September 2013

September 2013 £1.00
Keeping up with
fast-moving agendas
Shān Nicholas
The policy agendas across the UK continue to keep us busy at BAAF.
In England, The House of Lords is in recess but their Committee Stage
debates (which involve line-by-line examination of the Children and
Families Bill) will begin on 9 October. BAAF has been working with
a range of peers to put forward our views, on issues ranging from
providing effective adoption support services to the rights of the
descendants of adopted people to apply for intermediary services.
With regard to adoption reform in England, all adoption and fostering
agencies are now working to implement the relevant new twostage assessment process, and we have been supporting adoption
agencies with this through our DfE-funded training. We have also now
published on the BAAF website our dates for the DfE workshops on
Fostering for Adoption, which will take place this autumn. Information
about these sessions can be found at www.baaf.org.uk/training/
allevents/2013-11-06t000000-0.
Most recently, the DfE has announced a £16 million cash injection to
help new and existing voluntary adoption agencies to develop original
and creative ways to recruit more adopters. The investment will be
made available from later this year to 2016.
In Northern Ireland, the BAAF team was pleased to be invited to work
with the DHSSPS on exploring key aspects of proposed new adoption
legislation and amendments to the Children (NI) Order, which are
expected to be available for consultation in the autumn. The delay in
introducing new legislation for Northern Ireland has provided a unique
opportunity for the Adoption and Children Bill team to explore and
learn from legislative and policy changes in other parts of the UK and
to consider any unintentional consequences. Members of BAAF’s Policy,
Research and Development Team undertook a comprehensive review
of policy and legislative changes in England and Wales on behalf of
the DHSSPS and contributed to a two-day workshop hosted by the Bill
team. While it is likely that new adoption legislation will largely mirror
the Adoption and Children Act 2002, there is an opportunity to adapt
proposals to take account of experience and more recent policy and
legislative developments in the UK and practice developments locally,
and to ensure that legislative proposals fit within the Northern Ireland
context. The consultation process in relation to the Bill is expected
to commence in early 2014 and we look forward to being actively
involved through our various groups.
In Scotland, the National Foster Care Review issued a progress report
in July, making recommendations about placement descriptors,
placement limits and the learning and development needs of carers,
and BAAF will be responding to these. Adoption exchange days are
being planned for October and November, but before then Scotland’s
Adoption Register is piloting innovative webinar events to assess the
potential of these for maximising placement opportunities for children.
Work on the functional model for a National Adoption Service in Wales
is progressing. The first meeting of the task and finish group has taken
place with representatives from the voluntary and statutory sector and
CSSIW. Subgroups will now be created to work on the development
of aspects of the service; BAAF will play a key role in this. Significant
work has been completed by the 22 local authority adoption agencies
to form five regional collaborative groups that will work in partnership
with the voluntary sector to drive forward the adoption change
programme in Wales. Criteria against which performance will be
measured are being developed nationally through consultation with
key stakeholders, including direct service users.
You may already have heard that BAAF has appointed Srabani Sen to
be the new Chief Executive. Srabani is currently the Chief Executive
of Contact a Family and will bring to BAAF a track record of success.
Srabani was awarded an OBE in 2013 for her services to children
and families and will be joining us on 2 December. In order to ensure
a seamless transition process, I shall continue as Interim CEO until
Srabani joins us. Srabani is delighted to have been appointed to this
post and will work with you all to champion the interests of our most
vulnerable children and young people.
Annual Review available
BAAF’s Annual Review 2012/13 is now available, with copies
circulated to members in the September membership mailing.
You can also view the annual review on our website at
www.baaf.org.uk, or request a paper copy by contacting BAAF
Reception on 020 7421 2600.
Is there room in your heart?
The new-look National
Adoption Week
website is now live – visit
www.nationaladoption
week.org.uk to take a
look! We’ve added lots of new content,
including artwork from children, a new
theme centred on hearts, plus you can
even paint the background a different
colour! We will be adding more and more
content as we get nearer to campaign
week (4–10 November), including more
Dan French
resources for agencies, so be sure to check
back regularly. Our Twitter and Facebook
accounts have also been given a makeover
– check them out!
We are seeing an increase in the number
of entries for the National Adoption Week
Awards, but we still need more! Who
would you crown Adoption Agency of the
Year? Do you know someone who could be
Adoption Champion of the Year? Or do you
have an artistic child who could win Adoption
Picture of the Year?
We will also be reviewing the content on the
BAAF NAW app – if you haven’t got it on your
smartphone yet, head here for information on
how to get it: www.nationaladoptionweek.
org.uk/app.
New legislation, new editions
To take account of the recent and
forthcoming changes in adoption
legislation, we are publishing new editions
of a number of our popular handbooks
and guides. Those shown here have now
been published or will be available very
shortly – visit www.baaf.org.uk/bookshop
or contact Publications Sales on 020 7421
2604 to order.
Further revised editions will be produced
later in the year. We will provide more
information on our website as these
become available.
The Adopter’s Handbook
Amy Neil Salter; revised by Jenifer Lord
£14.95
Adoption Now
Fergus Smith and Roy Stewart with
Alexandra Conroy Harris
£8.95
Effective Adoption Panels England
Jenifer Lord and Deborah Cullen
£13.95
Undertaking an Adoption Assessment England
Elaine Dibben
£11.95
To order these titles, visit www.
baaf.org.uk or contact BAAF
Publications on 020 7421 2604
Achieving a contemporary adoption service for Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, the introduction of
new adoption legislation is long overdue.
A consultation process commenced in
2005 and the Department of Health and
Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS)
published its vision for adoption services
in 2006, but since then, little progress
has been made in advancing the new
legislation. A major obstacle has been the
public response to the proposal to extend
adoption eligibility to unmarried and
same-sex couples. Over 1,000 responses to
the consultation document were received,
95 per cent of which were concerned
specifically with the proposal to extend the
right to apply to adopt to same-sex couples,
despite evidence from other parts of the UK
that doing so would impact on only a small
minority of children requiring adoption.
This impasse was brought to a head last
year with the application for a judicial
review of existing adoption legislation,
taken by the Northern Ireland Human
Rights Commission. The judgement,
delivered in October 2012, ruled that the
prevention of unmarried couples from
applying to adopt was unjustified and
further described the total ban on those in
civil partnerships applying to adopt, either
individually or as a couple, as ‘irrational and
plainly unlawful’.
Subsequent guidance to adoption agencies
issued by the DHSSPS confirmed that any
individual or couple is now eligible to apply
to adopt, but advised that the Department
is currently considering an appeal to the
Supreme Court.
BAAF (NI) has worked tirelessly to highlight
the impact on children and families of
the delay in introducing adoption reform,
given that current adoption legislation is
over 25 years old and out of step with a
contemporary adoption service. Today, the
vast majority of children are adopted without
parental consent, and there is a pressing
need to extend the pool of adopters who
can meet the complex needs of waiting
children. We have given media interviews
and we have had meetings with the DHSSPS
and with MLAs from a range of local political
parties. We took part in a heated television
debate on The Big Question, presented
from Londonderry as part of the UK City of
Culture celebrations. Among the questions
being deliberated was whether gay men and
lesbians in Northern Ireland should have the
same right to family life as elsewhere in the
UK. We also contributed to a panel debate
during Gay Pride Week focusing on similar
issues.
Priscilla McLoughlin
Through all of this, we have continued to
promote adoption as a service for children,
making the important point that children
in Northern Ireland deserve the widest
possible placement choice when adoption
is identified as their care plan.
We now welcome plans announced by
the DHSSPS to introduce an Adoption and
Children Bill in 2014 and are delighted
to have been directly involved in working
with the Bill team in the early stages of
drafting the legislation. We look forward
to working with our members through
our advisory and special interest groups
in consulting on the draft legislation early
next year.
Could it be that, at last, we are making
progress towards the development of an
adoption service which is fit for purpose for
Northern Ireland?
Priscilla McLoughlin, Director, BAAF
Northern Ireland (second from right),
in the debate on adoption by same-sex
applicants during Belfast’s Gay Pride
Week
Guidance issued by the DHSSPS following
the judgement, however, advised of the
intention to lodge an appeal and indicated
that despite the judicial review finding in
favour of the Human Rights Commission,
agencies were to continue accepting
adoption applications only from married
couples or individuals who were either
single or in cohabiting relationships.
The appeal hearing, which took place in
June 2013, dismissed the appeal, referring
to the ban on civil partners applying
to adopt as ‘absurd and irrational’.
Compiled by Jo Francis British Association for Adoption and Fostering, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS www.baaf.org.uk
Registered charity 275689 (England + Wales) and SC039337 (Scotland). ISSN 1461 9105
Printed on recycled paper
News from BAAF UK-wide
Walk on fire for BAAF
scotland
Sophie Fanning-Tichborne
Legal and social work practitioners
and managers from across Scotland
gathered in Edinburgh’s historic City
Chambers on 21 June to celebrate
Lexy Plumtree’s 19 years with BAAF
Scotland and to wish her well for
the future. Alistair Stobie (Solicitor,
Aberdeen Council), Robert Swift
(ADSW and BAAF Trustee) and Sue
Grant (Chair of BAAF Scotland’s Legal
Group) all paid tribute to Lexy’s unique
contribution to adoption and fostering
policy and practice in Scotland. Lexy
will be particularly remembered for her
work on the Children (Scotland) Act
1995 and the Adoption and Children
(Scotland) Act 2007. Her legacy also
includes her authoritative practice guides and definitive guide to
child care law in Scotland.
Rhona Pollock joined BAAF Scotland on 2 September as our new
Legal Consultant. Rhona was a Reporter to the Children’s Panel
for 20 years, during which time she gained extensive experience in
juvenile justice and protection and delivered training to colleagues
and agencies. She has lectured at the University of the Highlands
and Islands (UHI) on their Child Protection and Legislation in
Childhood courses, and in their business and law courses.
Rhona qualified as a solicitor in Glasgow and spent several years
practising law in Scotland and London in the public and private
sectors. She believes that every child has the right to have the best
childhood they can, and is looking forward to working towards
this within the child-centred environment of BAAF.
Adopting a child in Scotland
Michelle Bell
National Adoption Week 2013 will see the launch of a new BAAF
publication – Adopting a Child in Scotland, by Robert Swift. Packed
with information about who can adopt, the approval, linking and
matching processes, and the law regarding adoption, this practical
handbook will be essential reading for all prospective adopters as well
as those professionals who work with adoptive parents and children in
need of adoption. Drawing on the experiences of both adopters and
adopted children, the book also provides valuable insights into the ups
and downs, joys and stresses, crises and triumphs of adoption.
Whilst Adopting a Child remains one of BAAF’s bestselling titles, the
considerable differences in adoption practice and legal processes
between Scotland and the rest of the UK make Adopting a Child in
Scotland both desirable and necessary. It offers a real flavour of what
the experience is like in Scotland for adoptive families and for children
being adopted, as well as providing practical information about
Scottish adoption agencies and sources of help and support.
Pilot of Child Permanence
Report underway
Elaine Dibben
BAAF is piloting a new dual-purpose Child Permanence Report (CPR)
which can also be used as the placement order application report. This
has been developed with the input of representatives from BAAF’s
Legal Group Advisory Committee and social workers from interested
agencies.
The report format is designed to meet the requirements of both the
Adoption Agency Regulations 2005 for the Child’s Permanence Report,
and Practice Direction 14C, Annex B (Family Procedure Rules 2010)
for a Report to the Court where there has been an Application for a
Placement Order. We are aware that a small number of agencies have
developed local versions of such a report, but felt that there would be
value in having a standard form which could be used across England to
offer a more consistent approach.
Eight local authorities have agreed to be involved in the pilot:
Birmingham, Calderdale, Derby, LB Tower Hamlets, Plymouth,
Sandwell, Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, representing
authorities of varying sizes across England. The pilot started in
September and will run until February 2014 to ensure that we receive
evidence and feedback from all parts of the process, i.e. making the
“should be placed for adoption” decision, applying for and obtaining
the placement order, and achieving a match for at least some of the
cases. We will meet with pilot agencies in December to consider the
feedback to that point and to highlight any changes needed to the
form. Comments will be sought from social workers and managers,
agency decision-makers, CAFCASS guardians and judges, familyfinding social workers, prospective adopters and adoption panels.
The final CPR will be issued to all agencies through the BAAF electronic
licence scheme in April 2014.
Any enquires about the pilot should be directed to me at
[email protected].
Are you brave enough to try the ultimate
challenge by walking across red-hot coals
to help some of Britain’s most vulnerable
children? It’s an adrenalin-pumping, friendimpressing evening, which some enjoy so
much they walk the coals more than once!
An hour’s training will be given on the
night by Firewalk specialists Firewalk UK.
You need to raise £150 to take part, but
it’s more fun with friends, so why not
enter as a team? We are very grateful
to Blackcircles who are supporting our
Edinburgh Firewalk and have a 28-strong
team!
To register, visit: www.baaf.org.uk/
fundraise/events_and_challenges/
firewalk. For more information
about our Firewalk events or other
fundraising ideas, email fundraising
@baaf.org.uk or call Sophie FanningTichborne on 020 7421 2636.
The evening will begin at 6.30pm with the
firewalk starting at 7.30pm – spectators
are very welcome! Pick from two events
this November to celebrate National
Adoption Week:
l Edinburgh, Castle Street, Wednesday
27 November
l Leeds, Carnegie Stadium, Wednesday
20 November
Let’s get quizzical!
BAAF Patron, actress and singer Clare
Grogan will be hosting the annual BAAF
quiz in London on Tuesday 12 November.
This regular event inspires a fierce
competition between teams, so register
now to secure your place! If you can
tackle questions such as ‘What colour are
Superman’s shorts?’ and ‘Who was the
first woman to appear on Channel 4?’
then this is the quiz for you! The event
will take place at the Cape Bar near St
Katherine Docks, a short walk from Tower
Hill tube station. For more information
and to register your team, email sophieft@
baaf.org.uk or call 020 7421 2636.
All-England BAAF
Advice Line from
30 September
The BAAF England Advice Line service has
been under review for some time. After
careful consideration of the most effective
way of providing this vital service to members
and the public, it has been decided that a
daily advice line will run across the whole of
England (Southern, Central and Northern)
from 30 September. Two dedicated staff (with
administrative support) will be available from
9am until 1pm each weekday to answer calls
and emails. Enquiries after 1pm will be picked
up the following day.
The current rota involves one region covering
the Advice Line for most of a week, which
will offer consistency in terms of dealing
with enquiries. In order to offer enquirers as
comprehensive a service as possible, a FAQ
section on the BAAF website is currently
being developed – we will advertise this
when it is available.
The Advice Line service will be reviewed
after three months and further adjustments
made where necessary. In the context of
the reforms currently taking place within
adoption and fostering, this new system will
hopefully enhance the quality of advice and
information we provide to our members and
the public.
Advice Line: 020 3597 6116
Email: [email protected]
Membership survey
Ralph Turan
Journal goes from strength to
strength with Sage
Miranda Davies
After a few initial technical hiccups, the
journal’s move to Sage Publications has
gone smoothly. While Roger Bullock and I
remain as Commissioning and Managing
Editors, Sage now handles most aspects
of production and distribution, including
all subscriptions. The results are positive so
far, with the majority of subscribers opting
to renew and a record number of full-text
downloads of Adoption & Fostering articles
recorded since the journal’s new website
launched in January (www.uk.sagepub.com/
journals/Journal202142). BAAF members
clearly appreciate now having access to
articles all the way back to 1977. Since the
journal’s move, we have also noticed a rise in
the number of article submissions, especially
from overseas.
Sage is also responsible for ongoing
marketing initiatives such as Editors’ Choice,
whereby readers are offered free access to
seven recent articles selected by the editors to
reflect the range of issues regularly discussed
in the journal (see http://aaf.sagepub.com/
site/editorschoice/editors_choice.xhtml) – and
the reactivation of the journal’s evaluation
by the Social Sciences Citation Index. It is
hoped that these and future developments
will help cement the reputation of Adoption
& Fostering as the world’s leading journal on
adoption and fostering issues.
We recently held a membership survey for
our local authority, independent fostering
provider and voluntary adoption agency
members for them to let us know how they
are using their membership benefits, and
how these might be improved to further help
their staff.
The survey has now closed and we would
like to thank all of our contacts who took the
time to respond. The answers will provide us
with valuable data that will inform our work
and the service we offer to our corporate
members. We will publish a report on
the survey once the responses have been
analysed.
Another similar survey for our individual and
associate members will be released later in
the year, and we will send those members
further information about it as soon as we
can.
Staff News
Goodbye to
New from BAAF
Nicole Lancaster, Be My Parent
Administrative Assistant, Head Office
Minh-Long Nguyen, IT Support
Apprentice, Head Office
Lisa Pearce, HR Manager, Head Office
Alexandra Plumtree, Legal Consultant –
Scotland, BAAF Scotland
New edition of Preparing to Adopt
due out soon
The Government’s adoption reform
programme has made a number of changes
to the way in which prospective adopters are
to be prepared and assessed, with the new
two-stage process having taken effect from
1 July. We are currently updating a number
of BAAF books to take account of these
changes.
As part of these updates, work is underway
to revise Preparing to Adopt, BAAF’s highly
respected training programme for adopter
preparation groups. Preparing to Adopt,
comprising a trainer’s guide, applicant’s
workbook and DVD, is used by over threequarters of UK agencies.
If you wish to make any comments about
the contents and any particular topics
that you think should be addressed,
please email [email protected].
The new edition of Preparing to Adopt
will be out early next year. More
information will be provided nearer the
time.
A warm welcome to
Why was I Adopted?
Jane Jackson
Ryan Butcher, Press Assistant for NAW,
Head Office
Krista Hardy, Social Worker, Adoption
Activity Days Project
Marios Ionnidis, Digital Developer, Head
Office
Fiona Letendrie, Information Officer
(Maternity Leave), Head Office
Rhona Pollock, Legal Consultant –
Scotland, BAAF Scotland
£4.95 plus £1 postage + packing
Effective Adoption and Fostering
Panels in Scotland
Marjorie Morrison
£15.95 plus £4 postage + packing
To order these titles, visit www.
baaf.org.uk or contact BAAF
Publications on 020 7421 2604
Just the job
For the latest career opportunities
in family placement, visit the BAAF
vacancies webpage at www.baaf.org.
uk/jobs. To advertise, login at www.
baaf.org.uk/members/ and place your
advert – just £200 plus VAT.