Children and Adoption Act 2006

THE CHILDREN AND ADOPTION ACT 2006
This act has two main purposes. First, to promote compliance with contact orders made under the Children Act 1989. Second, to permit the secretary of state to suspend adoptions from abroad where there are concerns about the foreign country’s adoption practices.

PART I – ORDERS WITH RESPECT TO CHILDREN IN FAMILY PROCEEDINGS
The Explanatory Notes to the Children and Adoption Act 2006 describe the genesis of this Part of the Act as follows:

“This Act is intended to assist in the implementation of the Green Paper Parental Separation: Children's Needs and Parents' Responsibilities (Cm 6273), published in July 2004.

The Green Paper was followed by Parental Separation: Children's Needs and Parents' Responsibilities: Next Steps (Cm 6452), published in January 2005, which set out the Government's response to the consultation on the Green Paper and its proposals for further work. Subsequent to that, the Children (Contact) and Adoption Bill was published in draft on 2^nd February 2005 for pre-legislative scrutiny by an ad hoc joint committee of both Houses of Parliament. The scrutiny committee published its report on 12^th April 2005, and The Government Reply to the Report from the Joint Committee on the Draft Children (Contact) and Adoption Bill (Cm 6583) was published on 8^th June 2005.”

SECTIONS 1 – 7: AMENDMENTS MADE TO THE CHLDREN ACT 1989
Sections 1 to 7 of the Children and Adoption Act 2006 amend the Children Act 1989 and also insert a number of new sections into that act.