My daughter has mental health problems which wrecked her marriage. Her husband was granted custody of their baby, but she is worried that the baby will be put up for adoption if he can’t cope. Am I right in thinking that children cannot be put up for adoption unless the natural mother signs adoption forms?
No, but it’s true to say that parental agreement is only dispensed with after very careful consideration by a judge. A court can grant an adoption order where it considers that this would be overwhelmingly in the best interests of the child. However this would normally only happen after exhaustive efforts on the part of the local authority to help the parents look after the child themselves. Funding through the Legal Aid Agency is available to parents involved in such issues regardless of their financial circumstances.