Introduction
A separate representative is a lawyer who represents the best interests of a child in an adoption case.
This brochure is for kids under 10 years old. It will tell you what a separate representative does and what might happen next.
Why do I have a separate representative?
There is a court case all about you. The judge is being asked to make an adoption order.
Your caseworker, carers and birth parents will all have a chance to tell the judge what they want to happen. They might have lawyers to help them.
The judge said that you should have a different lawyer to help you. This lawyer is called a separate representative. Your separate representative does not work for anyone else in the case. They have a special job which is all about helping the judge decide what is best for you. They will also help the judge learn more about you and what you think about the adoption.
What will the separate representative do?
The separate representative will tell the judge what they think is best for you.
Although each case is different, there are lots of things that a separate representative will do before telling the judge what they think is best. Those things include:
- reading all of the information about your case
- asking for more information so the judge can find out more about you
- talking to you about the case, to find out what you think should happen, and to answer any questions you might have
- talking to other people who know you, to find out more about you
- making sure that the judge knows what you want to happen, and
- talking to you about what the judge decides.
What happens when I meet with my separate representative?
Your separate representative might meet you at their office, or somewhere else.
Your separate representative will talk to you about who you want to live with, and the different decisions the judge might make, including adoption. They might also ask you about the other people you spend time with, like your birth parents. They will help you think about what you want to happen in the future.
Your separate representative will talk to you about what an adoption order might mean for you. They can also explain what happens in court and answer any questions that you have.
What you tell your separate representative is private. The separate representative will only tell others what you say if you agree for that to happen, or if they are worried about your safety.
You do not need to tell other adults what you talked about with your separate representative.
You might meet with your separate representative a few times, depending on what is happening in your case.
How will the judge know what I want to happen?
There are lots of different ways that the judge will know what you want to happen.
Your caseworker might have told the judge about what you want, or you might have met with a different person who has written a report for the judge. The report is all about you and the other important people in your life.
Your separate representative might also write down what you want to tell judge.
It is important to remember that you don’t have to tell the judge what you want to happen, if you don’t want to.
What else will a separate representative do?
A separate representative will talk to other important adults in your life to see whether they can agree about what is best for you.
Other important things to know
If you want them to, your separate representative will tell the judge what you think about the adoption and what you want to happen. Sometimes they might tell the judge to do something different to what you want to happen. This is because the separate representative has to tell the judge about what they think is best for you.
In the end, it is the judge who will decide what will happen.
There are lots of things the judge will think about when they make a decision about you. Knowing what you want to happen is important, but it is not the only thing the judge has to think about.
What happens if I am unhappy with my separate representative?
If you a have a problem with your separate representative, you should talk to them about it first. If you are not comfortable doing that, or if that doesn’t help, you can go to our Feedback and complaints page for more information.
Word list
On this page, we wrote some important words in bold. Below, we explain what these bold words mean.
This is the decision a judge makes when they agree adoption is best for you.
Court is a place where the judge works and makes decisions.
A court case is like a special meeting in a courtroom where a judge or other people listen to different sides of a story and decide what to do.
A judge is the boss of the court who will make a decision about your case.
A lawyer is someone who understands what happens in court and can explain it all to you. A lawyer will also help the judge understand what you want to happen.
A separate representative is a lawyer who represents the best interests of a child in an adoption case.
Updated April 2025