VPRS 11840 Court of Petty Sessions, Adoption Case Files

The adoption of children was first regulated by legislation with the commencement of the Adoption of Children Act 1928. This Act established adoption as a legal transfer of custody and of parental responsibility, and gave responsibility for making adoption orders to the courts. Prior to this time, adoptions were informal arrangements often made by private infants' homes.Under the 1928 Act an adoption application could be heard by the Supreme Court, County Court or Court of Petty Sessions. The choice of court depended upon the circumstances of the case and the wishes of the parties:* The Supreme Court could grant an adoption order in any circumstance* The County Court could grant an adoption order in any circumstance if the applicant(s) (ie the prospective adoptive parent(s)) chose to use this avenue* The Court of Petty Sessions closest to where either the applicant(s) or the child resided could grant an adoption order if several parties gave their written consent to the adoption, namely:- The child's natural parent(s) or guardian(s)- The person having custody of the child- Any person liable to contribute to the support of the child- Where the applicant was married, the applicant's spouse.If the consent of any of these persons could not be obtained in writing, a higher court had to be used.This system remained in place until the passing of the Adoption of Children Act 1958 which removed the jurisdiction of the Court of Petty Sessions to grant adoption orders. Since that time the County and Supreme Courts have had the power to grant adoption orders, although in practice most have been granted by the County Court.This series consists of applications for adoptions heard at the Court of Petty Session.

儿童收养首次通过立法进行规范是在1928年《儿童收养法》（Adoption of Children Act 1928）生效之时。该法案将收养确立为监护权与父母责任的合法转移，并将收养令的签发权赋予法院。在此之前，收养多为非正式安排，常由私人婴儿院促成。

根据1928年法案，收养申请可由最高法院（Supreme Court）、郡法院（County Court）或治安法院（Court of Petty Sessions）审理。法院的选择取决于案件情况及当事人意愿：
* 最高法院可在任何情况下签发收养令；
* 若申请人（即准收养父母）选择该途径，郡法院可在任何情况下签发收养令；
* 若下列多方书面同意收养，与申请人或儿童居住地最近的治安法院可签发收养令：
- 儿童的亲生父母或监护人；
- 拥有儿童监护权的人；
- 任何有义务抚养儿童的人；
- 若申请人已婚，则其配偶。

若无法获得上述任何一方的书面同意，则须诉诸更高一级法院。

这一制度一直沿用至1958年《儿童收养法》（Adoption of Children Act 1958）通过，该法案取消了治安法院签发收养令的管辖权。此后，郡法院与最高法院均有权签发收养令，不过实际上大多数收养令由郡法院签发。

本系列档案包含治安法院审理的收养申请。