Regionalisation of adoption services
Date:19/09/2016
ref: PR 8350
Wakefield Council’s Cabinet
are to discuss the Government’s plans to regionalise the adoption services.
On Tuesday 27 September, the
Council’s key decision makers will consider the proposals for changes to adoption
services in the region as contained within the Government’s Education and
Adoption Act 2016.
The report to Cabinet
recommends that the Council supports the proposals to establish a Regional
Adoption Agency and the creation of a West Yorkshire Regional Adoption Agency.
As part of the plans, the
Council will work collaboratively with other Local Authorities in the Yorkshire
and Humber region so that expertise and skills can be shared. The government
hopes regionalisation will help to improve the timeliness of placing children
and improve adoption support.
Cllr Olivia Rowley,
Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “The regionalisation of
adoption services will help reduce waiting times for children being adopted by
working with other local authorities to make better use of resources to find
adopters and match children to families quickly.
Working more closely together
will also help increase the number of adopters that are recruited and improve
the quality and availability of post-adoption support.”
If the report is approved,
the Council will support Leeds City Council to become the host authority for
the West Yorkshire Regional Adoption Agency. It is then proposed that Wakefield
Council staff that provide adoption services will transfer under TUPE to the
host authority.
It is anticipated that the
West Yorkshire Regional Adoption Agency will be in place by April 2017.