Adoption was placed harshly in the national spotlight last month through the shocking case of John Smith.

The four-year-old died after being cruelly mistreated by a Hove couple who were each jailed for eight years for abusing him.

Later, The Argus revealed how simple checks on the couple, who were intending to adopt him, could have discovered that the man had been violent.

This case should not obscure the fact adoption is usually one of the best ways in which to bring up children who have had a poor start to life.

Whatever the deficiencies of Brighton and Hove City Council in the John Smith case, the authority has a good record in getting children adopted.

Now the Government has presented plans for a national adoption register.

If this is put into place, it should speed up the process of adoption, which, at present, can be extremely cumbersome.

It could also have the desired effect of greatly increasing the number of children who are adopted.

However good a children's home can be, it can never have the intimacy of a real home with loving adoptive parents.

But the register must have all the safeguards recommended by an independent report into the John Smith case.

No one can ever say such a case can never happen again but everything possible needs to be done to minimise the risk.