Adoption of Q

The proceedings were brought by the Secretary of the Department of Communities and Justice, seeking an adoption order in relation to a child, Q. The child's birth parents were not parties to the proceeding. The child had lived with the proposed adoptive parents since she was an infant. The court was required to determine whether an adoption order should be made in favour of the proposed adoptive parents. The court also needed to decide whether the consent of the child’s birth mother should be dispensed with, whether the requirement to give notice to the birth father should be dispensed with, whether the proposed name change should be approved, and whether the proposed adoption plan should be approved and registered.

The court considered the child's best interests in light of the evidence presented. The child had formed a stable and loving relationship with the proposed adoptive parents and had been living with them for the majority of her life. The court found that dispensing with the consent of the birth mother was in the child's best interests, given the significant time that had elapsed since the child was placed with the proposed adoptive parents and the fact that the birth mother had not maintained contact with the child. The court also determined that dispensing with the requirement to give notice to the birth father was appropriate due to the uncertainty surrounding his identity and the lack of contact he had with the child. The proposed name change was approved as it aligned with the child's best interests and the child's wishes. Finally, the court approved the adoption plan, finding it to be in the child's best interests and compliant with the relevant legislative requirements.

The court made an order that the adoption of the child be approved, that the consent of the birth mother be dispensed with, that the requirement to give notice to the birth father be dispensed with, that the proposed name change be approved, and that the adoption plan be approved and registered.