Post adoption support: a rapid response survey of local authorities in England

The Adoption and Children Act (2002) places a duty on local authorities to maintain an appropriate service for adoption support. The adoption support services regulations require authorities to conduct assessments of adoption support needs when requested by an adoptive child, their parents, natural parents or former guardians. The government propose to reduce the delays in the adoption process and make improvements to the recruitment, preparation and assessment of prospective adopters. The Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre (CWRC) was commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) to carry out a fast response survey of local authorities in England. The aims of the study were to look at how post-adoption support teams and services are structured and to identify barriers and facilitators to effective provision.