Decision details

Barbara Bath, Head of Fostering, Adoption, Residential and Youth Offending Team presented the Board with the Adoption Panel report which summarised the work of Lancashire County Council's Adoption Panel over the six month period from 1 April 2019 to 30 September 2019.  Lancashire Adoption Panels were joint panels which meant that they composed of both adoption and fostering items.  The report before the Board however, considered just the adoption items.

The report which was circulated with the agenda, included the number, type and age of the children awaiting an adoptive placement and length of time they had been waiting; the agency's performance against the timescales set out for the two-stage process; progress in the recruitment of suitable adoptive families; the number of children placed for adoption and adopted since the last report; and the number of children whose placement had disrupted or where there had been a change of plan and the child was no longer placed for adoption.  The Board were informed that there had been no disruptions presented to the panel during the last 18 months, which was pleasing to note.

The Board also received details, that Lancashire were above average in terms of the time taken between a child entering care and moving into an adoptive family, however, below average in terms of time taken between receiving authority to place and deciding on a match against national figures.

Resolved:  That the Board members reviewed and noted Lancashire County   Council's Adoption Panel report.