Sex offenders 'should be allowed to adopt'

Helen Reece, who teaches family law at the London School of Economics, argues against a blanket ban on sex offenders in fostering and other roles working with children and said each case should be treated on its merits.

In the latest edition of Child and Family Law Quarterly, she said that a blanket ban could leave the UK government open to a legal challenge under article 14 of the European Convention of Human rights.

She said that there are cases involving sex offenders wanting to foster where individual circumstance is already taken into account. The High Court in 1999 allowed a grandfather to foster his grandchildren, who were already living with him, despite having a conviction 36 years previously for having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

Such recognition is rare and has only previously applied to relatives or existing foster carers but Reece argues there is no reason why all sex offenders should not be considered as adopters or fosterers.

She said: "Sex offenders shouldn’t all be tarred with the same brush. People need to be carefully screened for adoption and fostering, but each case should be taken on its merits. There shouldn’t be blanket rules.

"What somebody has done before is not necessarily what he or she will do again. When someone has served a sentence, as far as you can, you should treat them the same as anyone else."

She added that sex offenders have low re-conviction rates compared to other types of offenders.

She points out that it is also wrong to assume that married couples will be better fosterers or adopters.