Winchester & Chandler's Ford MP Steve Brine has welcomed reforms to adoption services announced this week by Ministers.
The Government has published new guidance which makes clear that local authorities should pursue the possibility of adoption more vigorously for more children. In a number of measures, the guidance states:
Local authorities must not deny children a loving home with adoptive parents only because they don’t share the same ethnic or cultural background.
Adoption should be considered for children who may have been overlooked in the past – such as older children or those with disabilities.
Local authorities should be welcoming enquiries from those wanting to adopt and no person should be turned away on the grounds of race, age or social background.
Local authorities should be making full and effective use of the Adoption Register which helps to match adoptive parents with children.
Local authorities should be making more use of voluntary adoption agencies who have specialist expertise in finding families for difficult to place children – particularly older children, sibling groups and children from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Ministers are also concerned about the inspection regime for adoption services. In the past year, 24 out of 34 local authorities inspected were rated good or outstanding. Given the disappointing number and timeliness of adoptions taking place, this is not an accurate reflection of the overall picture. Over the coming months, Children’s Minister Tim Loughton MP will therefore be exploring with Ofsted whether and how the inspection regime can be strengthened.
A Ministerial Advisory Group on Adoption has now been set up to provide expert advice on how to break down barriers to adoption and reduce delay in the system. This includes a pilot, run by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, to support and challenge local authorities to make better use of the Adoption Register so that more children and families can be matched more quickly.
Steve said: “The need for reform is clear. Too many children in care are being denied loving homes and the chance of a stable upbringing with adoptive parents. Progress has regrettably stalled in recent years: the number of children placed for adoption fell by 15 per cent between 2009 and 2010 and more children are waiting longer to be adopted. It takes on average more than 50 per cent longer to place black children for adoption than children from other ethnic groups. Children over five are four times less likely to be adopted than children under five.
“Our aim is to see more children adopted where this is in their best interests, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds, older children and those with disabilities. Currently, many looked-after children in these groups are not even considered for adoption. We are determined that local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies should be more welcoming towards all potential adopters and not turn people away on the grounds of race, age or social background.
“These reforms are important and overdue. Together, they amount to a welcome boost to adoption, offering more children a route out of care and into a loving family home.”
In another announcement in relation to children’s services, a grant worth £11.2 million has been provided to the NSPCC over the period 2011-15 to maintain and improve both the NSPCC Helpline and Childline.
Both services are immensely valuable. The NSPCC Helpline is the only UK service offering anonymous and free access to trained child protection staff all day, every day. It provides specialist support, advice, counselling and information for anyone with concerns about a child who is either being abused or at risk of being abused. Childline provides support for children and young people directly, giving them specialist support and advice from a range of volunteers and experienced staff, including social workers, teachers and nurses.
The funding will ensure the NSPCC can continue to provide these important services. It is projected that this investment will see an increase in the number of children and young people supported through Childline.
Steve added: “On both adoption and the NSPCC grant, these are positive measures which will be widely welcomed. Despite years of investment and well-intentioned policies, too many children are still growing up in incredibly challenging circumstances. I therefore whole-heartedly welcome these significant steps in the right direction.”
Pictured; Children’s Minister Tim Loughton is announcing reforms to the adoption service
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