Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud on Wednesday, presented the Adoption of Children (Amendment) Bill to the National Assembly of the Twelfth Parliament.
The amendment of the Act will provide for the insertion of the new Second Schedule of the Principal Act – Hague Convention of May 19, 1993, on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.
It will allow for more scrutiny regarding international adoption to protect the nation’s children from exploitation, trafficking and abuse.
Among other things, the Act will provide for a home study report on prospective adoptive parents to be conducted by the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security. These include criminal checks and a full, complete statement of all facts relevant to the eligibility of the prospective parents under the Hague Convention.
In October, Minister Persaud installed the Adoption Board which immediately began working to clear the backlog of adoption cases.
