Adoption patterns were unlikely to be affected by recent changes to the law allowing married couples to adopt before their third anniversary, Appoġġ said.

While couples could now approach the adoption services earlier in their marriage, the delicate and complex process would remain the same, the agency explained.

A landmark court judgment delivered last year led to the law governing adoptions to be changed, doing away with the need for couples to have been married for at least three years before being able to adopt.

The amendment came into force last month after the court ruled that the three-year timeframe discriminated against married couples. As the law stood, no timeframes were imposed in relation to singles and cohabiting couples.

An average of 71 adoptions were carried out every year between 2004 and 2008, the National Statistics Office reported recently. The average over the previous five years was 49.

Last year, Appoġġ received 86 applications for adoption: 75 from couples, 10 from single women and one from a single man, an agency spokesman said.

The spokesman said the agency did not expect to see a change in patterns due to the law changes. "The same process of training, assessments and drawing up of reports still needs to be followed and would still take the same time as before the amendment...

"The adoption process is a delicate one and it involves various stages that need to take place in a specific order, dictated by both legal and social requirements, ever in the best interests of the child involved," the spokesman said.

Outlining the adoption procedure, the spokesman said applicants were first given an explanation of the procedures and legal requirements they should follow. Eligible applicants then move on to a compulsory preparatory course spread over seven weeks. After the course, social workers within the Appoġġ Adoption Service make home visits and meet the applicants to carry out the necessary assessments.

A report is then put together and sent to the Adoption Board, which is independent of Appoġġ. The board approves or refuses the application, a decision that would have to be approved by the law courts.

Once the adoption goes through, Appoġġ monitors the progress of the child and supports the adoptive parents when necessary.