LegalizeAdoption (Scotland) Act 1978
Part I — The Adoption Service
The Adoption Service
Establishment of Adoption Service
1
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Local authorities' social work
2
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Adoption societies
Approval of adoption societies
3
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Withdrawal of approval
4
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Procedure on refusal to approve, or withdrawal of approval from, adoption societies
5
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Welfare of children
Duty to promote welfare of child
6
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Religious upbringing of adopted child
7
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Supplemental
Inactive or defunct adoption societies
8
Regulation of adoption agencies
9
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Inspection of books, etc., of approved adoption societies
10
Restriction on arranging adoptions and placing of children
11
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Part II — Adoption Orders
The making of adoption orders
Adoption orders
12
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Child to live with adopters before order made
13
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Adoption by married couple
14
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Adoption by one person
15
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Parental agreement
16
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Convention adoption orders
17
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Freeing for adoption
Freeing child for adoption
18
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Progress reports to former parent
19
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Revocation of s. 18 order
20
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Transfer of parental rights and duties between adoption agencies
21
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Supplemental
Notification to local authority of adoption application
22
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Reports where child placed by agency
23
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Restrictions on making adoption orders
24
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Interim orders
25
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Care etc. of child on refusal of adoption order
26
Part III — Care and Protection of Children Awaiting Adoption
Restrictions on removal of children
Restrictions on removal where adoption agreed or application made under s. 18
27
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Restrictions on removal where applicant has provided home for 5 years
28
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Return of child taken away in breach of s. 27 or 28
29
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Return of children placed for adoption by adoption agencies
30
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Application of s. 30 where child not placed for adoption
31
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Protected children
Meaning of " protected child "
32
Duty of local authorities to secure well-being of protected children
33
Removal of protected children from unsuitable surroundings
34
Notices and information to be given to local authorities
35
Offences relating to protected children
36
Miscellaneous provisions relating to protected children
37
Part IV — Status of Adopted Children
Meaning of " adoption order " in Part IV
38
- (1) In this Part “adoption order” means—
- (a) an adoption order within the meaning of section 65(1);
- (b) an adoption order under the Children Act 1975, the Adoption Act 1958, the Adoption Act 1950 or any enactment repealed by the Adoption Act 1950;
- (c) an order effecting an adoption made in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands;
- (cc) a Convention adoption;
- (d) an “overseas adoption”: within the meaning of section 65(2); or
- (e) any other adoption recognised by the law of Scotland;
and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly.
- (2) The definition of adoption order includes, where the context admits, an adoption order which took effect before the commencement of the Children Act 1975.
Status conferred by adoption
39
- (1) A child who is the subject of an adoption order shall be treated in law—
- (a) where the adopters are a married couple, as if—
- (i) he had been born as a... child of the marriage (whether or not he was in fact born after the marriage was constituted); and
- (ii) subject to subsection (2A) he were not the child of any person other than the adopters;
- (b) where the adoption order is made by virtue of section 15(1)(aa) as if—
- (i) he had been born as a ... child of the marriage between the adopter and the natural parent to whom the adopter is married (whether or not he was in fact born after the marriage was constituted); and
- (ii) subject to subsection (2A) he were not the child of any person other than the adopter and that natural parent; and
- (c) in any other case, as if—
- (i) he had been born as a ... child of the adopter; and
- (ii) subject to subsection (2A) he were not the child of any person other than the adopter.
- (2) Where a child has been adopted by one of his natural parents as sole adoptive parent and the adopter thereafter marries the other natural parent, subsection (1) shall not affect any enactment or rule of law whereby, by virtue of the marriage, the child is rendered the ... child of both natural parents.
- (2A) Where, in the case of a child adopted under a Convention adoption, the Court of Session is satisfied, on an application under this subsection—
- (a) that under the law of the country in which the adoption was effected the adoption is not a full adoption;
- (b) that the consents referred to in Article 4(c) and (d) of the Convention have not been given for a full adoption, or that the United Kingdom is not the receiving State (within the meaning of Article 2 of the Convention); and
- (c) that it would be more favourable to the child for a direction to be given under this subsection,
the Court may direct that sub-paragraph (ii) of, as the case may be, paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of subsection (1) shall not apply, or shall not apply to such extent as may be specified in the direction: and in this subsection “full adoption” means an adoption by virtue of which the child falls to be treated in law as if he were not the child of any person other than the adopters or adopter.
- (3) This section has effect—
- (a) in the case of an adoption before 1st January 1976, from that date, and
- (b) in the case of any other adoption, from the date of the adoption.
- (4) Subject to the provisions of this Part, this section—
- (a) applies for the construction of enactments or instruments passed or made before or after the commencement of this Act so far as the context admits; and
- (b) does not affect things done or events occurring before the adoption or, where the adoption took place before 1st January 1976, before that date.
- (5) This section has effect subject to the provisions of section 44.
Citizenship
40
Miscellaneous enactments
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- (1) Section 39 does not apply in determining the forbidden degrees of consanguinity and affinity in respect of the law relating to marriage , to the eligibility of persons to register as civil partners of each other or in respect of the crime of incest, except that, on the making of an adoption order, the adopter and the child shall be deemed, for all time coming, to be within the said forbidden degrees in respect of the law relating to marriage , to such eligibility and to incest.
- (2) . . . section 39 does not apply for the purposes of any provision of—
- (a) the British Nationality Act 1981,
- (b) the Immigration Act 1971,
- (c) any instrument having effect under an enactment within paragraph (a) or (b), or
- (d) any other law for the time being in force which determines British citizenship, British Dependent Territories citizenship , the status of a British National (Overseas) or British Overseas citizenship.
- (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pensions
42
Section 39(1) does not affect entitlement to a pension which is payable to or for the benefit of a child and is in payment at the time of his adoption.
Insurance
43
Where a child is adopted whose natural parent has effected an insurance with a friendly society or a collecting society or an industrial insurance company for the payment on the death of the child of money for funeral expenses, the rights and liabilities under the policy shall by virtue of the adoption be transferred to the adoptive parents who shall for the purposes of the enactments relating to such societies and companies be treated as the person who took out the policy.
Effect of s. 39 on succession and inter vivos deed
44
Section 39 (status conferred by adoption) does not affect the existing law relating to adopted persons in respect of—
- (a) the succession to a deceased person (whether testate or intestate), and
- (b) the disposal of property by virtue of any inter vivos deed.
Part V — Registration and Revocation of Adoption Orders and Convention Adoptions
Adopted Children Register
45
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Revocation of adoptions on legitimation
46
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Annulment etc. of overseas adoptions
47
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Provisions supplementary to ss. 46(2) and 47
48
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Part VI — Miscellaneous and Supplemental
Adoption of children abroad
49
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Restriction on removal of children for adoption outside Great Britain
50
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Prohibition on certain payments
51
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Restriction on advertisements
52
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Effect of determination and orders made in England and Wales and overseas in adoption proceedings
53
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Evidence of adoption in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
54
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Evidence of agreement and consent
55
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Courts
56
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Proceedings to be in private
57
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Curators ad litem and reporting officers
58
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Rules of procedure
59
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Orders, rules and regulations
60
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Offences by bodies corporate
61
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Service of notices etc.
62
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Nationality
63
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Internal law of a country
64
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Interpretation
65
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Transitional provisions, amendments and repeals
66
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Short title, commencement and extent
67
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SCHEDULE 1
Registration of adoption orders
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Registration of adoptions in England, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
2
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Registration of foreign adoptions
3
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Amendment of orders and rectification of registers
4
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Marking of entries on re-registration of birth
5
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Cancellations in registers on legitimation
6
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7
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SCHEDULE 2
General
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2
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3
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4
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Existing adoption orders
5
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Payments relating to adoptions
6
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Registers of adoptions
7
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Commencement of Act
8
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SCHEDULE 3
Children Act 1958 (c. 65)
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2
In section 6(1)(f) of the said Act of 1958, for the words from " Act 1958 " to " removal" there shall be substituted the words " Act 1958 or section 34 of the Adoption Act 1976 or section 34 of the Adoption (Scotland) Act 1978 for the removal ".
3
In section 17 of the said Act of 1958, for the definition of " relative " there shall be substituted the words " " relative " has the same meaning as in the Adoption (Scotland) Act 1978 ".
Succession (Scotland) Act 1964 (c. 41)
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5
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Legitimation (Scotland Act 1968 (c. 22)
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7
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Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 (c. 49)
8
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9
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10
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11
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12
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13
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14
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15
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Children Act 1975 (c. 72)
16
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17
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18
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19
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SCHEDULE 4
Establishment of Adoption Service.
6A
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22A
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25A
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Status conferred by adoption.
Parental agreement.
50A
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51A
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51B
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Provisions supplementary to ss. 46(2) and 47.
Editorial notes
[^c11090011]: Power to amend Act conferred (5.7.1994) by Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (c. 37, SIF 83:1), s. 30(9)(10) (with ss. 39(3), 43(2)); S.I. 1994/1776, art. 2(1)
[^c11090021]: Act not in force at Royal Assent; wholly in force at 1.2.1985
[^c11090031]: Act modified (1.11.1994) by S.I. 1994/2804, art. 2, Sch. 1
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