Catherine McKinnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Children and Young Families, responding to the news today on adoption scorecards said:
“Adoption has the power to change lives so the system has to perform well at every level. However, adoption scorecards need to be more sophisticated to ensure the needs of the child come first. That means reflecting the quality of the process as well as the speed.
“The Government must ensure prospective adopters are not put off from coming forward simply because of their local authority’s scorecard, when the council may have an outstanding rating from Ofsted. Tackling delays is important, but the Government could take action more quickly – without the need for more legislation. They also need to speed up decisions in the courts, where the most significant delays occur.
“The Government must give prospective adopters confidence that they will get the post-adoption support they need to ensure that placements endure.”
