Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2021)

95.   Application for adoption order

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    (1)   Within four weeks of the decision of the Adoption Committee, a prospective adoptive parent with whom a child has been placed for adoption may make an application to the Court for an adoption order under this Part.

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    (2)   An application under subsection (1) must be accompanied by the following documents —

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      (a)     the consent required for the adoption, an order dispensing with consent or an application to dispense with consent;

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      (b)     the birth certificate of the child or if it cannot be obtained, satisfactory evidence of the facts relating to the birth of the child;

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      (c)     a copy of the report of the home study assessment;

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      (d)     a copy of the notice of approval of application for placement under section 84;

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      (e)     a copy of the placement agreement and a statement from the Director that applicable placement requirements as stipulated in the placement agreement have been met; and

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      (f)     other information prescribed or required by the Court.

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    (3)   The Court may dispense with the need to provide a document under subsection (2).

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    (4)   If a parent or other person having custody of a child requires that the parentage or the surname of the child be kept secret, the documents referred to in subsection (2)(a) and (b) must be sealed or masked to prevent the identification of the biological parent of the child or the disclosure of the surname of the child.

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    (5)   If the biological parent of a child does not know the identity of a prospective adoptive parent of his or her child and an applicant does not know the identity of the biological parent of the child he or she is desirous of adopting, the Court may order that the identity of either party or information that could reveal their identities not be disclosed in a document.

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    (6)   The Court may require the Division to inquire into matters respecting an application for an adoption order that the Court considers necessary.