Member

I will first focus Amendment 120A, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Crisp, which would seek to exclude from the consent mechanism adopted children who would otherwise be in scope because they were on a child protection plan within the last five years, where that plan was discharged prior to them being adopted. We recognise that different groups of children may need different approaches. It is important to emphasise that local authorities must give consent unless the legislative tests for refusal are met. We will provide guidance to local authorities on how they should approach consent decisions and will consider making particular reference to adopted children. However, we do not want to exempt adopted children from the consent measure. These children are likely still to be vulnerable because of the circumstances leading to their adoption and the significant transition and likely trauma involved. As with all children, school can be a protective factor, offering familiarity and consistency. Removing these children from schools could further destabilise them, increasing vulnerability to further harm. Of course, parents of adopted children will already be known to the local authority, and we would expect checks—