Adoption reforms to 'tear down barriers', pledges Cameron

Children for sale or rent. Apply to David Cameron.  Grandparents Apart UK

By Tristan Donovan Friday, 09 March 2012

 

David Cameron today outlined plans to "tear down the barriers" to adoption and outlined the key measures in the government's Adoption Action Plan, ahead of its publication next week.

Cameron: 'Young lives are being wasted while the process takes its toll.' Image: Crown copyright

Under the measures, councils will be required by law to refer children to the national adoption register if the authority does not find them an adoptive family within three months. The plan will also make matching the ethnic backgrounds of children and their adopters a lower priority than finding them a new home.
"There’s no more urgent task for government than this," said the Prime Minister. "Young lives are being wasted while the process takes its toll."
The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) backed the government’s plans. Matt Dunkley, president of the ADCS, said requiring children to be referred to the national register would "mean that children don’t wait unnecessarily".

But other organisations were more cautious in their support. "A primary focus on speed means that the most important issue – the welfare of the child – could potentially be overshadowed," said Andrew Flanagan, chief executive of the child protection charity NSPCC. "The government needs to put in place safeguards to ensure this is not the case."

The Local Government Association said that the government must take care not to impose more targets and red tape on the adoption system with its plans.
The British Association of Social Workers accused Cameron of seeking quick fixes and ignoring the problem of adoption breakdowns in his plans. "We believe that one in five adoptions breaks down and the child is separated from the adoptive family," said Hilton Dawson, the chief executive of BASW. "The issue is being swept under the carpet; the government is not even keeping data on the rate of adoption breakdown."
He added that the plans to reduce the emphasis on a child’s ethnic background was a mistake: "A child’s ethnic heritage is important, and taking a colour-blind approach to adoption simply will not be in the best interests of the child."
The government’s plans also include new legislation to make it easier for children to be fostered by approved adopters while the courts consider the case for adoption