Shadow Minister for Children and Young Families, and MP for Newcastle North, Catherine McKinnell, has today called on the Government not to focus solely on adoption rates, but to take a wider view and emphasise the importance of increasing successful adoption placements, and recognise the important role that other forms of care for looked-after children can play.

Speaking for the Opposition during an adjournment debate on ‘adoption rates’ in the Commons this morning (9th November), Catherine said:

“We all know that outcomes for looked-after children are unacceptably poor. We all accept that the fall in the number of adoptions is a concern, and we certainly all acknowledge that an average waiting time of two years and seven months for a child to be adopted is simply far too long. However, I am concerned that naming and shaming local authorities seriously risks painting too simplistic a picture of an incredibly complex issue. Have Ministers considered what impact the threat of tough action against those local authorities will have on the morale, recruitment and retention of already overstretched social workers?”

Referring to the Department for Education’s adoption ‘performance tables’ published last week, she went on to point out that:

“The Government’s performance tables risk failing to present a true picture of a local authority’s performance. Hackney Borough Council came bottom of the new league table, placing only 43% of children with adoptive parents within 12 months of a decision to do so. However, as Hackney Borough Council stated:

‘Placing a child quickly should not be the only consideration upon which authorities are judged. A placement breaking down is one of the most traumatic things that can happen to an adopted child. In Hackney, we have one of the best records of stability of placements; such is the quality of our placements, hardly any, if any, ever break down.’

Catherine also said:

“As well as looking at how we increase the number of adoptions for siblings, black and minority ethnic children, children with disabilities and older children, surely the most important thing we must aim for is to increase the number of successful adoption placements, or talk in terms of permanent arrangements, rather than a simple increase in the number of adoptions taking place…Perhaps the most crucial part of the jigsaw in increasing the number of successful adoptions is improving the level of post-adoption support available to adoptive families and their children. Despite the legal requirements in the Adoption and Children Act 2002 to provide long-term support to families after adoption, we are all aware, from anecdotal evidence and constituents’ experiences, that such support is currently not at the level it should be…While being the most incredibly rewarding and enjoyable experience, raising a family can also be one of the most challenging and difficult experiences for people in the best of circumstances. Adoptive parents are not super-human. They, and their adopted children, need ongoing support if we are to increase the number of successful placements.”

She went on to strongly emphasise that adoption is not a panacea for all looked-after children, with other routes to permanence and stability being available, including special guardianship and long-term fostering – and urged Ministers to place equal focus on these issues.

A full copy of Catherine’s speech is available here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm111109/halltext/111109h0001.htm#11110978000497