There were 2,960 children adopted in England in 2023, according to the Department for Education, a 2% decrease from 2022. The average time between a child entering care and being placed for adoption was 1 year and 7 months in 2023, up from 1 year 6 months in 2022. It then takes a further 10 months, on average, for an adoption order to be granted and the adoption to be completed. A survey of adoptive parents by Adoption UK has found their children are around 20 times more likely to be permanently excluded from school than their classmates.
Most adoption activity in England is now undertaken by Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs), in line with government policy to move to a regional delivery model, with these agencies undertake varying degrees of adoption recruitment and support services on behalf of local authorities.
Ofsted’s thematic review of adoption services provided by RAAs, published in March 2024, finds that day-to-day adoption practice by RAAs is strong, but many of the challenges that led to regionalisation remain unresolved. Demand for adoption support often exceeds the resources available to RAAs, meaning some individuals and families do not receive the support they need, when they need it. Meanwhile, there continues to be a national shortage of adopters. Transparency and communication issues, mismatches between children and parents, lengthy due diligence timeframes, ineffective permanancy planning are still key challenges that need to be resolved.
This symposium will offer local authorities, voluntary adoption agencies, children’s care services, schools, mental health services, social workers, third sector bodies, and relevant judicial agencies with a timely opportunity to examine the state of adoption in the UK and discuss how to increase adoption numbers and strengthen partnerships working to deliver excellent and innovative adoption services nationwide.
sobus
20 Dawes Road, London, SW6 7EN
Telephone 020 7952 1230
Email info@sobus.org.uk
Registered Charity No.1071089
and Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England No.03471416
Sobus is a new Community Development Agency for Hammersmith & Fulham. It has been created through the merger of the Community and Voluntary Sector Association Hammersmith & Fulham (CaVSA) and the Fulham Community Partnership Trust (FCPT). Building on the strengths of both organisations, sobus aims to provide a wider range of support services for local charities, community groups, social enterprises and start up businesses.