Post-commencement guidance

When the Adoption and Children Act 2002 came into force on 30 December 2005, it introduced a number of significant changes regarding the rights of adults adopted as children to access their adoption records. As those who were adopted on or after 30 December 2005 (known as ‘post-commencement adoptions’) turn 18 in ever-increasing numbers, practitioners in both voluntary and statutory agencies must ensure that they are prepared to provide the correct support and services to both adopted adults and their birth relatives.

Guidance documents for supporting adults adopted on or after 30 December 2005 to access their records have been produced as part of a project led by CVAA and Julia Feast OBE (Independent Consultant specialising in the life-long issues of adoption, care, and donor conception). They have been developed with the help of CVAA member agencies, adoption support agencies, and colleagues working in local authorities and regional adoption agencies. Together, these documents will help adoption workers and managers working in LAs and RAAs to navigate the legislation and Regulations in relation to post-commencement adoptions and provide the best possible support to adopted adults and their birth relatives.

The following documents are available for purchase individually:-

• Policies, Procedures and Practice Guide for Local Authorities and Regional Adoption Agencies (England)
• Policies, Procedures and Practice Guide for Local Authorities and Regions (Wales)
• Quick Guide for managers and practitioners (England)
• Quick Guide for managers and practitioners (Wales)
• Accessing your adoption records (leaflet for adopted adults in England and Wales)
• Finding and contacting birth relatives (leaflet for adopted adults in England and Wales)
• Making contact with an adopted adult (leaflet for birth relatives and connected persons in England and Wales)

The following documents are available to purchase as a set:-

• 2 guides – Policy, Procedures and Practice and Quick Guide
  • England
  • Wales
• Set of 2 guides (England OR Wales), 3 advice leaflets, and resources roundup
  • England
  • Wales
• Set of 4 guides (England AND Wales), 3 advice leaflets, and resources roundup
  • England & Wales

NB: These documents have been produced at a time when practitioners are just beginning to work with post-commencement applications, and therefore to some extent this is a work in progress. As we all learn together and gather further information to enable the provision of good-quality services, these documents will be revisited regularly to ensure that they contain accurate and helpful guidance and up-to-date examples for managers and practitioners.

Prices

• 1 advice leaflet – £5
• 2 advice leaflets – £10
• 3 advice leaflets – £15
• 1 Policy, Procedures and Practice Guide (England OR Wales) – £10
• 1 Quick Guide (England OR Wales) – £5
• 2 guides – Policy, Procedures and Practice and Quick Guide (England OR Wales) – £15
• Set of 2 guides (England OR Wales), 3 advice leaflets, and resources roundup – £28 (20% discount for full set)
• Set of 4 guides (England AND Wales), 3 advice leaflets, and resources roundup – £40 (20% discount for full set)

If you attended one of our Facing New Frontiers events with Julia Feast in November 2019, please email info@cvaa.org.uk to claim your additional 25% discount.