APPENDIX 7: LETTER TO THE CHAIRMAN
FROM THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR CHILDREN AND
FAMILIES DATED 23 JANUARY 2013
Adoption funding announcement and Further Action
on Adoption: Finding More Loving Families
I am writing to inform you that tomorrow I will be
publishing a new adoption strategy and will be announcing a package
of funding for the adoption system.
I have attached for your information a copy of Further
Action on Adoption: Finding More Loving Families which describes
the national crisis in adopter recruitment and puts forward the
Government's proposals for addressing it in the short and long
term. I know that your Committee is aware of the significant challenges
we face in recruiting and approving enough of the right adopters
to meet the needs of children. In the document we propose to address
the weaknesses in the current system swiftly and decisively in
the interests of a significant and sustainable increase in the
number of adopters.
In Further Action on Adoption we outline our
plans to introduce legislation at the earliest available opportunity
that would give the Secretary of State the power to require some
or all local authorities to use adopters approved by other adoption
agencies. We believe that such a power could be necessary to drive
the systemic changes that are needed in the recruitment and approval
of adopters. If necessary, we will use that power to reform the
adopter recruitment system. However, I recognise that this is
a radical step and will consider the progress towards systemic
reform made by local authorities themselves before making the
decision to use such a power.
Because we need to see reforms starting immediately,
I am also announcing tomorrow that the £150 million Early
Intervention Grant topslice, which the Secretary of State for
Communities and Local Government confirmed in announcing the Local
Government Settlement for 2013-14, will be returned in full to
local authorities in the form of the Adoption Reform Grant. This
funding will help to secure reform of the adoption system. The
Adoption Reform Grant will be in two parts. £100m of the
£150m will not be ring-fenced and will be available to local
authorities to support adoption reform. It will enable local authorities
to target funding at the entire adoption process and the specialist
support children need. They will retain the discretion to use
this funding to address their highest priority needs, such as
the major backlog of children waiting for adoption.
The remaining £50m will be ring-fenced. It will
support local authorities to address structural problems with
adopter recruitment, particularly the unfair difference in fees
charged for adopters approved by authorities which is lower than
that charged by Voluntary Adoption Agencies. It will also help
in the search for adopters willing and able to take children who
take longer to place in new homes.
I will also be announcing tomorrow a new £1m
grant to the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies to enable
it to pump-prime local Voluntary Adoption Agencies to recruit
more adopters.
I hope you agree that the Government is right in
acting decisively to address these critical systemic problems
with adopter recruitment and approval.
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