The future of adoption social work

[Alison J Stevens]

There is no doubt that adoption is this government’s policy of choice when it comes to children’s services. As ministers prepare to launch their imminent adoption action plan, and Ofsted prepares to implement its new framework for inspection, Judy Cooper looks at the likely big changes and the potential impact on social work practice.

Let us know what you think. Take our adoption survey.

Likely change	Pros	Cons	Impact on social work practice
12-month time limit from care plan decision to adoption placement for services to be rated ‘outstanding’. Source: Ofsted framework for inspection, 2012	Will help to ensure there are no unnecessary delays, or drift in the system.	Councils have no control over court delays which impact on such a target. There is a chance only babies and young children will be adopted as they are easier to place.	Timescales will mean pressure on decision making and assessments. There could be pressure to seek alternative options for sibling groups and other hard to place groups.
Slimmed down pre-adoption assessments. Source: Speech by Michael Gove, Feb 2012	Directors of children’s services and adoption charities are currently looking at how adoption assessments can be improved. This should reduce duplication.	This could lead to unsuitable adopters slipping through gaps in the assessment process. Much depends on whether the quality assurance role of adoption panels will continue.	Combined with arbitrary timescales, this may put pressure on social workers to approve prospective adopters even if they feel they might not be ready or suitable. However, it could also free them from additional layers of bureaucracy.
Adoption support to be beefed up. Adoptive parents asked about the quality of adoption support received. Sources: Michael Gove speech, Feb 2012 Ofsted framework for inspection, 2012	A holistic approach, including tax incentives and priority access to mental health services, would help prevent adoption breakdowns and encourage more people to adopt children with complex issues. More training for adoptive parents to help them prepare for challenges would help deal with problems earlier and avoid the need for specialist support later on.	Adoption is often seen as a “win-win” situation because once a child is adopted they are no longer a “drain” on state resources. But there is concern ministers are just “talking the talk” about adoption support and won’t back it with decent resources. More adoptions could simply break down as a result.	This could mean greater social work involvement in the lives of adopted children to ensure they and their adoptive parents get the support they need.
Performance indicators or league tables with measures including the time taken to place a child for adoption and the number of adoptions per council compared with the national average. Failing adoption services could be outsourced. Source: David Cameron speech October, 2011	Nothing focuses a council like a performance indicator so this is likely to have the desired effects of increasing the number and speed of adoptions.	Nothing results in perverse incentives like a performance indicator. The main issue is the crudity of the measures. For example, the London Borough of Harrow (considered a practice leader in adoption) is currently ranked 114 because only 67% of children were placed within 12 months.	Social workers may find there is far more scrutiny of their decisions if they are not recommending adoption for a child, particularly those working in a council with a lower than average number of adoptions.
More political backing for children being taken into care earlier. Source: Michael Gove speech October 2011	Research has shown the earlier a child is adopted the less chance there is of disruption. There is also research on the long-term impact of emotional abuse and neglect, proving children taken into care earlier often thrive better.	This lays social workers open to accusations of baby-snatching, meddling and social engineering. There is also research showing children need and want to grow up within their own families. Additionally, judges have taken a hard line to ensure councils do everything they can to keep a family together.	This could see social workers trapped between national government policy and the courts. Councils will need highly skilled social workers who can evidence decisions effectively and argue them articulately in court.
Race should no longer be a priority issue when matching children wi.... (Source: Department for Education guidance February 2011)	It takes about 17 months to make an adoption decision for black children in care c.... The government alleges this is because social workers are waiting too long for a “dream ethnic match” and underestimating the impact of delay.	There is evidence that the identity, race and culture of a child's adoptive family has a long lasting effect. Combined with possible rushed assessments of adoptive parents there is a risk that some children will be adopted into families where they still do not feel they belong.	Social workers will need to be even more racially and culturally aware to make the right decisions about which white families can still give a black child the sense of identity and belonging they need to live confident and happy lives.
More research on adoption breakdowns Councils to be inspected on how many adoptions break down before an order is made. Sources: Tim Loughton, NCAS conference, Oct 2011 Ofsted framework for inspection 2012