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North West Councils join
forces to end delay for children awaiting adoption
CHILDREN waiting to be adopted in the North West are to be
found stable, loving homes quicker than ever before thanks to new measures
announced. 20 Councils from across the region have been handpicked by the government to
form 4 of the England's 1st Regional Adoption Agencies, brand new groupings
of of local Councils and voluntary adoption agencies that join forces with 1
single purpose; to place children waiting for adoption with their forever
family without delay.
Children and Families Minister Edward Timpson, who grew up with 2 adopted
brothers, said:- "Every single day a child in the North West spends
waiting in care for their new family is a further delay to a life full of love
and stability... And so I'm delighted to announce the region as one of the 1st
Regional Adoption Agencies.
Where adoption is proven to be in the best interest of the child, we have a duty
to make sure they're matched quickly with the parents right for them;
regardless of where they live.
By coming together and joining forces, councils and adoption agencies across the
region will be able to reach across artificial boundaries and access an ever
growing pool of approved adopters, creating families quickly and successfully."
Research shows that when placing children for adoption, Councils tend to
concentrate their efforts on finding local parents 1st, rather than looking
further afield for what might be a better match. This can lead to children
waiting much longer than necessary when parents are readily available.
Encouraging councils and adoption agencies to work together will act as a triple
win; giving Councils a greater pool of adoptive parents to match with children,
making adoption support services more widely available and better targeting the
recruitment of adopters.
The Government will provide financial and practical support for Councils and
adoption agencies to enable them to bring services together regionally, and
implement the greatest step change in the way children are matched for adoption
in a generation. So this announcement is being shown by some as evidence of the
Government's commitment to reform the
adoption system so children waiting are provided with stable and loving homes
much more swiftly, giving them the opportunity to settle and bond with their new
family. But what do you think about this? Please send us your thoughts and
views by emailing us at:-
News24@SouthportReporter.Com.
The government is reported to have:-
► Provided £30m to speed up the finding of adoptive parents in England by covering
the costs incurred by Councils who find parents beyond their geographical
boundaries. ►
Introduced Regional Adoption
Agencies to place children waiting for stable loving homes, quickly.
► Removed barriers by ensuring ethnicity is not prioritised over
other factors, such as the ability to provide a stable, loving home.
► Introduced new rules requiring
Councils to actively consider
fostering for adoption places where appropriate, allowing children to move in
with their adoptive family much earlier.
► Placed mandatory requirement
on all Councils to tell prospective
adopters about their entitlements.
► Extended pupil premium funding and priority
School admissions so that all
children adopted from care are eligible for extra funding at School.
► Empowered adoptive parents to choose the
School that will best
meet their child's needs. |
