Adoption review concentrates on black children in care
The government is to launch a major review of social work practices to ensure that black children are not left to languish in the care system because the emphasis is put on reasons why couples cannot adopt rather than why they can, following the prime minister's call to tackle the issue.Foreign adoption
In his speech to delegates at the Tory party conference, David Cameron asked why "people are flying all over the world to adopt babies while the care system at home agonises about placing black children with white families". He announced a "new focus on the 65,000 children in care".
It is important to note the figure of 65,000 children in care only relates to England, and that in the UK there are in fact 90,000 chidren in the care system waiting to be adopted.
Fewer black children adopted
The government's adoption adviser Martin Narey said: "This was no urban myth. Black children are three times less likely to be adopted than white children. Over time, a practice has developed where there is a great emphasis on finding a cultural and ethnic match for non-white children.
Ignore ethnic considerations
This despite the fact that Tony Blair issued guidance to local authorities in 2000 asking for no ethnic considerations to be made." Narey, who has been asked by the government to come up with solutions to the problem, said he had "seen correspondence, met parents and countless couples turned away from local authorities because they were white. If the reverse happened, we'd put social workers in handcuffs".
1,300 days to be adopted
The Department for Education said the number of children placed for adoption fell from 2,700 to 2,300 last year and black children aged under five remained in care for 1,300 days on average before they were adopted, compared with 955 days for white or Asian children. Official guidance says a child should be placed within 12 months of a decision to go ahead with adoption. That decision should be made within six months of the child entering care. However, the data shows that, in the past three years, children were placed for adoption 20 months after entering care on average.
British Association of Social Workers
Nushra Mansuri, the British Association of Social Workers' professional officer, said: "The prime minister would do well to consider the complex realties of adoption before he opines so simplistically – social workers have no wish to be part of delays in placing children for adoption and find bureaucratic processes just as frustrating as everyone else involved."
Read more at: guardian.co.uk