Agenda item

Report of the Portfolio Holder for Early Intervention and Early Years

The Board considered a report of the Portfolio Holder for Early Intervention and Early Years proposing that the Council join a Regional Adoption Agency as part of a partnership with other D2N2 local authorities.

RESOLVED to

(1)  approve joining a Regional Adoption Agency as part of a partnership with other D2N2 local authorities;

(2)  agree the final business case (as set out in the exempt appendix);

(3)  agree to Nottinghamshire County Council being the ‘host’ local authority;

(4)  note that there will be a workforce transfer to the host authority with effect from 1 April 2019 under the provisions of TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings, Protection of Employment) Regulations, subject to the outcome of formal consultation;

(5)  delegate authority to the Chief Finance Officer to determine the allocation of the pension deficit within the organisation;

(6)  delegate authority to the Director of Children’s Services in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Early Intervention and Early Years to negotiate and agree the terms of the Inter-Agency Agreement to establish the East Midlands Regional Adoption Agency (EMRAA); and

(7)  approve the budget allocation of £1,169,586 per year for three years associated with the Regional Adoption Agency.

Reasons for the decision

As outlined in the report to Executive Board on 22 May 2018, the Government has stated its intention that all individual local authority adoption agencies combine into regional adoption agencies by 2020.  The rationale is that, with 180 adoption agencies placing children in England, the system is too fragmented, and this has led to delays for children.  Regionalisation should improve outcomes for children, adopters and adoptive families.

The principles of regional adoption agencies are to:

·  provide all children with an adoptive family that meets their needs;

·  ensure that those affected by adoption receive the information, support and advice that they need to understand their adoption journey; and

·  ensure that families are well prepared, enabled and supported to care for the children with plans for adoption.

The aims of regional adoption agencies are to ensure:

·  early identification of children for whom adoption is the right option;

·  timely placement of children including sibling groups and older children;

·  sustainable placements with timely and appropriate support as needed;

·  a sufficient range and number of adopters to meet children’s needs;

·  a range of different adoption placement types e.g. foster to adopt; and

·  a well performing and improving service, evidenced in the adoption scorecard, productivity and timeliness.

Seven local authorities (Lincolnshire, Leicestershire (who also provide adoption services for Rutland), Leicester, Derbyshire, Derby, Nottinghamshire and Nottingham) began participation in the Department for Education funded Regional Adoption Agency programme in October 2015.  The partnership also includes two voluntary adoption agencies (Faith in Families and Coram).  Lincolnshire, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland will not be joining the partnership at present.

East Midlands Regional Adoption Agency has made good progress in developing adoption functions which draw on excellent and innovative practice.  Developments include the setting up of permanence teams in many of the partner local authorities and in establishing the D2N2 pilot for Derbyshire, Derby, Nottinghamshire and Nottingham.  Good progress continues to be made in aligning ways of working in respect of adopter recruitment, matching and adoption support across the footprint.

BDO financial consultants engaged by the East Midlands Regional Adoption Agency reviewed the local authorities’ spend on adoption activity.  This work provided the basis to set out the business case for the D2N2 local authorities to unite as an adoption agency in East Midlands Regional Adoption Agency.

One of the key principles of the D2N2 model is that it will be delivered at no additional cost to the authorities involved, although management costs and pension strain considerations remain under review.

Other options considered

The Department for Education has stated that there is now a national expectation that all local authorities will form a Regional Adoption Agency by 2020.  A range of models have been considered with the one proposed appearing to offer the best potential to meet local need.

Alternative options may include joining a different Regional Adoption Agency but this would add further distance to visiting and supporting children in placement and the money that has been provided by the Department for Education to help with project management costs was provided to the East Midlands local authorities to work together.  Therefore this option was rejected.

Consideration has been given to not joining the Regional Adoption Agency but that would leave the Council vulnerable to being compelled to join a Regional Adoption Agency perhaps not of the Council’s choice in the near future.  Therefore this option was rejected.