CVAA briefing – interagency fee 12+ months since placement without an AO

This briefing summarises VAA responses to questions about the Interagency fee in cases where children have been placed with adopters for over 12 months and an Adoption Order (AO) has not yet been made. The fee was £896 per month in England and Wales and £898 in Scotland in 2021/22, and in April 2022 rose to £939 and £941 respectively. It was brought in to compensate VAAs for the continued work that happens with families prior to an AO being made.

The purpose of this research was to better understand how the fee is used by VAAs and learn more about its value for money. The research also looked at how timescales for AOs being granted have changed over time and possible reasons for these changes, where applicable.

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