The Regional Adoption Manager reported on the performance and progress of the Western Bay Regional Adoption Service.  She highlighted the key achievements of the regional adoption service, which had seen 15 placements taking place in Bridgend, as opposed to 7 placements made in the previous year.  There had been a reduction of the use of Inter-agency placements and an increase in placements within Western Bay providing significant savings.  She stated there had been an increase in the number of prospective adopters from 45 in 2014/15 to 53.  There had been a reduction in the number of children whose plan for adoption changed from 21 in 2014/15 to 4; however this may increase during the year due to decisions being made by the courts.  A unified Adoption Allowance Policy had been developed and approved across the Region, which would be rolled across Wales.  The Regional Adoption Manager informed the Committee that the Adoption Panel is well organised and very busy.

The Regional Adoption Manager highlighted the challenges facing the service in that performance reporting requires further development in light of new Performance Indicators and to ensure the accurate reporting on all data sets and the introduction of national and regional performance indicators in adoption support.  She also informed the Committee that policies and procedures require review.  The life story work requires development to comply with the target set by the National Adoption Service.  She stated that adoption support is a key priority for the regional service and is high on the national agenda. 

The Committee questioned the time taken for a child to be place for adoption shown in Quarter 4 Year End Performance Report.  The Regional Adoption Manager informed the Committee that the figures contained in the performance report relate to when a child is placed for adoption.  Once a Placement Order is granted the service can begin the process of searching for a placement for a child.  She stated that persons adopting a child can apply for an Order to adopt a child no sooner than 10 weeks which is contestable by the birth parents and once granted, the child is legally adopted.  The Regional Adoption Manager informed the Committee that period of 10 weeks relates to from the child being looked after to a placement being made.  The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing informed the Committee that a decision to place a child for adoption is a difficult one to make with a significant amount of information to be considered in order to make the right decision.   

The Committee questioned the composition of the Panel as it did not list representation from Bridgend Members. 

The Committee questioned whether a member of staff could be tasked with championing the life story work.  The Regional Adoption Manager informed the Committee that life book champions are being considered.  Child Care Social Workers support children to understand their life journey. 

The Committee questioned whether there would be a shortage of children to adopt.  The Regional Adoption Manager informed the Committee there was no shortage of children to adopt, however more adopters had been found to meet the needs of children.  She stated there had been an increase in the number of sibling groups requiring adoption and who had been placed by the regional service.  The Regional Adoption Manager informed the Committee there is a need to re-focus the needs of adopters and to ensure the right support is available at the correct time.  The National Adoption Service is looking at a pilot to adopt children who were harder to adopt.  The Committee questioned whether work could be done to encourage foster parents to adopt. 

The Committee questioned the reason for the number of children waiting for adoption increasing from 51 in 2013/14 to 92 in 2015/16.  The Regional Adoption Manager informed the Committee that a number of children had been on the waiting list for a long time, but had since been found a home.  The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing informed the Committee that the explanation of the figures in the Annual Report would be altered so that it was made clearer to the lay person.  The Regional Adoption Manager informed the Committee that the number of children referred in 2015/16 was 58 and not 64 as reported resulting in a total of 195 children being referred and not 2012 as reported. 

The Committee expressed concern at the lack of democratic accountability within independent adoption agencies as they did not local authority representation on their boards.  The Committee did however note that the regional service complimented the national service. 

The Committee questioned what had happened to the staff employed by the three local authorities prior to the establishment of the regional service.  The Regional Adoption Manager informed the Committee that bringing the service together had been a challenge and initially, the service did not experience staff leaving when the service was co-located, however, staff had since left the service.  She stated that interim measures had been put in place as initially morale was low.  She stated that the Adoption Team Manager had driven forward change and staff now feel confident and skilled to provide support.  She informed the Committee that all staff within the service are employed by their own local authority, however she is employed by the City and County of Swansea. 

The Committee complimented the regional service on achieving permanency for many children.

RESOLVED:           That the Committee noted the performance and review of the adoption service and its ability to meet the needs of those affected by adoption within the region.