Pilot regional adoption agencies to place 200 children a year

A policy paper published at the weekend on plans to create “early adopter” regional adoption agencies, outlines the type of models of joint working between local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies that the Department for Education wants to develop under the programme.

The paper states it is “interested in models that could deal with 200 children a year”, but wants to get feedback from the sector on what an “appropriate scale” should be. However, it adds that “particularly ambitious and innovative” pilots “may want to start on a smaller scale initially that can then be scaled up”.

It is the first indication of the size of regional agencies that ministers would like to see developed, and suggests that based on existing numbers of adoptions, the total number of agencies developed could be a few dozen.

The DfE is offering development support to early adopter sites worth £4.5m in 2015/16, with a deadline for bids of 31 August.

While the number of adoptions rose to 5,050 in 2014, the government believes that too many existing council adoption services do not place enough children and approve too few adopters.

The policy paper cites figures for the first three quarters of 2014 that show 20 individual or groups of local authorities recruited fewer than 10 adopters, while 58 recruited fewer than 20.

“This is not an effective and efficient scale to be operating at and is likely to mean that costs are higher because management overheads and fixed costs are shared over a smaller base,” the paper states.

The paper states that regional adoption agencies would be expected to deliver all adopter recruitment, matching and support functions, and early adopter sites could involve joining up councils and voluntary adoption agency services; for one agency to deliver services on behalf of others; or to develop a multi-agency centre of excellence in therapeutic support.

It also says early adopter sites could consider “taking on broader functions beyond adoption”, such as creating a “regional permanence hub”, delivering services for children leaving care for special guardianship or long-term foster care.

Broadening regional working to incorporate other forms of permanence is an idea that Andy Elvin, the chief executive of the Adolescent and Children’s Trust, has also suggested.

Children and families minister Edward Timpson, said: “Every single day a child spends waiting in care for their new family is a further delay to a life full of love and stability. This just isn’t good enough. Where adoption is proven to be in the best interest of the child, we have a moral mission to make sure they are matched quickly with parents who are right for them – regardless of where they live.

“The new funding announced today will help councils come together and access an ever growing pool of approved adopters – creating families quickly and successfully.”

Plans for regional adoption agencies were included in the Education and Adoption Bill in last month’s Queen’s Speech. It sets out plans to force councils to create regional agencies if they haven’t done so voluntarily within two years.