In this Act, “adoption support agency” means an undertaking the purpose of which, or one of the purposes of which, is the provision of adoption support services; but an undertaking is not an adoption support agency—
merely because it provides information in connection with adoption other than for the purpose mentioned in section 98(1), or
if it is excepted by virtue of subsection (2).
The following are excepted—
a registered adoption society, whether or not the society is registered in respect of the provision of adoption support services,
a local authority,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NHS England,
a Special Health Authority ... , integrated care board (in Wales, a Health Authority or Local Health Board) , NHS trust or NHS foundation trust,
the Registrar General,
any person, or description of persons, excepted by regulations.
In section 4 of the Care Standards Act 2000 (basic definitions)—
after subsection (7) there is inserted—
(7A)“Adoption support agency” has the meaning given by section 8 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.
,
in subsection (9)(a) (construction of references to descriptions of agencies), for “or a voluntary adoption agency” there is substituted .“ a voluntary adoption agency or an adoption support agency ”
In this section “local authority” includes any body that is a local authority as defined in section 579(1) of the Education Act 1996 (in addition to the bodies mentioned in the definition in section 144(1)).