Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of Resources

The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director of People, which provided outline proposals for the City Council to become part of a Regional Adoption Agency via a shared service agreement with Solihull Metropolitan Council, Warwickshire County Council and Worcestershire County Council.

The report indicated that a policy paper from the Department for Education (DfE) in January 2013 titled ‘Further Action on Adoption: Finding More Loving Homes’ had identified the need for the re-organisation of the existing adoption system based as it was on each local authority delivering an adoption service as well as a voluntary adoption sector. The DfE’s ‘Regionalising Adoption’ paper published in June 2015 spelt out the governments expectations for all local authorities to be part of regional adoption agencies (RAA). In April 2016 the DfE published a new policy document “Adoption: A vision for Change” in which the government committed to deliver radical, whole system redesign by regionalising adoption services by ensuring all local authorities were part of an RAA by 2020.

In response Coventry City Council, Solihull Metropolitan Council, Warwickshire County Council and Worcestershire County Council had come together to work towards the creation of a Regional Adoption Agency that had been named Adoption Central England (ACE).  ACE had an established project team that was leading on the design and creation. A programme board and executive board, on which representatives from all the partner agencies and key stakeholders sat, oversaw the work.

It was envisaged that ACE would deliver excellence in practice through innovation and stakeholder engagement to become an innovative adoption service that would improve outcomes for children.

The working model for ACE envisaged that it would deliver the following services on behalf of the partner authorities:-

•  Adoption recruitment, assessment and training

•  Post adoption and Special Guardian Order support including assessment for support

•  Adopted adult support

•  Non agency adoptions, overseas adoptions

•  Fostering to adopt

•  Birth parent support

•  Specialist knowledge, consultation and advice

•  Matching recommendations

•  Adoption panels

•  Tracking children alongside the local authorities

The primary function for ACE however would be to achieve permanence for children.

There was a requirement from Central Government for Voluntary Adoption Agencies (VAAs) to play a central role in any new RAA.  ACE had been developing its approach in shadow stage in partnership with two VAAs namely Barnardo’s and After Adoption.  In addition, alongside the work between the Local Authorities and VAAs, partnership working was also operating with key stakeholders including Coventry University and adoptive parents.

Following submission of a transition plan to the DfE, ACE was invited to be one of the demonstrator sites and development work continued including the need to consider and assess different types of structures and delivery models.

The executive board of ACE was attended by the Directors of Children’s Services for each authority and considered the options around different types of delivery models and had identified a recommended and preferred model to take forward to a co design stage and on which to consult with staff and key stakeholders.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:-

1.  Approve a period of detailed co design leading to consultation on a preferred model of ACE RAA delivery via a shared service arrangement alongside Solihull Metropolitan Council. Warwickshire County Council and Worcestershire County Council.

2.  Note that further work will be undertaken to determine the host authority to facilitate the operational delivery of ACE.