This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Response to Adoption Review Report
21/06/2002
The Executive today published its response to the expert
group examining the first phase of the adoption policy
review as part of the modernisation of the adoption
system.
The group - whose membership includes adoptive parents
and young people who have been adopted - has made a series
of recommendations to the Executive, local authorities and
adoption agencies to improve the way that the adoption
system works, in particular to match children with
prospective adopters, to encourage more adopters to come
forward, and to ensure support is provided after
adoption.
A number of key recommendations have already been taken
forward while the Executive is consulting on others over
the summer.
Minister for Education and Young People Cathy Jamieson
said:
"We want to offer a stable, secure family environment
for some of Scotland's most vulnerable children. Adoption
has long been recognised as a good way of providing this
for some children in local authority care.
"The demand is clear, yet there has been a long term
decline in approved adoption orders. We recognised that
modernising and improving adoption services was essential
in turning this situation around.
"I welcome the report on the first phase of the adoption
review and accept the Group's findings. Action has already
been taken to implement some of the recommendations.
Provisions to allow Scotland to join the UK National
Adoption Register have already been included in the
Adoption and Children Bill currently before Westminster,
recruitment and retention of social workers is addressed in
our action plan for the Social Services Workforce, and
national care standards for adoption agencies have been
published.
"Other recommendations will require action from local
authorities and voluntary adoption agencies, and we
encourage them to implement these.
"A number of recommendations require further
consultation. In particular, our response invites comments
on the proposals for national consortia to match children
and adopters, and to provide post adoption services. We
have asked specific questions on these ideas, as well as
related proposals on information exchange and training. We
are also consulting on the need for more guidance and the
charging regime for adoption agencies.
"This report is an important step in improving the
adoption system in Scotland. I look forward to positive
responses to its recommendations, and to real change in
services to children, birth parents and prospective
adopters."
The Executive launched its review of adoption policy
April 4, 2001. The first phase of the review looked at:
- the place of adoption services within the spectrum
of services considered for children and young
people
- the quality of recruitment, selection and
assessment procedures for prospective adopters
- the extent and quality of post-adoption
support
- the case for Scotland joining the proposed UK
National Adoption Register
These issues were examined by an Adoption Policy Review
Group of independent members under the chair of Sheriff
Principal Graham Cox, who reported their findings and
recommendations to Scottish Ministers in December 2001. The
Group comprised representatives from local authorities,
specialist voluntary sector agencies, children's panels,
and legal interests, adoptive parents and young people who
have been adopted.
The Group made 33 recommendations to the Scottish
Executive, local authorities and adoption agencies. A
number have already been taken forward, others can be
implemented by local authorities and voluntary adotion
agencies, but a number require further work and
consultation. The Executive is inviting views on these
recommendations by September 30, 2002.
- The Executive has already taken action to implement
the recommendation that Scotland should join the
planned UK Adoption and Children Act Register (
Recommendation 31). On 24 January 2002 the
Scottish Parliament agreed to provisions being included
in the Adoption and Children Bill currently before the
Westminster Parliament, and the necessary amendments
have now been included in the Bill.
National Care Standards for adoption agencies were
published in March 2002 and come into force next year.
These cover the standards that children, adoptive parents
and birth parents can expect from adoption agencies,
including timescales for assessment, consultation with
these stakeholders and post-adoption services (
Recommendations 6 and 24).
In April 2002 the Executive published proposals to
improve recruitment and retention in the social work
profession (
Recommendation 12). The Executive will put the
recommendation on social work qualifications (
Recommendation 13) to the Scottish Social Services
Council for its consideration.