Changes to the adoption process announced by the prime minister today are focused on speeding up and streamlining the adoption process.
The government has said all councils should have plans to join a Regional Adoption Agency by 2017, and the entire system should be regionally based by 2020. This would give children in most regions access to up to 10 times for adopters.
It was noted that 140 out of 150 councils had already applied to merge and streamline their services.
Cameron said: “It is a tragedy that there are still too many children waiting to be placed with a loving family – we have made real progress but it remains a problem.
“As prime minister I want to make sure that we do everything we can so children are placed in a loving home as soon as possible, giving them the best chance for a happy and fulfilled life.”
Other changes announced today include earlier placement of children with their adoptive families and more thorough assessments of relatives that may take on the special guardianship of a child to ensure they will provide a suitable home. Special Guardianship Orders are likely to break down when a child is sent to live with a relative they have never met or do not have a strong bond with.
