Closed petition Greater support for vulnerable children adopted from care

Closed on 7 September 2012

Most in children in care were removed from their homes following extreme neglect and/or abuse, and are termed Looked-After Children (LAC). As a result of these difficult experiences, LAC represent some of the most vulnerable members of society. Schools, health professionals etc are rightly obliged through legislation to support their often complex needs.

When first placed with prospective adopters, children retain their LAC status and legal parental responsibility is shared between the adoptive parents, birth parents and local authority. However, once the children are legally adopted they are no longer classed as LAC, but of course they still have the same complex physical, emotional, therapeutic and psychological/psychiatric needs as before. This petition asks for a legal definition of adopted children formerly classed as LAC, and for the level of support received by them and their adoptive families to be the same as for LAC.