Children Act 1975

27 Counselling in Scotland for adopted person seeking information about his birth

In section 22 of the 1958 Act—

(a) the following words are added at the end of subsection (4)—

“or a local authority or an approved adoption society which is providing counselling, under subsection (4A) of this section, for that adopted person.”;

(b) the following subsections are inserted after subsection (4)—

“(4A) Where the Registrar General for Scotland furnishes an adopted person with information under subsection (4) of this section, he shall advise that person that counselling services are available—

(a) from the local authority for the area where the adopted person lives ; or

(b) if the adopted person's adoption was arranged by an adoption society which is approved under section 4 of the Children Act 1975, from that society,

and it shall be the duty of such local authority and approved adoption society to provide counselling for adopted persons who have been furnished with information under subsection (4) and who apply to them for counselling in respect of that information.

(4B) Where an adopted person has arranged to receive counselling under subsection (4A), the Registrar General for Scotland shall, on receipt of a request from the local authority or adoption society which is providing that counselling, and on payment of the appropriate fee, send to the authority or society an extract of the entry relating to the adopted person in the Register of Births.”.