Further measures to speed up the adoption process to be introduced
2 June 2014Building on the successes of 2013, new steps have been announced which will come in to force in July 2014. The changes will reduce delays for black and ethnic minority children and give adopters a much more active role in finding children they might be suitable to adopt.
Children and Families Minister Edward Timpson said:
“We’ve seen promising progress in the last 12 months – a significant rise in adoptions and a huge increase in the number of adopters, but I’m determined to do everything in my power to make sure the 6,000 children waiting are offered safe and caring homes.
“Our reforms to the register, greater use of fostering for adoption and the removal of unnecessary delay will mean would-be adopters can play a greater role in the process and help ensure children are placed with a new loving family much more quickly.”
The package represents another giant leap in overhauling the adoption system, and includes:
- removing barriers by ensuring ethnicity is not prioritised over other factors – such as the ability to provide a stable, loving home
- scrapping restrictions on the register so approved adopters can actively search for children they could provide a family for
- introducing new rules requiring councils to actively consider fostering for adoption places where appropriate – allowing children to move in with their adoptive family much earlier
- placing a mandatory requirement on all councils to tell prospective adopters about their entitlements
If you would like to know more about adoption and these changes, please give the friendly First4Adoption advisers a call on 0300 222 0022.
Return to List