LGA responds to launch of government adoption strategy

27 Jul 2021 10:14 AM

Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, responds to the publication of the Adoption Strategy by the Department for Education.

“Every child who cannot safely live with their birth parents deserves a loving home in which they can thrive, and we must do all we can to make sure those homes are available. Today’s adoption strategy builds on the good work already in place and will help us to ensure that those children for whom adoption is the right choice don’t have to wait too long for their permanent homes.

“Funding to support early permanence and recruitment of adopters will help us to achieve this goal. The Adoption Support Fund has been a lifeline for many adopted children and their families and we would like to see a long-term commitment to this by the Government to ensure ongoing specialist support when it is most needed. It is positive to see additional funding for kinship care, recognising the range of support for children and their carers.

“We would also like to see work across government to ensure that prospective adopters get the support they need to offer homes to children, including swift access to children’s mental health services.

“It is vital that councils are able to provide all children in care with the loving homes and long-term support they deserve, whether this is in foster care, kinship care, children’s homes or through adoption or special guardianship. The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care and the forthcoming spending review are key opportunities for the Government to work with councils to ensure this can happen.”

Adoption strategy: achieving excellence everywhere