Reform adopter

The government's emphasis on improving the adoption system has certainly proved divisive in the children and young people's sector.

While many support the ongoing reforms, others fear a sole focus on adoption devalues other forms of permanent care for children, and could jeopardise work aimed at keeping at-risk birth families together.

Srabani Sen, the new chief executive of the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), is firmly in the former category. Indeed, she cites the "dynamic reform agenda" as one of the key factors that led to her applying for her new role, having previously led the charity Contact a Family since 2008. Asked if the government is right to place so much focus on adoption, she says the reforms, which include attempts to reduce delay and recruit more adopters, provide a "fabulous opportunity for the sector". When CYP Now visits BAAF's offices in central London, Sen is in her first week in the job, having been appointed in September. Although she professes to be getting up to speed with the finer points of her policy brief, she is able to set out the areas she wants to work on initially. One of these is adopter recruitment.