Court seeks review of adoption rules

Top judges warned Cornwall Council last week to improve its
adoption procedures or risk being challenged under human rights
legislation.

Although Lord Justice Thorpe and Lady Justice Hale ruled that a
mother could not appeal against the council’s decision to put
her daughter up for adoption, they went on to criticise the
decision to place the girl on the adoption register at a meeting at
which her mother was not legally represented.

Thorpe warned that, unless the procedure was changed, it could
lead to the council having to pay damages under the Human Rights
Act 1998 in the future.