An adopted 14-year-old girl has won a landmark case to return to her biological family in what is being dubbed a “highly exceptional” ruling.
As a result of the ruling the adoptive order that was set up ten years ago has since been revoked and the teenager has also been able to change her surname to that of her birth mother.
Adopting and fostering will become a faster and more efficient process thanks to new arrangements for approving carers, Children’s and Families Minister Edward Timpson has announced.
A report published by Ofsted found that the most significant cause of delay for children needing adoption is the length of time it takes for cases to be completed in court. The average time taken to complete care proceedings in the cases inspectors examined was almost 14 months.
