Under adoption legislation, when a child is registered on the Register of Adoption the child is deemed to be the fully legal child of the adoptive parent/couple, having the same legal status as any biological child of the couple born to them within their marriage. Accordingly, the Child and Family Agency would have the responsibility for investigating a case where it has been brought to their attention that a parent or parents are failing in their duty to their child.
In the case of some intercountry adoptions, the country of origin may require the provision of post placement reports for a period of time following the finalisation of the adoption. While it has no statutory responsibility to do so, the Child and Family Agency assists adoptive parents in the provision of these reports.