Bournemouth’s Council’s Cabinet has agreed plans to merge adoption services in Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole along with those provided by a local voluntary adoption agency, Families for Children.
Councillors were asked to agree to develop a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) for submission to the Department for Education (DfE) for approval and funding.
The proposal was also approved by Borough of Poole and Families for Children and is being considered by Dorset County Council.
The proposal follows government policy that Regional Adoption Agencies should be set up across England, to better target prospective adopters – as well as speeding up the matching and placement of children and improving
adoption support services to potentially create efficiency savings.
Subject to funding and work to develop a business case, it is hoped the RAA would be in operation from April 2017.
Bournemouth Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, Councillor Nicola Greene, said:
“All three authorities are very proud of their high performing adoption teams –
and by combining the expertise of all three councils and the specialist agency to cover the whole of Dorset, we will further improve the adoption process for our residents.”
Duncan Lewis Children Lawyers
Duncan Lewis children lawyers are able to advise on family and child care matters such as adoption and international adoption, surrogacy, same sex parenting, parental responsibility, guardianship and wardship.
There are Duncan Lewis offices nationwide and our child care lawyers are also able to advise on:
• Child abuse (including FGM, forced marriage, honour crimes)
• Child care arrangements
• Court Orders (eg leave to remove)
• Court of Protection
• International child abduction
• SEND
• Spouse abandonment
• Wills & trusts.
For expert legal advice on child care matters, call Duncan Lewis children lawyers on 0333 772 0409.