An application to adopt A who had attained her majority. The court considered whether the application failed to comply with one of the statutory criteria of section 44, Adoption and Children Act 2002.
The application to adopt was made and issued before A reached her majority. A was the child of the applicant's (Z's) cousin and was born in St Lucia to parents did not feel able to care for her. In 2002, Z agreed to bring A to England and bring her up alongside her four children. A's parents signed a deed akin to a document delegating parental responsibility under section 2(9), Children Act.
A remained in Z's care since that time and never returned to St Lucia. A's father visited A in 2007 and 2010. During his last visit, A's father suggested that he wished to take A back to St Lucia. Z obtained a residence order and A's father did not engage in those proceedings.
Read the full summary on Family Law Week.