VPRS 11814 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.

儿童收养制度首次通过立法得以规范，始于1928年《儿童收养法》（Adoption of Children Act 1928）的施行。该法将收养界定为监护权与亲权的合法转移，并将作出收养令的职权赋予法院。在此之前，收养多为私人育婴机构主导的非正式安排。
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具体情况与当事人的意愿：
- 最高法院可在任何情形下作出收养令；
- 若申请人（即潜在收养人）选择郡法院作为受理渠道，则郡法院可在任何情形下作出收养令；
- 若满足以下多方均出具收养书面同意的条件，位于申请人或儿童住所地最近的治安法院可作出收养令，具体需同意的主体包括：
1. 儿童的生父母或监护人；
2. 实际照料儿童的人员；
3. 依法负有儿童扶养义务的人员；
4. 若申请人已婚，则需包括申请人的配偶。
若无法获取上述任一主体的书面同意，则需由上级法院审理该申请。
该制度一直沿用至1958年《儿童收养法》（Adoption of Children Act 1958）颁布，该法取消了治安法院作出收养令的管辖权。自此之后，郡法院与最高法院均拥有作出收养令的职权，但实际操作中绝大多数收养令均由郡法院作出。
本数据集收录了治安法院审理的全部收养申请相关案件材料。