d for adoption. 8.2. The Family Procedure Rules 2010 (the Rules) and their accompanying Practice Directions come into force from 6 April 2011 and set out in detail the procedure to be followed in court proceedings. The adoption agency (or local authority in a non- agency case) has an important part to play in these proceedings. Section 1(3) of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (the Act) requires courts and agencies to be mindful of the prejudicial effect delay has on children. Rule 1 includes the need to ensure that cases are dealt with expeditiously and fairly as part of the ‘overriding objective’ of the Rules. All parties, including the agency/local authority, must help the court in furthering this overriding objective. This will include compliance with timetables set by the court. Court proceedings Placement order applications 8.3. As explained in chapters 2, 4 and 5 the decisions by the agency decision- maker that a child ‘should be placed for adoption’, or should be placed for adoption with a particular prospective adopter, are necessary stages in the process. But these decisions can only be implemented if the agency is ‘authorised to place the child for adoption.’ Where the agency does not have authorisation through parental 128 consent, it will be necessary to apply for a placement order. An application for a placement order must be made:  if the child is accommodated but no adoption agency is authorised to place the child for adoption provided that either:  the child has no parent or guardian, or  the authority considers that the grounds in section 31(2) of the Children Act 1989 (the1989 Act) are met, (section 22(1) of the Act); or  if there are care proceedings in train (whether or not the parents are prepared to consent to placement for adoption); or  if