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Linking & Matching

Linking and matching are parts of the process of finding the right family for a child, who they are suited to and who can meet all of their needs.

With many children continuing to experience unnecessary delay, particularly those with complex needs, in sibling groups and from the global majority, improving linking and matching remains a key priority for CVAA and its members.

That’s why our Practice Programme runs a number of training programmes focused on this area of practice and you can find out about upcoming sessions here.

Earlier this year CVAA also fed into the development of the National Matching Standards. These have been developed to reduce the disparity in matching practice nationally between Local Authorities (LAs) and adoption agencies. They provide a minimum set of expectations around the core service delivery requirements to consider when placing a child with an adoptive family and encourage a consistent approach.

For transracial placements, practitioners should have regard to the Anti-Racist Framework for decision making in transitioning children from minoritised racial and ethnic groups into transracial adoptive families (AFDiT). This tool has been created and developed primarily by a Dr Tam Cane, researcher from University of Sussex along with support from people with lived experience of adoption and colleagues across the sector. The tool is aimed to be used by practitioners to support with the decision making around transracial adoption.

In addition, Adoption England has commissioned several projects across the country relating specifically to family finding and matching. One of these, the Step-Up Family Finding programme is being led by Coram Ambitious for Adoption and is focused on recruiting and supporting m adopters to provide families for priority children, including those over 5, in sibling groups and from minoritised communities. An early evaluation of this project has shown this new approach to reduce delay.

More information about the other projects can be found here.