[Robin Harritt]

I know you would all far rather sit around on your arses whingeing once the
new laws are in place and it's too late. But the “ Draft Adoption
Regulations and Guidance for Consultation - Access to Information ” were
published way back in April. And "Consultation" means you get to have your
say.

If you can't get the service you want after Sept 2005 because the social
worker has taken one look at you and decided that introducing you to your
birth relatives would be "inappropriate", then it'll be too late to
complain, she will have the power to make that decision.

If she does like the look of you and decides that they will offer you a
service but they want every last penny you possess off of you to pay for it,
then it'll be too late to complain once the new laws are all in place.

The Government is giving you a chance to have your say now before it is too
late. This is not the same thing as you wrote to them about this time last
year or the year before. This Consultation was published this year at the
beginning of April, the DfES want your response forms filled in and sent
back to them by last day of July 2004. And they are making it especially
easy for you this time.


The bod at the government department dealing with this says...

“... we welcome the written comments of any person with an
interest in adoption and guarantee that all written responses will be
carefully considered before the regulations and guidance are finalised. We
are also looking at developing more detailed good practice guidance before
the regulations come into force in September 2005 and this may present
further opportunities for service users to contribute...”

“... The consultation document is available on-line at
http://www.children.doh.gov.uk/adoption. It is also available on the DfES'
e-consultation system. This allows users to view the document on screen and
to provide written comments/feedback on-line. This site can be accessed at
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations...ltationId=1248 ...”

So what are you waiting for?

Robin Harritt

http://harritt.net