DECISION

1.    To agree, in principle, to join a London Regional Adoption Agency, subject to detailed financial analysis and business case;

2.    To authorise the Director of Children’s Services (or equivalent), after consultation with the lead Member Children’s Services, to progress arrangements relating to the development and implementation of the London Regional Adoption Agency model.

3.    To support a local detailed stakeholder engagement to ensure that the strengths of the current service (culturally sensitive matching, focus on sibling group matching, recruitment of BME and other minority adopters) are not dissipated by the borough entering the new proposed arrangement.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, CHILREN’S SERVICES (D. JONES)

(Service Head, Children’s Social Care (N. Patel)

Councillor Rachael Saunders, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, introduced the report. She explained that this proposal followed on from a Department for Education paper in 2015 regionalising adoption services. The report was requesting agreement in principle to join the London Regional Adoption Agency. Further discussions would be held on the detailed arrangements before a final decision was taken.

The Mayor agreed the recommendations as set out in the report.

RESOLVED

1.    To agree, in principle, to join a London Regional Adoption Agency, subject to detailed financial analysis and business case;

2.    To authorise the Director of Children’s Services (or equivalent), after consultation with the lead Member Children’s Services, to progress arrangements relating to the development and implementation of the London Regional Adoption Agency model.

3.    To support a local detailed stakeholder engagement to ensure that the strengths of the current service (culturally sensitive matching, focus on sibling group matching, recruitment of BME and other minority adopters) are not dissipated by the borough entering the new proposed arrangement.