Adoption Regulation 2015

If the signing of a general instrument of consent to the adoption of a child is witnessed by an officer of an accredited adoption service provider, the principal officer of that service provider must—

notify the Secretary, and

if the adoption service provider has been requested to make arrangements for the adoption of the child, advise the Secretary as to whether or not the service provider is willing to make such arrangements.

A person, other than an officer of an adoption service provider or an officer of the Department, who signs a general instrument of consent to the adoption of a child as a witness to the signing of the instrument, must notify the Secretary.

Notice under subclause (1) or (2)—

must be in the form approved by the Secretary, and

must be given within 7 days after the general instrument of consent is signed.

If the person witnessing the signing of a general instrument of consent to the adoption of a child is not an officer of an adoption service provider or an officer of the Department, the person signing the instrument must, within 7 days after the signing—

give the Secretary the instrument together with a request, in the form approved by the Secretary, to make arrangements for adoption of the child, or

give the principal officer of an accredited adoption service provider the instrument together with such a request and send a notice of the signing of the instrument, in the form approved by the Secretary, to the Secretary.

The principal officer of an adoption service provider that is unwilling to make arrangements for the adoption of a child as requested under subclause (1), must, as soon as practicable but within 14 days of receiving the request, notify the Secretary, in the form approved by the Secretary, that the service provider is unwilling to make the arrangements.

The service provider is to forward to the Secretary, with the notice, a copy of any instrument of consent and any request to make arrangements with a view to adoption of the child relating to that child that is held by the service provider.

Any notice required to be given under this clause may be served personally or by post.