The House of Lords Select Committee on Adoption: Post-Legislative Scrutiny has published its report on the impact of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.
According to the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), the Committee has concluded that the majority of the improvements to the adoption system that they identify as being necessary are matters of practice rather than legislation. Adoption support services are one area where they do recommend a significant change to legislation.
BAAF highlight that children adopted from care have complex needs which can persist after adoption despite the ordinary loving care of their adoptive families. Unless these children and their adoptive families are properly supported there is a high risk these difficulties will not improve and ultimately the placement may break down. This can only result in more damage to the child as they return to care. It also leaves the adoptive parents devastated.
Current legislation gives people affected by adoption the right to an assessment for adoption support services, but no duty to provide those services. There is also a postcode lottery of provision from one authority to another.
The House of Lords Scrutiny Committee Report highlights all of these issues in its comprehensive and important Report. This recognises that in order to increase the number of adopters coming forwards and ensure adoption succeeds, local authorities, health and education should have a statutory duty to provide support.
The current proposals in the Children and Families Bill do not go far enough in ensuring that this will be so. BAAF firmly believes that new measures should also be extended to children placed under Special Guardianship as these are exactly the same group of children as those placed for adoption.