A new national adoption target to speed up
the adoption process was announced by Health Minister Jacqui Smith today -
marking the first anniversary of the publication of the White Paper' Adoption -
a new approach'.
The Government has set a new Public Service Agreement (PSA) target that by 31
March 2005 at least 95% of looked after children who are waiting for adoption
should be placed within 12 months of the decision that adoption is in their
best interests. This is an increase of 14% on current performance levels.
This measure is part of the Government's drive to improve adoption services to
ensure that the needs of children are placed at the heart of the adoption
process, and to reduce the time it takes for children to find new families.
Jacqui Smith said:
For many children in care, adoption offers the best chance of success in life.
We are committed to modernising the adoption process, to make it faster and
fairer, and to help transform the lives of hundreds of children.
"Our new national target means that more children who need new families, will
be living with them within a year. It is a challenging and ambitious target -
but one that is achievable. We are clear that this target must not be met at
the cost of quality and children must not be rushed into adoptive placements
before they are ready. The target makes it plain that current levels of
placement stability must be maintained." Finding the right new family is key
to making sure the needs of children are put at the heart of the adoption
process.
This new target is just one part of a package of measures we have delivered
since the Adoption White Paper was published a year ago. Since last December,
we have consulted on and finalised new National Adoption Standards, developed
supporting draft Practice Guidance for consultation, launched the Adoption
Register for England and Wales in August and, most recently, issued a new
Adopter Recruitment Toolkit to support adoption agencies in their efforts to
attract the extra adopters needed.
"Throughout the year, the Adoption and Permanence Taskforce has been working
intensively with selected councils to improve their adoption service and to
identify and spread best practice. The Adoption and Children Bill is also
currently being debated in Parliament. This demonstrates again our commitment
to improving the adoption process."
The Department of Health has also issued a consultation document on a proposal
to monitor adoption breakdowns after the making of an adoption order. The
consultation period ends on 2 April 2002.
Notes to Editors:
1. The new national target forms part of the Department of Health's Public
Service Agreement which is that:
"Maximising the contribution adoption can make to providing permanent families
for children without compromising on quality, so maintaining current levels of
adoptive placement stability. Specifically, by bringing councils' practice up
to the level of the best, by 2004-05:
to increase by 40% the number of looked after children who are adopted, and
aim to exceed this by achieving, if possible, a 50% increase, up from 2700 in
1999-00;
to increase to 95% the proportion of looked after children placed for adoption
within 12 months of the decision that adoption is in the child's best
interests, up from 81% in 2000-01."
2. The Department of Health will monitor performance of individual councils
through the PSS Performance Assessment Framework (PAF), and will keep these
indicators under review.
3. The circular issued today (LAC(2001)33) sets out details of the new target,
the implementation timetable for the National Adoption Standards, information
on the Adopter Recruitment Toolkit and the consultation document on estimating
rates of adoption break downs post-adoption order.
4. The Adoption and Children Bill follows the" Adoption - a new approach"
White
Paper which was published on 21 December 2000.
The Adoption and Permanence Taskforce was launched in October 2000. Chaired by
the Chief Inspector of Social Services, the Taskforce's 31 members are drawn
from experts in the field of adoption. The Taskforce initially worked with 8
councils (Barnet, Coventry, Lambeth, Newham, Northamptonshire, Peterborough,
Slough and Torbay) and has developed 3 tools to help councils more widely in
their adoption work, namely Children Waiting and Care Planning, Adoption
Support and Tracking Children. The Taskforce's second wave of 12 councils
(Blackburn with Darwen, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Halton, Hammersmith & Fulham,
Manchester, Merton, Redcar & Cleveland, Sheffield, Southend-on-Sea, Stockport
and Wigan) was announced in October this year.
5. On 7 August 2001, the first National Adoption Standards were published,
together with draft Practice Guidance to support the Standards. The Standards
have been written to ensure that children, adopters, birth families and the
general public understand what they can expect from the adoption service and
so that everybody receives a fair and equal service wherever they live. The
Adoption Register for England and Wales was also launched on 7 August 2001.
The Register will link people approved to adopt with children needing new
families, and so help to cut out unnecessary delay.
6. Copies of the White Paper, Adoption and Children Bill, National Adoption
Standards, draft Practice Guidance, LAC(2001)33 and the new Adopter
Recruitment Toolkit are available from the Department of Health's
comprehensive website -
www.doh.gov.uk/adoption Information about adoption
procedures, adoption legislation, guidance, international conventions, useful
addresses and statistics are also available from this website.
7. Non-media enquiries about the circular should be made to:
Adoption and Permanence Team (LAC(2001) 33)
Room 105 Wellington House
133-155 Waterloo Road
London SE1 8UG
Fax: 020 7972 4179
Email: dhmail@doh.gsi.gov.uk Please quote Adoption LAC(2001)33 in the subject
box
8. Comments on the consultation document should be sent by 5 March 2 April
2002 to: Children Looked After Team
Statistics Division 3A
Department of Health
Room 451C
Skipton House
80 London Road
London SE1 6LHFax: 020 7972 5660
Email: MB-Adoption-Consultation@doh.gsi.gov.uk
9. Non-media copies of LAC(2001)33 can be obtained from:
Department of Health
PO Box 777
London SE1 6XH
Tel: 08701 555 455
Fax: 01623 724 524
Email: doh@prolog.uk.com
10. Approximately 58,000 children are looked after by councils in England at
anyone time. The average length of time spent in care prior to adoption in
2000/2001 was 2 years 9 months, down from 3 years 4 months in 1996/1997.
11. 3,067 children were adopted from care in England during 2000/2001. This is
12% more than in the previous year, and over 40% more than in 1998/1999.
12. Further media ONLY enquiries to the Department of Health Media Centre on
0207 210 5315.
Link:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Pressreleases/DH_4011565
