The Project
Local authority adoption services are being replaced by larger regional adoption agencies (RAAs) covering several local authorities.
RAAs will recruit adopters, match looked after children with adopters, and provide support to adopters and their children. The rationale is that RAAs will provide services on a greater scale with more innovative approaches to practice, thereby leading to improved outcomes for children. The four parts of the system that RAAs will aim to improve are:
- The timeliness of matching children with adoptive families
- The recruitment of adopters
- Adoption support
- Inefficiencies in the system
The evaluation of RAAs is being carried out by the Rees Centre in partnership with Ecorys (lead agency).
The overarching research questions for the evaluation are:
- How successful are RAAs in meeting the aims of: speeding up matching; improving adopter recruitment; improving adoption support services; and reducing inefficiencies of process and timeliness?
- How do the operating models of RAAs support the delivery of services and ensure adoptive families receive the services they need in a timely and constructive way?
- What are the strengths, opportunities and risks of the different RAA models?
- What are the costs for local authorities?
Reports and resources
The following pdf reports are free to download:
RAAs Practice Note; Recruitment of Adopters. Natasha Burnley, Rachel Blades and James Ronicle, Ecorys UK; Professor Julie Selwyn and Dr Shirley Lewis, Rees Centre, University of Oxford.
The animation below, prepared by a Voluntary Adoption Agency, is an example of how the String Exercise is used in practice. The String Exercise can be used in preparation groups with prospective adopters to explore children’s experience of loss.
Instructions for Using the String Exercise
Note: The animation is a PowerPoint file. Upon opening the file, click on the Slideshow icon, typically found at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.
Evaluation of regional adoption agencies: inception and scoping report. Research report. November 2018. Rachel Blades and James Ronicle, Ecorys UK; Professor Julie Selwyn and Heather Ottaway, Hadley Centre, University of Bristol.
Evaluation of regional adoption agencies: first report (2018 to 2019). First report. July 2019. Rachel Blades, Matthew Cutmore, James Ronicle, Kate Smith and Rachel Woolridge, Ecorys UK.
Evaluation of regional adoption agencies: second report (2019 to 2020). Second report. October 2020. Ecorys UK and Rees Centre, University of Oxford.
Annex to the second report.
The views and experiences of prospective adopters in five regional adoption agencies. October 2020. Professor Julie Selwyn and Dr Shirley Lewis, Rees Centre, University of Oxford.
Two new reports have been published: Supporting adoptive families: the views of adoptive parents and The views and experiences of approved adopters. October 2021. Professor Julie Selwyn and Dir Shirley Lewis, Rees Centre, University of Oxford.
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