VPRS 11639 Court of Petty Sessions Adoption of Children Register

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.Court of Petty Sessions Adoption RegistersBetween the years 1928 and 1958, Courts of Petty Sessions maintained Adoption Registers to record the details of adoption applications and decisions made by the court. Only adoption applications heard by the Court of Petty Sessions were recorded in these registers; many orders were heard by the County Court.

1928年《儿童收养法》（Adoption of Children Act 1928）正式施行后，儿童收养首次通过立法实现规范化。该法将收养确立为监护权与父母责任的合法移转行为，并将作出收养令的职权赋予法院。在此之前，收养多为私人育婴院主导的非正式安排。

根据1928年《儿童收养法》，收养申请可由最高法院（Supreme Court）、郡法院（County Court）及裁判法院（Court of Petty Sessions）审理。法院的选择取决于案件具体情形与当事人意愿：
- 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）选择该渠道，郡法院可在任何情形下作出收养令；
- 若以下多方均出具收养书面同意书，位于申请人或儿童住所地最近的裁判法院可作出收养令，具体包括：
1. 儿童的生父母或监护人；
2. 实际照料该儿童的人员；
3. 有义务抚养该儿童的人员；
4. 若申请人已婚，则包括申请人的配偶。

若无法取得上述任一主体的书面同意，则需由上级法院处理。

该体系一直沿用至1958年《儿童收养法》（Adoption of Children Act 1958）颁布，该法取消了裁判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，但实践中绝大多数收养令均由郡法院作出。

裁判法院收养登记册（Court of Petty Sessions Adoption Registers）：1928年至1958年间，各裁判法院均设有收养登记册，用于记录本院审理的收养申请及裁判结果。此类登记册仅收录裁判法院审理的收养申请，另有大量收养申请由郡法院审理。