Work and Families Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 Explanatory Notes

Article 85ZS: Entitlement: prospective adopters with whom looked after children are placed

Article 85ZS, at paragraph (4), provides for Articles 85ZJ, 85ZL, 85ZN and 85ZP to apply to employees and agency workers who are expecting to have a child placed with them under a FFA arrangement.

In accordance with paragraphs (1) to (3), such an arrangement is one where a child is placed by a competent authority (a Health and Social Care Trust) with an approved foster parent who is also an approved prospective adopter, where a decision is pending or has already been taken that adoption is in the child’s best interests. In accordance with paragraph (3)(b), regulations may specify that certain conditions must also be satisfied, thereby allowing the regulations to set a specific point at which entitlement will be triggered.

Paragraph (5) provides that where entitlement has been exercised under this Article, then entitlement cannot subsequently be exercised under Articles 85ZJ, 85ZL, 85ZN or 85ZP.

Paragraph (6) enables the Department, by order subject to the draft affirmative resolution Assembly procedure, to amend certain definitions deriving from other legislation if changes are made to the definitions in that legislation.

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