Committee
Education Committee, 31 May 2006
31 May 2006 · S2 · Education Committee
Item of business
Adoption and Children (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Is there a role for extending the pool of people to whom permanence orders are available in the way that we are extending the availability of adoption to same-sex couples? The "Permanence and Life Chances" section of the submission highlights all the facts and figures that suggest that looked-after children who are accommodated in local authority care for a long time suffer insecurity and other effects. For some children, the option of adoption may not be available, but there may be an option of a permanence order, which could lead to adoption. What view do the witnesses have on that?
In the same item of business
The Convener:
LD
We will move on to agenda item 1, which is our fourth day of oral evidence on the general principles of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Bill. Unfortunat...
Stephen Small (St Andrew’s Children’s Society):
We value this opportunity to give our viewpoint on the change in legislation—I think that I can speak for my colleagues who are not here when I say that—beca...
The Convener:
LD
I am pleased to say that Michael Mesarowicz has made it. I am sure that he had the usual transport difficulties in getting here, from which we all suffer at ...
Michael Mesarowicz (St Margaret's Children and Family Care Society):
Like Stephen Small, St Margaret's Children and Family Care Society generally welcomes the bill, which we think will be a good contribution to adoption legisl...
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con):
Con
Can Michael Mesarowicz expand on the comments in the St Margaret's Children and Family Care Society submission on the financial arrangements for post-adoptio...
Michael Mesarowicz:
Generally, the arrangement is that when St Margaret's Children and Family Care Society or any voluntary organisation makes a placement, it relies on a placem...
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
Con
I have a question for St Andrew's Children's Society. Can you clarify exactly what you mean when you say:"We would welcome a national scheme for the payment ...
Stephen Small:
At present, the system is quite inequitable, as it depends on how generous each local authority's adoption allowance scheme is. I will provide a quick exampl...
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
Con
I have a final question. Do you find that there is some discontent among elderly couples who believe that it is harder for them than for younger people to ad...
Michael Mesarowicz:
It can be. We do not get many applicants over the age of 40, and they tend to want older rather than younger children, which is appropriate. Sometimes, age c...
Stephen Small:
The law does not allow agencies to discriminate against people because of their age; however, when we are considering what is best for children, people need ...
Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP):
SSP
The view has been expressed that contact with birth families should be supported and monitored, but that there should be a means of terminating that contact,...
Stephen Small:
Contact in adoption has grown over the past 10 years. For most children in adoption, it is probably normal that there will be some degree of contact. The vas...
Ms Byrne:
SSP
Thank you. That would be helpful.
Michael Mesarowicz:
At the beginning of a placement, contact can be a hurdle for prospective adoptive parents. There may be the expectation of contact or some established contac...
Ms Byrne:
SSP
So, support and guidance are the key. Obviously, the child's needs will be at the top of the agenda. Do you envisage that when a child reaches an age at whic...
Stephen Small:
That would be best practice. It is easy to say that as a professional who works in adoption, but that might be more of a challenge for an adoptive parent, be...
Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab):
Lab
You have both given the committee extensive submissions on improving and increasing the pool of potential adopters, but your submissions have caveats about t...
Stephen Small:
We are in a kind of difficult situation, as we need to take into account the interests of a variety of stakeholders. The practice of my agency and of Michael...
Michael Mesarowicz:
I echo some of what Stephen Small said. Our view is not a reflection on individuals or homosexuality per se. We recognise that society has changed and is cha...
Mr McAveety:
Lab
Of the couples who have sought to adopt with your agencies, what percentage are unmarried heterosexual couples and what percentage same-sex couples?
Michael Mesarowicz:
I am not aware that many unmarried couples apply to St Margaret's. We have some single applicants, who we assess. I am not aware that any same-sex couples ha...
Stephen Small:
A tiny minority of our applicants are heterosexual unmarried couples. In the past four years, we have approved about 80 families, of which perhaps two involv...
Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP):
SNP
The committee has heard from looked-after children about the stigma that they feel as a result of being looked after. We know about the life chances that the...
Stephen Small:
That is the crux of the matter. Clearly, the best chance for every child comes from being in a home in which they are loved and cared for by adults. If that ...
Michael Mesarowicz:
That is the crux of the issue. We do not want children to underachieve. An issue arises about whether someone's sexuality diminishes their parenting skills. ...
Fiona Hyslop:
SNP
I detect that you do not want us to make a decision and that you would much rather that the research was done elsewhere and that we waited to see what follow...
Stephen Small:
That is an argument. As far as I am aware, three countries in the European Union have approved same-sex couples to adopt, so we would not be waiting to see w...
Mr McAveety:
Lab
Even if overwhelmingly positive evidence existed, your organisations probably have philosophical and theological views on the proposal that would make it dif...
Stephen Small:
One of the problems we have that other agencies do not is that we have a wider stakeholder group whose needs we must meet. One of the stakeholders is the Cat...