Non-Graphical version | Version for printing

Home | Press | Publications | What We Do | Who We Are | Search | Site Map | Contacts | Links
Press Releases

Press Releases Archive 2001 May

Headlines Current << May 2001 >> S M T W T F S 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 General Enquiries Tel: 08457 741741 Email: ceu@scotland.gov.uk Enquiries (Press Release Problems) Scottish Executive Media and Communications Group St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG Email: newswebsite@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

News Release ADOPTION APPLICATIONS IN SCOTLAND - 2000 22 May 2001 This document is also available in pdf format (55k) Statistics on the number of adoption applications in Scotland for the year 2000 have been published today by the Scottish Executive. The main points are as follows: There were just over 400 adoption applications for which an outcome was reached in 2000. This was about 50 fewer than in the previous year. 44 per cent of applications were for children aged under five at the time of application, compared with 37 per cent in 1999, when a higher percentage were in the 5-11 age-group. The average child was just over six and a half years old at the time of application. Just over half of all applications were made without using an agency, while applications made through a local authority accounted for 36 per cent of the total. The proportion of applications made via a voluntary agency has increased in recent years, and now stands at 12 per cent. In 2000, only 6 applications were not granted. This follows the trend of recent years when at least 95 per cent of adoption applications have been granted. In half of all cases, both adopters were unrelated to the child, while most of the remainder involved the natural mother and step-father. The number of applications for the making of freeing orders has risen from 70 in 1996 to 116 in 2000. In 2000, 97 per cent of freeing orders were granted, compared with 83 per cent in 1996. TABLES Table 1 Adoption applications by gender, 1996 to 2000 Table 2 Adoption applications by age group, 1996 to 2000 Table 3 Adoption applications by agency used, 1996 to 2000 Table 4 Adoption applications by outcome, 1996 to 2000 Table 5 Adoption applications by relationship of adopters, 2000 Table 6 Applications for freeing orders by outcome, 1996 to 2000 NOTES FOR NEWS EDITORS 1. Adoption applications are made to Sheriff Courts. The prospective adopters may or may not be related to the child concerned, and their application may be made through the local authority, via a voluntary agency or without using an agency. The application can have various outcomes - it may be withdrawn before the court hearing, it may be granted, it may be refused or the court may make a provisional or alternative order. 2. ‘Freeing for adoption’ was first introduced in the Children Act 1975 to enable parents who wish their child to be adopted to end their involvement in the adoption process at an early stage. When a child is ‘freed’, birth parents lose their responsibilities for the child and are not involved in any subsequent adoption proceedings. 3. The 49 Sheriff Courts in Scotland supply the Scottish Executive with data on adoption applications and applications for freeing orders. The data provided do not identify individual children. 4. There is no bulletin publication for these figures. Supporting tables are, however, available on request. This News Release and the supporting tables are available on the Scottish Executive web site (www.scotland.gov.uk). 5. This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference. 6. Public enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this News Release should be addressed to Dave Sorensen, Scottish Executive Education Department, Area 1-A, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ (telephone 0131 244 0322 or e-mail dave.sorensen@scotland.gsi.gov.uk). Contact: Fiona Wilson 0131-244-2910 22 May 2001 Table 1: Number of adoption applications by gender, 1996 to 2000 Year (1) Boys Girls Total 1996 278 266 544 1997 222 221 443 1998 216 260 476 1999 236 216 452 2000 206 197 403 (1) Year in which outcome of application occurred Table 2: Number of adoption applications by age at time of application, 1996 to 2000 Year (1) Age-group Total no. of children Average age of child Under 1 year 1-4 years 5-11 years 12-17 years Not known 1996 54 142 271 73 4 544 7 years 0 months 1997 33 120 222 68 - 443 7 years 1 month 1998 22 129 259 64 2 476 7 years 3 months 1999 47 121 208 76 - 452 6 years 11months 2000 34 142 164 62 1 403 6 years 7 months (1) Year in which outcome of application occurred Table 3: Number of adoption applications by type of agency used, 1996 to 2000 Year (1) Local Authority Voluntary agency No agency No details provided Total 1996 208 14 322 - 544 1997 198 27 209 9 443 1998 146 26 291 13 476 1999 162 42 248 - 452 2000 147 47 209 - 403 (1) Year in which outcome of application occurred Table 4: Number of adoption applications by outcome of application, 1996 to 2000 Year (1) Granted Withdrawn Refused Other/not known Total 1996 534 4 4 2 544 1997 423 16 2 2 443 1998 458 12 3 3 476 1999 438 9 - 5 452 2000 397 3 2 1 403 (1) Year in which outcome of application occurred Table 5: Number of adoption applications by relationship of adopters, 2000 (1) Female Adopter Male Adopter Natural father Step-father Other male relative No relation No male adopter Total Natural mother - 180 - - - 180 Step-mother 11 - - - - 11 Other female relative - - 9 - - 9 No relation - - - 201 1 202 No female adopter - - 1 - - 1 Total 11 180 10 201 1 403 (1) Year in which outcome of application occurred Table 6: Number of applications for the making of freeing orders by outcome, 1996 to 2000 Year (1) Granted Refused Withdrawn Total 1996 58 5 7 70 1997 64 2 5 71 1998 89 - - 89 1999 81 3 2 86 2000 113 - 3 116 (1) Year in which outcome of application occurred A Scottish Executive National Statistics Publication The information contained on this WWW site is Crown Copyright but may be reproduced without formal permission or charge for personal or in-house use. Privacy and Content Disclaimer. For general enquiries about this web site email ceu@scotland.gov.uk or fill out our online questionnaire.