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The Adoption and Children Bill began its journey through parliament on Friday, promising the biggest overhaul of adoption law in over 25 years, writes Jonathan Pearce.

The latest version of the bill – which follows the one that fell earlier in the year when a general election was called – includes extra measures on adoption support services such as a registration system to ensure the quality of the services and a "clear duty" on councils in England and Wales to maintain such a service.

The new bill also promises stronger measures to stop people adopting from overseas without going through proper assessment and approval procedures, as well as tougher penalties if they get around the safeguards, according to the department of health.

Adoption organisations have welcomed the doh announcement, but the bill’s full details will not be known until next week when it receives its second reading in parliament.

"Anything that ensures support services are available and functioning has got to be a good thing," said Adoption UK director Philippa Morrall.

But legislation alone would not find the extra staff and resources needed to meet the government’s target of increasing the number of adoptions by 40 per cent by 2005, added Morrall. "There needs to be a public awareness drive. The general public doesn’t have an understanding of what modern adoption is," she said.

Other key provisions in the bill include: a new right to an assessment for adoption support for all adoptive families; an independent review mechanism for prospective adopters who have been turned down; allowing courts to set timetables to cut delays in adoption court cases; and the introduction of special guardianship orders.

Health minister Jacqui Smith said: "The adoption register and the national standards introduced earlier this year are key to transforming the adoption process and achieving this target, but an overhaul of existing adoption law is vital to enable us to match many more children with a safe and loving family who will support them throughout their childhood and beyond."