adoption authority does not need to provide the information.
Subsection (2) sets out the information that the adoption authority must provide, including information about the adoption support services available to people in the adoption authority’s area and information about the right to request an assessment for adoption support services. It also makes provision for regulations to prescribe other information that must be provided by the adoption authority.