Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many contested adoptions have taken place in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not held centrally. The department does not collect data on specific adoption circumstances.

Information on those children placed for adoption where consent is dispensed by the court is published annually in Table D1 of the statistical release, ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017.

Figures for the year ending 31 March 2018 will be published on 15 November 2018. These are circumstances where the court can dispense without the consent of a parent, to the placement and adoption of their child if the welfare of the child requires it. This may be a decision in some situations that is not in accordance with the parents’ wishes.

The welfare of a child is paramount and local authorities have a statutory duty to intervene to undertake child protection enquiries and to take action to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare. However, decisions on adoption are ultimately taken by an independent judge based on the evidence presented.