Analysis

Changes to turn tide on adoption decline

4 mins read Social Care Adoption
A more inclusive system that better meets children’s, adopters’ and birth families’ needs can reverse fall in adoptions, says expert.
Adoption must be about the best interests of the child rather than adopters’ needs. Picture: Viacheslav Yakobchuk
Adoption must be about the best interests of the child rather than adopters’ needs. Picture: Viacheslav Yakobchuk

I have spent 13 years at the fore of adoption system reforms in England, as the government has tried to increase the number of adoptions and ensure children are placed without delay with a loving family that can meet their needs. As I prepare to step away, I want to reflect on progress and consider the future of adoption.

In 2011, Sir Martin Narey and I led a rapid review of the adoption system in England. We found blockages and potential for unnecessary delays at all stages of the child’s and the adopter’s journeys. An expert working group was convened, and our proposals were incorporated into the government’s 2012 Action Plan for Adoption: Tackling Delay.

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