Issue - meetings

Report CS17010

The Care Services Portfolio Holder introduced a report presenting the Adoption Service Annual Report 2016/17 which was required to be produced by the adoption agency on an annual basis under the National Minimum Standards 2014.

The Adoption Service was responsible for all adoption work undertaken by the Local Authority, supporting domestic, inter-country and step-parent adoption, birth parent counselling, post-placement and post-adoption support and a range of intermediary services.  Of a total of 33 children with an adoption plan and awaiting an adoption placement during 2015/16, 16 children were matched with an adoptive family, 2 children had their adoption plan rescinded and 14 children were actively being found an adoption placement as at 31^st March 2016.  A total of 17 adoptive units were approved during 2015/16, with 13 adoptive units left in the pool of approved adopters as at 31^st March 2016.

Priorities for the 2016/17 financial year included working with South London Consortium local authorities regarding the ongoing development of regionalisation, to implement ‘foster to adopt’ and to develop an adoption website.  Work would be undertaken to develop processes and procedures to meet post-adoption support needs and make applications to the Adoption Support Fund, which would continue to be available to all children adopted and their families across England who were in need of therapeutic services for at least the next four years.  It was proposed that a report be presented to the Executive Working Party on Child Safeguarding and Corporate Parenting every six months in addition to the annual report to the Care Services PDS Committee to meet Standard 25.6 of the National Minimum Standards 2011 which required the Adoption Agency to produce a six monthly report on adoption activity to the Agency Executive.

In response to a query from a Member around the length of time children waited between entering care and moving in with their adoptive families, the Interim Director of Children’s Services confirmed that the issue of pace of the adoption process had been highlighted in the recent Ofsted Inspection of Children’s Social Care.  A range of measures would be introduced to improve pace, but the levels of adoption had also been impacted by a significant increase in Special Guardianship Orders and Connected Persons.  The Local Authority would continue to work as part of the South London Consortium which increased the choice of adoptive families available for children and also supported joined-up working and a shared recruitment process.

The Chairman requested that work to undertake parallel assessment between the Foster Care and Adoption teams for children entering the care system be reported to the meeting of Care Services PDS Committee on 15^th November 2016.  It was also requested that information around the assessment process for Special Guardianship Orders and Connected Persons be provided to Members following the meeting.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to endorse the Adoption Service Annual Report 2015/16.