executive summary
– while for most children the best place to grow up is with their birth parents, others are unable to do so
– where this is not possible, society has a clear responsibility to provide children with stability and permanence in their lives
– adoption is traditionally a means of providing a permanent alternative home for children unable to return to their birth parents
– the Government believes that more can and should be done to promote the wider use of adoption
adoption now
– 58,000 children are now looked after at any one time by councils in England
– many spend only a short time in the care of a council, with 40% returning home after less than eight weeks
– but for too many children, the way the system now operates does not provide the chance for a long-term family life
– there are major problems with children's services and adoption now:
• 18% of children experience three or more placements a year
• 70% leave care at 16 without any qualifications at all
• there is wide variation by councils in the use and practice of adoption
• to the detriment of children, the adoption process is widely seen as prone to delay, with clear concerns over the consistency, quality and clarity of the process
• there is a lack of consistency in the law
• social workers often receive little or no training on adoption
• the review mechanism for those applying to adopt is seen as unfair, and not impartial
• little support is available for adopters
• there are delays in the court processes over adoption
• there are only limited statistics available on adoption
The Prime Minister in February 2000 announced he would lead a thorough review of adoption policy, with the clear aim of taking a new approach to adoption.
adoption: the new approach
The Government will:
– invest £66.5m over three years to secure sustained improvements in adoption services
– set a target of increasing by 40% by 200405 the number of looked after children adopted, by improving councils' practices on adoption, and aim to exceed this by achieving, if possible,
a 50% increase
– legislate to overhaul and modernise the legal framework for adoption:
• provide new options for permanence
• support the establishment of an adoption register, with details of all children waiting to be adopted and approved adoptive families
• set out a new legal framework for adoption allowances
• establish an independent review mechanism for assessment of potential adopters
• give all families adopting children, especially those who have been looked after, the right
to an assessment for post-placement support
• provide adopted people with access to information about their history
• require councils to pay court fees when looked after children are adopted
• align the Adoption Act 1976 with the Children Act 1989
– make available £41m over three years from 200102 to allow councils to support staff wishing to undertake professional social work training
– consult on new National Adoption Standards which will set out clearly what children, prospective adopters, adoptive parents and birth families can expect:
• place children at the heart of the adoption process
• agree a plan for permanence for each child within six months of becoming continuously looked after
• take a decision on prospective adopters within six months of application
– consult on a right to paid adoption leave for one parent of an adopted child
– for councils, issue guidance on financial planning for adoption
– pilot innovative approaches to councils commissioning children's services
– use a range of powers against councils which consistently fail to provide a reasonable level of service on adoption, including emergency inspections, an Adoption Taskforce, 'special measures' and as a last resort, removal of services
– for the courts, increase flexibility in the family justice system, including expanding the number of judges available and concentrating adoption work in specialised adoption court centres
– work with the courts to provide interim guidance in 2001 on case management and consistent practice
– develop national standards for the new Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service
– amend consent to adoption forms so agreement is stated to be in the best interests of the child being adopted
Issues where the Government plans to take primary legislation, and those relating to the courts, will apply to Wales as well as England.
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