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Oxfordshire transforms adoption services and joins forces with neighbouring councils (2 May 2017)

Date: 02/05/2017
Duncan Lewis, Family Solicitors, Oxfordshire transforms adoption services and joins forces with neighbouring councils

Oxfordshire County Council has announced plans for Oxfordshire to transform its adoption services by joining forces with neighbouring councils.

The plans have been approved and the aim is to create a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) for the Thames Valley, to improve outcomes for both children and adopters – including the ability to match children with families more quickly and improve support services for adopters.

It follows a government paper setting out plans for all adoption services to be delivered through RAAs by 2020.

Oxfordshire will be the lead authority within a partnership known as Adopt Thames Valley, alongside six other councils – Bracknell Forest, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, Swindon and Reading as well as Voluntary Adoption Agencies PACT and Barnardos.

All partners have been working closely together to develop the shared service across the geographical area covered by the councils, with the new arrangements set to be in place towards the end of 2017.

The government has agreed to provide a grant of £300,000 to help set up the new service, with ongoing running costs shared proportionately between the partner agencies.

The council’s cabinet has now approved plans for Oxfordshire to join and host the RAA.

The benefits of the new service model include improved outcomes and less waiting time through the availability of a larger pool of adopters, as well as increased ability to find adoptive families for harder-to-place children (older children, children with disabilities, sibling groups and children from minority ethnic backgrounds).

It is hoped that an improved experience for adopters will result from quicker matches with children who need placements – and the scheme will result in better value for local authorities through pooling resources to recruit and assess adopters.

Savings should also be possible through finding the best matches for children and adopters – and doing so more quickly, saving on costs such as foster care.

The plan will also lead to improved adoption support services across a wider geographical area.

The council’s Deputy Director for Children’s Social Care, Hannah Farncombe, said:

“There is strong agreement across the partnership about the benefits of working in this way – and preparations are well underway to put the new arrangements in place.

“Oxfordshire has a strong track record on adoption services – and we now have the opportunity to build on that as the lead authority within an exciting new partnership.

“Working in partnership with neighbouring councils and voluntary agencies also enables us to share expertise, pool resources and ensure good quality and consistent support services are in place for all adopters across the region.”


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