Doncaster sees surge in adoptions

Doncaster Children’s Services Trust says that in 2014/15 there were 46 adoption placements, an increase of around 30 per cent on previous annual totals of between 29 and 35 a year.

The trust’s service manager for adoption Sue May says the increase is partly due to efforts to improve partnerships with adoption agencies and simplifying the process for prospective adoptive families.

She said: “Stability, safety and a loving home is what all children need. We’re delighted to have placed so many more children, many of them siblings, with adoptive parents this year.

“The dramatic increase is due to several factors. We’ve used a simplified adoption process as prioritised by government, we’ve worked effectively with the regional consortium and adoption agencies across the country and we have a fully staffed team who are building a strong reputation.”

One adoptive parent who adopted siblings said building up a strong relationship with the children’s foster carer before adopting helped make the process easier.

She said: “You spend a lot of time in the foster carer’s house during the two-week introduction period. And the relationship you build with a foster carer is really positive.

“We still keep in touch. One day during the introductions, I had taken them out for a few hours on my own.

"It was then that the magnitude of what I was taking on hit me, and I realised that these two children were going to be my responsibility for the rest of my life.

"This is what the whole adoption journey had been about.”

Doncaster was the first council to have children’s services removed from direct control and placed in an independent trust in October 2014. This followed a long period of problems in turning around poor performance in the department.

Last month the trust announced that it had recorded improvements in ensuring looked-after children do not go missing from care.