Lord to debate adoption report
15 May 2013 (updated on 10 July 2015)
Following its publication earlier this year, the House of Lords will debate its report on adoption legislation on Thursday 16 May.
- Parliament TV: Watch the debate
- Read the text of the debate
- Report: Adoption: Post-Legislative Scrutiny (HTML)
- Report: Adoption: Post-Legislative Scrutiny (PDF)
- Government Response to the 2nd Report of the Select Committee on Adoption Legislation
Chairman's comment
The Chairman of the Committee, Baroness Butler-Sloss (Crossbench), in whose name the debate has been tabled, will speak first.
“During our inquiry we heard from a wide range of witnesses including adoption agencies, social workers, groups representing birth families and adopted children themselves. These opinions helped shaped our report and our recommendations. It was clear to us that although the Government is dedicated to improving the adoption process, there is more that needs to be done to ensure the best outcomes for all children in care.
Intervening early to keep birth families together where possible; seeking the right permanence solution for every child taken into care; providing post-adoption support to families who have adopted a child from care, and monitoring the outcomes of adoption, especially of adoption breakdown, are all significant recommendations made to the Government by the Committee. We realise that implementing them will take time, commitment and money. But in an age of austerity, we need to make sure that every penny spent on keeping children safe and providing them with loving and caring homes, including by means of adoption, is money well spent.
The timing of this debate is crucial – it takes place in the context of the Children and Families Bill which is before parliament at the moment and which contains some important provisions on adoption.”
Further information
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