Overview

This bill aims to improve support for families expecting a child who may be placed on the child protection register and facing potential adoption. It mandates perinatal support services and sets a timeframe for adoption decisions.

Description

The Family Perinatal Support and Adoption Bill requires the Secretary of State to implement regulations within three months of the Act's passing. These regulations will:

• Mandate Perinatal Support: Provide access to perinatal talking therapies (parent-infant psychotherapy, psychodynamic therapies, CBT, and counselling) for the carer of an unborn child on the child protection register, but not yet subject to an adoption plan.
• Timely Intervention: Ensure these therapies begin prenatally and that a child protection review conference occurs by the child's sixth month, considering therapy progress and carer-infant attunement (the carer's ability to respond to the infant's emotions).
• Adoption Decision: Stipulate that if the child protection review conference finds insufficient progress, the child should be placed for adoption before their first birthday.

Government Spending

The bill states that all expenditure incurred by the Secretary of State under this Act, and any increase in sums payable under other Acts due to this Act, will be funded from money provided by Parliament. No specific figures are provided in the bill itself.

Groups Affected

• Families with children on the child protection register: May receive increased access to perinatal support services, but also face the possibility of expedited adoption proceedings if progress is deemed insufficient.
• Carers of children on the child protection register: Will have access to mandated talking therapies and will be subject to assessment of their parenting abilities.
• Children on the child protection register: Will experience increased scrutiny of their care situation, potentially leading to earlier adoption decisions.
• Adoption agencies and social services: Will likely see an increase in workload and need for resources to manage the increased number of potential adoption cases.

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