The Adoption Leadership Board has today published a report outlining what Adoption Leadership Board and Department for Education data tells us about the latest trends in adoption.

This report highlights that after a fall in adoption decisions and placement orders following judgements in 2013, numbers have stabilised and there has been no continuing decline. At the same time, there has been a significant decline in the number of prospective adopters being approved.

Commenting on this report in Community Care, Andrew Christie, Chair of the Board, said that: “Our latest data suggests that there are more new placement orders being granted than prospective adoptive families being approved. If these trends continue, there is a serious risk that much of the good work over the last five years will be reversed, as adoptive families cannot be found and children wait longer to be placed for adoption as a consequence.”

“There are children waiting for an adoptive family today, and I urge adoption agencies across the country to make every effort to recruit more adopters.”

For further information about the report, please contact alex.wylde@cvaa.org.uk