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A bill to speed up adoption for children in care has cleared its first hurdle in the House of Commons.

The Adoption and Children Bill will streamline the process while local authorities will be given £66m from the Government to improve their services over the next three years.

The Bill was welcomed by opposition MPs but they criticised the Government for leaving such an important measure to be introduced so late in the Parliament and putting it after a Bill to ban foxhunting.

Introducing the legislation, Health Minister John Hutton said: "The Bill represents probably the most radical overhaul of adoption law for 25 years. It is long overdue."

He said the Bill would cut "harmful delays" in the process by setting up a national adoption register - to link children with potential parents across the country.

It will also encourage local authorities to provide support services for adopters and will enable the establishment of an independent review for potential adopters who feel they have been turned down unfairly.

The Bill contains other measures, too, that are not just about adoption. For example unmarried fathers will automatically have parental responsibility if they are registerd as the father of their birth certificate.

And step-parents will also acquire parental responsibility for a step-child without having to travel down the route of adoption or acquiring a residence order.

Courts will be required to draw up timetables for adoption cases to help cut delays and a guardianship order will be created - to provide a more legally secure permanent family than can be delivered through foster care or residence orders.

About £66m is to be available over three years for councils to improve their adoption services including the a new statutory obligation to provide post adoption support which it is hoped will encourage more people to successfully adopt.

Financial support may be made available to potential adoptive families.

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See also

NORCAP condemns Adoption Bill

Adoption Bill pledges support