Children of Black and other diverse ethnicities currently wait too long to be matched with a loving adoptive family – an average of just under one year – and voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs) are urgently looking for people who can offer them a permanent and loving home.

Becoming a parent through adoption is a life-changing and deeply personal experience, and for those from certain ethnic backgrounds, it can come with unique considerations and perspectives.

21 VAAs from across the UK have together created this new advice guide with warmth and understanding, drawing from the lived experience of adoptive parents who have already navigated this path. Some of those parents have adopted a child of similar ethnicity to their own, while others have welcomed a child of another heritage or culture into their family.

Satwinder Sandhu, Chief Executive of the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA) which represents VAAs across the country said:

Finding loving homes for children of Black and other diverse ethnicities is a government priority, yet there are surprisingly few resources available for people who might be able to adopt these children – particularly resources tailored to prospective adopters from diverse communities.

This guide simply amplifies the voices of adopters who’ve walked the path, offering insight, honesty and hope to others who may be able to change a child’s life. The guide is also a symbol of our aspirations for these children. It reflects our belief that no child should wait longer than their white peers to be adopted, by parents who embrace that child’s cultural identity and find joy in keeping that heritage alive – especially when there is not a common shared ethnicity.

VAAs are specialists in finding families for children who wait the longest in care, and do this through forging deep relationships with their local communities. They work in partnership with regional adoption agencies and local authorities across the country to find families for children waiting for a permanent home.

Voluntary Adoption Agencies (VAAs) are independent, not-for-profit organisations dedicated to providing families with comprehensive lifelong support. Their services are designed to offer vital assistance both at the time of placement and throughout the child’s journey into the future.

Download a copy of the advice guide here.

To find your nearest VAA visit the CVAA agency finder.

The day saw many powerful and emotive speeches from MP for Twickenham Munira Wilson, Chair of The POTATO Group Euan Preston, Family Futures CEO and CVAA trustee Jay Vaughan, and many others. Videos of the speeches are well worth watching on the Facebook page here: https://lnkd.in/egpd5DaV

Brilliant advocate and march organiser Clare Solomons had this to say on the day:

It’s not easy for adoptive and kinship families to take action and come together like this. We are often very private and with good reason, but that shows the strength of feeling on this issue. While we may be very private, we are also very passionate. We love our children and we have been forced to learn a whole host of advocacy skills in order to have our children’s needs met in a web of systems which do not make it easy for us. Brutally cutting our access to meaningful therapy also brutally cuts our children’s life chances and we will not stand by and quietly watch those be taken. Today we have shown the government that we will come together, united in our goal to reverse the cuts made to the ASGSF. We will not allow the government to slip these cuts out quietly over an Easter recess and expect us just to go away quietly, grateful for the crumb they have left us.

The petition has now reached over 15,000 signatures and can still be signed here: https://asgsfprotest.com/

CVAA still awaits a response from Janet Daby MP, Minster for Children and Families, following the joint letter we sent on 17^th April alongside charities Adoption UK, Kinship and Coram. We continue to push for a reversal of the cuts and will continue to provide updates on our website and via our BlueSky account: @cvaauk.bsky.social

Today CVAA alongside charities Adoption UK, Kinship and Coram wrote an open letter to the Secretary of State expressing our deep concern and dismay, and urging a reconsideration of this decision.

The full letter is available to read here.

It warns that the changes risk significant consequences for children who need this vital support, who are almost all care experienced and share a childhood overshadowed by trauma, loss and disruption.

We invite all who agree with our views expressed in the letter to amplify this message, share on social media and with other interested parties, including your local MPs.

CVAA’s statement on the announcement can be found here.

These changes include:

• Reducing the overall Fair Access Limit (FAL) to £3,000 (previously £5,000)
• No longer having a separate FAL for specialist assessments. Specialist assessments up to the level of £2,500 will be considered for funding, but only within the overall FAL of £3,000.
• No longer accepting match funding applications for therapy which costs more than the £3,000 FAL, or for specialist assessments which cost more than £2,500.
• Ending transitional funding arrangements across years.

In response to the announcement, CVAA’s CEO Satwinder Sandhu said the following:

CVAA believes that today marks a step backwards in this government’s ambition to supporting vulnerable children. Whilst we recognise the economic pressures facing the country, we are dismayed by funding cuts at Department for Education that fall hardest on those with the most complex needs – children from care needing permanence who require intensive therapeutic support. We do not believe that the trauma they have experienced can be meaningfully addressed within the constraints of the new funding limits.

How does today’s statement on the ASGSF align with the government’s own promise to “keep children safe and help families thrive,” made just months ago?

We are particularly concerned by the short-sightedness of this decision, despite the knowledge that exists from research and lived expertise. Unresolved trauma, adopter/carer burnout and family instability do not save money – they lead to greater costs to society down the line. This move will also discourage prospective adopters, at a time when every effort should be made to support them in their wish to adopt a child.

Despite this, voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs) remain unwavering in their commitment to lifelong support for adoptees and adoptive families, a promise made long before the ASGSF existed. Our member agencies at CVAA have a long and proud history of timely responsiveness, innovation, resilience, and steadfastness, even in times of crisis.

VAAs already subsidise government-funded adoption support by millions each year through fundraising and are committed to continuing this with the help of many generous and passionate donors who share their unwavering ambition for vulnerable children’s futures. VAAs are also committed to continuing to work with regional adoption agencies (RAAs) to ensure children get what they need to thrive.

If the government is serious about keeping children safe, and helping families to thrive, they must do better and ensure that children needing permanence are supported for as long as they need through long-term funded access to high quality, evidence-based support.

 

 

Responding to the news, CVAA’s CEO Satwinder Sandhu commented:

Today’s announcement is bittersweet. We are enormously relieved and pleased that the fund has been confirmed, albeit just for the year ahead. The support this fund enables is simply life changing for children and families. However we now have to redirect our concerns to the thousands of families facing a dangerous gap in therapy, of unknown length, while the fund is flooded with applications (once they re-open the application portal that is). It’s a dire situation which needs an emergency strategy from the DfE to identify and fast-track families in most need. There also needs to be consideration of emergency funding to plug the gap or at least reimburse services which have to use their reserves to keep children safe these next few months.

What’s clear is that in recent months we have witnessed a shortsighted approach from government towards adoptive families. They recognise the urgent need for more prospective adopters, yet they undermine this by failing to provide adopters with assurances of support which is essential for all children being placed. This contradiction is not working for anyone – for children, adopters or the public purse. Recruitment and support must go hand in hand.

If the government is serious about reducing the number of children facing a childhood of instability in care, they must step up – urgently – and prove their commitment to supporting adoptive families. This goes beyond just continuing the ASGSF – the whole structure of support needs reviewing, and financial support for adopters needs to be strengthened too. The voluntary sector has a strong history of providing outstanding support services and must be better supported to continue to do this as the needs of children and families continue to grow.  

Links to VAA events

• • Adoption Focus (Midlands – see here for specifics) – event details here
  • Adoption Matters (North West, North East, Yorkshire & the Humber, Stoke, Staffordshire, Shropshire and North Wales) – event details here
  • ARC Adoption NE (North East from Northumberland, across to Cumbria and down to North Yorkshire) – event details here
  • Caritas Care (North West, including Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and Cumbria) – drop-in event details here, online event details here
  • CCS Adoption (South West England) – event details here
  • Coram (London and surrounding areas) – event details here
  • Diagrama Adoption (London, Surrey, East and West Sussex and Kent) – Q&A event details here, online event details here
  • Family Futures (London) – event details here
  • Kibble Adoption (Scotland) – event details here
  • PACT (Southern and central England) – event details here
  • St David’s Adoption Service (Wales) – event details here
  • St Andrews Children’s Society (Scotland – within a 60 mile radius of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Elgin) – event details here
  • Yorkshire Adoption Agency – (Yorkshire and surrounding areas) event details here

 

Information about VAA events (ordered alphabetically)

Adoption Focus (Midlands – see here for specifics)

6pm, Wednesday 15^th January – Online information event

Adoption Focus’s online information events are a great way to learn more about adopting, the adoption process and how Adoption Focus can support you.

They’re ideal if:

• you’re in the early stages of researching adoption
• you want a general overview of how the adoption process works
• you’ve been looking into adoption for a while and feel ready to start the process with Adoption Focus, an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rated agency
• you’re contacting local agencies to decide which one to proceed with
• you want to find out more about the children who are waiting to be adopted
• you have specific questions you’d like to talk through privately with an expert
• you’re interested in an early permanence route into adoption.

They’re free to attend and you’ll get all the information you need with no obligation to continue.

To book onto one of their upcoming online or face to face events, please call  0121 779 0891, email [email protected] or use the form here:  https://www.adoption-focus.org.uk/Event/online-events. You’ll be sent all the details before the event.

If you can’t see an event that fits in with you, Adoption Focus can arrange a one-to-one online session for you. Please get in touch.

 

Adoption Matters (North West, North East, Yorkshire & the Humber, Stoke, Staffordshire, Shropshire and North Wales)

7-8.30pm, Wednesday 15^th January – Online information event

Attending an Adoption Matters online adoption information event is a convenient way to find out more about this outstanding Ofsted rated agency and the support that it offers to children and families. All that you need to attend is internet access and ideally a device with a camera. Click HERE for more information and to register.

The events are hosted by experienced members of the enquiry team alongside a social worker. During the event they will share a presentation with you, chat through the adoption process and the ongoing support that they offer. They will also give you a chance to ask questions.

Their events last around an hour to an hour and a half, depending on how many questions are asked. Joining instructions will be sent to you 2-3 days before the event.

The events are open to anyone who is interested in adoption that lives in their geographical coverage area which is: the whole of the North West, North East, Yorkshire & the Humber, Stoke, Staffordshire, Shropshire and North Wales. If you live just outside of these areas, they may still be able to assist you, so please do contact the team to discuss.

 

ARC Adoption NE (North East from Northumberland, across to Cumbria and down to North Yorkshire)

6-8pm, Wednesday 15^th January 2025 – Face to Face Adoption Information Event at ARC Adoption NE office in Sunderland

Join ARC Adoption NE at its office in Sunderland for its first face to face information event of 2025 to find out more about adoption and the children in need of loving, permanent families. Event Details: Wednesday 15th January 2025, 18.00 to 20.00 (please note that this is not a drop in session – the event runs for approx. 2 hrs). Book a place here.

At this event, which is being hosted in conjunction with Big Adoption Day, you will have the opportunity to meet some of ARC Adoption’s friendly team who will tell you more about the adoption process and the extensive support they provide to their children and families. They will also be joined by parents of a little boy who will share their experience of adopting with the group, and help answer any questions you may have.

The team is really looking forward to meeting you and helping you discover whether adoption is the right path for you and your family – now or in the future. It could be the start of an exciting 2025.

If you can’t make this information event, why not join ARC at a virtual weekday-evening event instead. Click here to see upcoming dates.

 

Caritas Care (North West, including Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and Cumbria)

1-3pm, Wednesday 15^th January – Drop-in event at 218 Tulketh Road, Preston PR2 1ES.

Caritas Care’s Big Adoption Day event is the perfect opportunity to explore how you can grow your family with the support of their experienced and friendly team. Drop in anytime between 1pm and 3pm – and if possible, book your place HERE so the team can plan for numbers and refreshments.

What to expect:

• Real stories: Hear first-hand from adoptive parents about their journeys.
• Meet the team: Chat with social workers and learn about the adoption process and lifelong support.
• Relaxed atmosphere: Enjoy coffee, cake, and a friendly environment where you can ask questions at your own pace.

Whether you’re just curious or ready to begin, everyone is welcome! Caritas Care proudly supports families from diverse backgrounds, including LGBTQ+ and global majority communities.

6.30-7.30pm, Wednesday 15^th January 2025 – Online information event

Alternatively join Caritas Care at its online information event in the evening. This is a unique chance to explore the adoption process with guidance from their experienced adoption team and meet some of their adopters.

What to expect:

• Expert guidance: An Adoption Social Worker will lead you through the adoption process step-by-step.
• Real stories: Hear first-hand from adoptive parents about their experiences.

Why attend?

• Get answers to your questions and ease any uncertainties.
• Connect with professionals and gain a clear understanding of the adoption process.
• Gather the knowledge and support needed to make an informed decision.
• Take the first step on your adoption journey – Book your place HERE.

 

CCS Adoption (South West England)

6-7.30pm, Wednesday 15^th January 2025, The Park Centre, Daventry Road, Bristol, BS4 1DQ

CCS Adoption is a supportive and independent agency based in the South West, finding permanent, loving families for children who need them since 1904 and is particularly proud of its ‘Outstanding‘ Adoption Services (awarded in February 2024).

CCS is hosting its Big Adoption Day in-person event in its office space in Bristol, and free places can be booked using the form on the CCS website.

Coram (London and surrounding areas)

To mark Big Adoption Day 2025, Coram will be collaborating with the National Theatre which coincides with their new production of Ballet Shoes, Noel Streatfeild’s beloved story about three adopted sisters and their found family. The National Theatre and Coram will invite families and supports to the matinee and evening performances of Ballet Shoes, to experience the magic and power of storytelling through theatre.

Guests will be invited to attend a special panel discussion hosted by writer and broadcaster James O’Brien, who has spoken about his own experience of being adopted. Alongside the panel discussion guests will be offered bespoke family tours of the National Theatre, giving a glimpse behind the scenes of Ballet Shoes to discover the backstage magic and highly skilled team that bring the show to life.

During the run of Ballet Shoes, the National Theatre will also work with Coram to offer discounted tickets to members of the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA) across the country.
Save the date and keep an eye on this page for further details on how to get your tickets in December!

5.30-7.30pm, Wednesday 22nd January 2025 – Adoption information session at Coram Campus, 41 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AZ

To celebrate Big Adoption Day, Coram Ambitious for Adoption is hosting a free information session about adoption at the Coram Campus in London. Please note this event is a week after Big Adoption Day, on Wednesday 22nd January and not 15th January.  If you live within the M25 area, come along to their free in-person Adoption Information Evening which will give you the opportunity to find out more about adoption and ask any questions you might have. These events are a great chance to learn general information about adoption and how to adopt through Coram.

Social workers will talk you through the types of children in need of permanent and loving families, the assessment process and the preparation process for new adopters, how children join their new families, and the kinds of post-adoption support that Coram has to offer. You will also have a chance to hear directly from adopters.

There will then be time to ask any questions you may have. It’s the ideal opportunity to find out more, whether you’re only just beginning to consider adoption or if you’re further down the line in the process.

 

Diagrama Adoption (London, Surrey, East and West Sussex and Kent)

12pm-1.30pm, Wednesday 15^th January, extra special free Lunchtime Q&A Session with adoptive parents

Diagrama Adoption will be celebrating Big Adoption Day with an extra special free Lunchtime Q&A Session with adoptive parents there to share their experiences with you. They will share their personal experiences of the journey and give an insight into their own experiences of adoption. You’ll be able to ask anything that is on your mind.

Our adopters will also answer questions about adopting a child with complex needs, an older child or siblings, as well as foster care arrangements for a child that can lead to adoption (usually called an Early Permanency placement).

Click here to book: https://tinyurl.com/4c22fbmw

6pm, Wednesday 15^th January, online information session

Diagrama is also holding its usual online information session at 6pm on Big Adoption Day, so to get more of your questions answered by their expert team we recommend you join that session too! This free online session will provide an overview on the adoption process and talk you through everything you need to know. Click here to book: https://tinyurl.com/mr35znj2

 

Family Futures (London)

6.30-8pm, Wednesday 15th January – online information evening

Join Family Futures this Big Adoption Day and explore the journey of adoption at their online information evening. Family Futures focuses on preparing adopters to parent children who wait the longest. Through a bespoke assessment process, they equip prospective parents with an understanding of the impact of trauma and provide therapeutic tools to support their child’s development.

Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with their social work team, hear from experienced adopters, and learn how Family Futures’ tailored approach empowers families to thrive. Book your place here.

 

Kibble Adoption (Scotland)

• Information Session 1 (In-person) 10am – 12 noon

• Information Session 2 (In-person) 2pm – 4pm

• Information Session 3 (Online) 7pm – 8pm

Wednesday 15th January at Kibble Adoption, Abbeyfield House, 1 Station Road, Paisley, PA1 2SB

Join Kibble Adoption which is hosting in-person events packed full of important information for Big Adoption Day 2025. If you are just curious or ready to begin your journey, this session is for you. See here for more information.

This session will provide you with:

• Insight into the adoption process
• Guidance on the steps to take
• Opportunities to ask questions
• Stories from adoptive families and experts.

You will also hear from Kibble’s experienced adoption team and Adoption Ambassadors.

To book please email [email protected].

PACT (Southern and central England)

6.30-8.30pm, Wednesday 15^th January – online information event

“I really thought it was helpful, the right balance of realistic expectations, information on the process and experience.”

PACT provides outstanding-rated adoption services across southern and central England. It creates families by recruiting, assessing and approving people who want to become parents through adoption and matches them with children looking for their permanent, loving home. PACT provides specialist adoption support to all its families for life. PACT’s information events provide a warm and welcoming environment to find out more about the adoption process, ask any questions you may have and see if PACT is the right agency for you.

To book on, visit www.pactcharity.org/big-adoption-day or call our team on 0300 456 4800.

Big Adoption Day meet the PACT team – Wednesday 15^th January

Reading – 7 Southern Court, South Street, Reading RG1 4QS – 10am-3pm

Brighton – Projects The Lanes, Nile House, Nile Street, Brighton BN1 1HW – 10am-3pm

London (Vauxhall) – The Foundry, 17 Oval Way, London SE11 5RR – 12pm-4pm

Milton Keynes – Harben House, Tickford Street, Newport Pagnell MK16 9EY – 10am-3pm

Come and meet PACT’s adoption teams, ask any questions you may have about adoption and find out if PACT is the right adoption agency for you!

To book a slot, visit www.pactcharity.org/big-adoption-day or call PACT’s team on 0300 456 4800.

 

St David’s Adoption Service (Wales)

10am-2pm, Wednesday, 15 January 2025 – Drop in event at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff

Join St. David’s Adoption Service for Big Adoption Day 2025, which is an opportunity to learn how you could make a life-changing difference to the children in Wales who are waiting for an adoptive family. Whether you’re exploring adoption for the first time or taking the next step in your journey, St David’s can guide you. This is a drop-in event so there is no need to book – more information is available here.

What to expect:

• Meet the experts: Speak with the dedicated team at St David’s to learn about the adoption process and how VAAs like St. David’s provide unparalleled support.
• Real-life stories: Hear inspiring experiences from adoptive families and discover how adoption changes lives—for children and parents alike.
• Find out more: Learn how adoption through a VAA offers a bespoke, supportive service and why 96% of VAAs are rated highly by national inspectorates.

 

St Andrews Children’s Society (Scotland – within a 60 mile radius of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Elgin)

6-7.30pm, 15^th January 2025 – Online information event

St Andrew’s Children’s Society is very pleased to be holding a Virtual Adoption Information Event on Wednesday, 15 January from 6pm to 7.30pm as part of Big Adoption Day 2025. The event will take place virtually over Teams, and you can sign up on Eventbrite here.

At the event you’ll hear about the adoption process and from a St Andrew’s adopter, who will speak about their experiences of adopting and answer any questions you have. St Andrew’s Children’s Society helps people to adopt who live within a 60 mile radius of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Elgin. They welcome adoption enquiries from people who follow a faith, those who don’t, single people, couples and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

If you would like to find out more about adopting, but can’t make it the event, please call 0131 454 3370 or email [email protected] and they will get back to you.

Yorkshire Adoption Agency (Yorkshire and surrounding areas)

7pm, Tuesday 7th January – ChatAdopt session

Please note this event is not on Big Adoption Day itself. ChatAdopt is open to anyone looking into UK adoption, no matter where you are in your journey. Whether you are wondering about adoption being right for you, all the way through to being registered to start Stage 1 of the process.

The session will give you a brief insight into the UK adoption journey and the process. It will give you the chance to learn more about Yorkshire Adoption Agency and what it provides to its families.  The groups are kept small to give you plenty of time to ask any questions, and they try to have an adopter present to share their experiences adopting with the agency.

Yorkshire Adoption Agency is also collaborating with several Yorkshire based organisations as part of its Big Adoption Day celebrations to celebrate how magical the very first family day out is for our adopters and how important bonding as a family is.

 

Find out more about what a VAA is here.

Visit CVAA’s agency finder to find your local VAA.

Big Adoption Day, led by the UK’s first children’s charity Coram with the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies UK (CVAA), will see participating agencies hosting in-person and online events in their local areas, and celebrating the real-life stories of families who have adopted, to encourage anyone interested in exploring adoption to find out more.

A list of all VAA events taking place across the UK can be found here.

With 2,600 children currently waiting to be adopted across England, of whom 1,230 have been waiting more than 18 months* and most of whom are aged under five, there is an urgent need for more prospective adoptive parents to come forward to provide permanent, loving homes for these children.

Big Adoption Day will highlight the benefits of adopting through a VAA which provide a bespoke service for adopters and offer an alternative choice to statutory regional adoption services by working across local authority areas. 96% of VAAs are rated highly or very highly by their national inspectorates.** With a century of experience, VAAs have placed thousands of children with adoptive families and provide ongoing support to enable them to thrive through family days, counselling, school liaison, therapeutic services and peer support.

Dr Carol Homden, CEO of Coram, said: “Big Adoption Day gives us an important opportunity to come together across the sector with the shared purpose of finding more loving families for the growing numbers of children waiting.

“We celebrate all the amazing families who have embraced the life-changing and rewarding journey of adoption. We hope Big Adoption Day will inspire others to take their first step and join one of the events taking place across the country where they can find out how we can support them throughout the adoption process and beyond.”

Satwinder Sandhu, CEO of CVAA, said: “We are proud to mark Big Adoption Day as it recognises the vital contribution the voluntary sector makes to the lives of the most vulnerable children across the UK. We support 22 member agencies with their efforts to recruit and support adoptive families from every type of background and VAAs go the extra mile in providing essential support at all stages of the journey and for life.

“Having worked for voluntary adoption agencies myself I am personally connected to many young adults who were placed as babies and toddlers with adopters I worked with. I know from them that it was the support from their parents and their VAAs that made the difference so we hope that others considering adoption will be inspired to attend Big Adoption Day events to find out more.”

To find your local VAA visit our agency finder.

CVAA and its members are fully committed to the modernisation of adoption, and therefore welcome the publication of the final Public Law Working Group report on adoption, Recommendations for best practice in respect of adoption. We thank Justice Judd for leading such an important and mammoth piece of work and commend all those that contributed to it. The report contains a raft of thoughtful and sensible recommendations to ensure that adoptees are properly supported in how they explore and develop their identities, including having better access to vital information about their personal histories. We welcome these recommendations, many of which strengthen guidance and regulations that are already in place. We also welcome the long overdue attention to other areas of practice, notably access to records and adoptions with an international element, both of which play a significant role in the work of CVAA’s member agencies. We are also pleased that, whilst it does not have the remit to address the legal structure of adoption, the report recognises that focus on this does need to happen.

Whilst the report is comprehensive and representative of the social care’s sector direction of travel,   the final report itself compels CVAA to express the same views we have shared before.

It is inarguable that such a seismic shift in thinking and practice – particularly in relation to how adopted children’s relationships are managed – will require significant investment. Voluntary adoption agencies are acutely aware of the potential value of face-to-face contact for adopted children, after proper assessments have been undertaken and with solid support plans in place. Yet they have also seen the harm which can be done to children and the potential for re-traumatisation when these relationships are explored without specialist support which is routinely available and also supports an ongoing review of all plans in place for all affected children and birth families. We are also acutely mindful that the modernisation of adoption is much more than about maintaining relationships, as the core psychology behind the separation and loss involved for all children needing adoption is complex and lifelong.

New and sustained funding is absolutely critical for the sector if the recommendations in this report are to be realised and delivered, otherwise this report will soon become redundant. Funding would make it feasible for the adoption sector to deliver the proposed changes – supporting birth parents for example, reviewing contact plans over time, and thoroughly exploring all types of connection, including digital. Investment would also make possible the extensive training needed for all professionals involved in adoption, from social workers to judges and lawyers.

It is important to emphasise that investment would also reach far beyond the small numbers of children adopted each year. This would be an investment in all care-experienced children, in their futures as adults, and society as a whole. It is how we will get to a future of care-experienced adult communities who feel secure in who they are, valued and capable, and live fulfilling lives defined by positive relationships. VAAs have this aspiration for every child they work with and are desperate to improve the system for them, so are calling for further financial weight behind this report so that its ambition can be realised.

 

Further information

CVAA’s response to the draft PLWG report published in December 2023 is available here.

The response from VAA Family Futures to the report is available here.

CVAA’s vision for a new a new network and hub (‘My People’) to support adopted children’s relationships is available here.

 

Published 7^th November 2024

At CVAA, which represents voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs) across the UK, this message feels very important when it comes to finding the right families for children. We want people from all walks of life to see this life path as an option to them, and feel comfortable taking steps to learning more about adoption.

It is therefore vital that adoption agencies fully measure how well they are doing at welcoming people from all backgrounds, to learn and improve. As a result, this National Adoption Week we have carried out new analysis on Coram-i’s ‘adopter characteristics’ data, to understand the statistics on VAA adoption orders and adopter diversity.

We first looked at the number of adoption orders made to LGBT adopters. We were blown away to find that over one in four VAA adoptions (27%) are to LGBT adopters. This is a phenomenal increase from 16% in 2018/19 and even from last year when the proportion was 21%. It is also significantly higher than statutory agencies, for which fewer than one in five adoptions (17%) are to LGBT adopters.

We then looked at the number of adoption orders made to adopters from minoritised ethnic backgrounds. We discovered that VAAs have consistently been around twice as likely to have AOs made to people from these communities, compared with statutory agencies. Yet after some improvements increasing diversity in recent years, the latest year showed a slightly less diverse picture with 12% of VAA adoptions being to those from minoritised ethnic groups rather than 15% in 2021/22.

This last graph shows that VAAs have more work to do to support people from these backgrounds considering adoption, which is a challenge we are rising to. Our strategy published in April focuses on adopter and sector diversity – supporting VAAs to embed learning so that those from a wide range of ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds, feel confident coming forward to adopt and that all services are delivered through an equitable and inter-sectional approach, rooted in anti-discriminatory practice.

At our upcoming November conference we’re very pleased that Dr Tam Cane, University of Sussex, will be delivering a morning session on how agencies can better support children and families from culturally diverse backgrounds and embed these principles at the heart of what voluntary agencies do.

We’ll keep publishing updates on our progress on our blog.

 

25th October 2024

 

In this blog post we’re sharing our recommendations for the next government on adoption support, which we have developed in collaboration with voluntary adoption agencies across the UK. You can find adapted versions for Scotland and Wales here. We know that this is a subject which affects all adoptive families and, with further government investment, could have a profound impact on the lives of children and parents alike.

We hope this information will be useful for any interactions you have in the run up to the election, and we’d love to hear about any successes you have. You can read our full Manifesto for Adoption here.

We are calling on the new government to provide timely support which prioritises early intervention

Since its inception, the Adoption Support Fund has been transformational for children, and its continuation is essential to ensuring children’s permanence and stability in their adoptive families. However, it must be acknowledged that despite this, overall support from adopted people remains woefully inadequate, including within our schools. The next government must therefore introduce measures which can provide more children with the right support at the right time including within education setting and at key transition moments.

Specifically, we want:

• An ongoing commitment for the continuation of the rebranded Adoption and Special Guardian Support Fund (ASGSF) recognising the continuing need for families to be able to access therapeutic interventions. As part of this, the £5,000 annual cap per child for therapy (and £2500 for assessment) should also be reviewed in light of the high rates of inflation with the aim of creating a clear methodology for the fund to continue to increase each year as is the case with interagency fees.
• A commitment that every child placed for adoption has an assessed multidisciplinary support plan with a duty to deliver it. This could be similar to the current EHCP Plan for children with SEND and link in closely with schools and education providers.
• Equal access to the ASGSF regardless of whether the placement was made by a statutory or voluntary adoption agency.
• A commitment to increase mental health support and provision for adopted teens given the evidence that this can be a key period in their development and placement stability and expert support is crucial to ensuring a positive transition into adulthood.
• Mandating training for teachers, via Virtual Schools, on how to support care experienced children and take a trauma-informed approach in the classroom. This will require amendments to be made to the current Teacher Standards.

More recommendations can be found in our Manifesto for Adoption which relate to 5 key areas: recognising the value of adoption; reducing delay for all children, particularly those who wait the longest; supporting adopted children’s identity needs; timely support which prioritises early intervention and developing more trauma-informed schools; and acknowledging the lifelong impact of trauma.

Lastly, we are always keen to hear from adoptive parents and adoptees who want to be involved in campaigning or work influencing government adoption policy. If this is of interest, please get in touch with Alice Talbot from CVAA who can share further information on how to do this: [email protected].