VPRS 11827 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.

儿童收养的首次立法规范，始于1928年《儿童收养法》（Adoption of Children Act 1928）的正式施行。该法将收养确立为监护权与父母责任的合法移转，并将作出收养令的职权赋予司法机关。在此之前，收养多为私人婴儿收容机构所达成的非正式安排。
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。法院的遴选需结合案件具体情形与当事人意愿确定：
- 最高法院可在任何情形下作出收养令；
- 若拟收养人（即潜在收养父母）选择该途径，郡法院可在任何情形下作出收养令；
- 若多方出具收养书面同意书，包括儿童的生父母、监护人、实际照料该儿童的人员、有法定抚养义务的人员，以及若申请人已婚则包括其配偶，那么距离申请人或儿童居住地最近的治安法院可作出收养令。
若无法取得上述任一人员的书面同意，则须诉诸级别更高的法院。
该制度一直沿用至1958年《儿童收养法》（Adoption of Children Act 1958）通过，该法废除了治安法院作出收养令的管辖权。自此以后，郡法院与最高法院均有权作出收养令，尽管实践中绝大多数收养令均由郡法院作出。
本系列档案涵盖在治安法院审理的收养申请。