New Voluntary Adoption Agencies

4 April 2014

The Department for Education has announced that three new voluntary adoption agencies will open their doors for business today, as part of a £16 million government drive to encourage more people to adopt. The three new Voluntary Adoption Agencies announced today are:

  • Coram Cambridgeshire Adoption – based in Cambridge and Huntingdon
  • ARC Adoption North East – based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
  • Adopters for Adoption – based in the Midlands

The agencies have each committed to recruit over 100 adopters in their first three years, finding stable, loving homes for vulnerable children who are waiting to be adopted – particularly those children who are harder to place.

Children and Families Minister Edward Timpson, who has two adopted brothers himself, said:

“It’s great to see three new agencies opening their doors today as a direct result of the government’s investment, finding and helping up to 300 potential adopters across the country.

“With more than 6,000 children still waiting for a loving home, it’s vital we continue to do all that we can to recruit new parents and give voluntary adoption agencies a key role in boosting the number of adopters further.”

Last summer the government made over £16 million available to help voluntary adoption agencies expand in order to address the shortfall of adopters and place children who need stable homes more quickly. Each of the new agencies – based in a different region of the country – has been awarded a start-up grant of around £500,000 to help prepare and support people who want to become adoptive parents.

The money – available until 2016 – also consists of:

  •  £13 million over the next two years in expansion grants for new and existing voluntary adoption agencies (Voluntary Adoption Agencies), with the aim of increasing the capacity of agencies to recruit and approve a minimum of 2,000 adopters a year by 2016;
  • new business support for adoption agencies, providing advice, coaching and guidance to expand their organisations

There are already 25 Voluntary Adoption Agencies in England, who in 2012-13 have recruited and approved over 600 desperately needed parents for the thousands of children waiting for a stable home. Voluntary Adoption Agencies work alongside local authorities in recruiting and assessing prospective adopters, before creating a match with a child who is waiting for a loving home.

The government has also announced that the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies has been appointed to oversee the £13 million expansion fund, distributing grants to successful agencies, in conjunction with Methods Consultancy who will lead on providing tailored business support to agencies to help improve efficiency and plan growth.

 

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