Government fund for 'exciting' adoption initiatives opens

The Practice and Improvement Fund (PIF) is inviting bids for grant funding of up to £500,000 from voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs). 

The DfE said the funding has been designed to complement the transition to a new, regionalised adoption system, with the first wave of regional adoption agencies, covering 132 local authorities, due to launch by mid-2017.

"We want to build on this spirit of collaboration and support the sector to work together to capture the very best of current practice expertise and spark new innovations that could benefit the whole system," a government guidance document states.

This is the second invite for bids from the PIF. It first opened to bids in April 2016, resulting in funding for 25 projects covering improvements to matching and recruitment, placement stability as well as family support.

"Through round two of PIF we want to support organisations to develop and deliver scalable, sustainable projects which will improve services on a regional and/or national level," the document states.

"We want to see organisations joining up and using shared expertise to tackle system issues by spreading excellent practice and trialling exciting new approaches which will ensure that the future system works better for children and families who need it."