Cafcass contributes to surrogacy guidance launched by the Department of Health today

Official guidance for those considering becoming parents through surrogacy has been launched by the Department of Health today. It is available on the gov.uk website, and, for the first time, provides a central source of reference on the surrogacy process. It covers the process from beginning to end, including making arrangements with surrogates, the medical journey, the legal requirements, and what happens afterwards.

 

Cafcass welcomes the guidance, which also recommends that parents should be open with children about how they were born to help children feel secure about their origins and their relationship with their parents. – Anthony Douglas, Cafcass CEO

 

It is hoped that this will help those considering surrogacy to make safe and informed decisions by providing a free, trustworthy and practical source of information.

Cafcass contributed a section to help clarify the legal requirements and the ‘parental order process’, and to help demystify the process and ensure parents know what to expect. This sets out:

• why a parental order is needed;
• what steps intended parents should take to become the legal parents of the child;
• the role of Cafcass and the courts.

 

It also signposts fuller guidance for intended parents.