Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Chief Executive.

Resolved:

To approve the report and that the contents are considered against the Corporate Parenting Strategic Priorities for children in care to have a loving home, good relationships, and be respected.

Reason for Decision:

Wiltshire Council is an Adoption Agency registered with Ofsted. The 2014 Adoption Minimum Standards (25.6) and 2013 Statutory Guidance (3.93 and 5.39) describe the information that is required to be reported to the executive side of the local authority, on a six-monthly basis, to provide assurance that the adoption agency is complying with the conditions of registration whilst being effective and achieving good outcomes for children. A report to Cabinet is prepared annually.

Adoption West is subject to separate scrutiny arrangements through its own Scrutiny Board.

Cllr Laura Mayes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education, and Skills, presented the year-end report regarding the performance of the Wiltshire Council’s Adoption Service, alongside a consideration of the effectiveness of Adoption West.

The Deputy Leader was pleased to report that 59 adopters were approved during the year, although this was a reduction compared to the previous year. It was noted this reflects the national picture where fewer people are coming forward to adopt. The report detailed the three key scorecard measures each local authority Adoption Agency uses to measure timeliness. The data for Wiltshire indicates an improvement in performance in 2022/23 and is particularly strong when compared to the performance of other local authorities. Cabinet noted that Adoption West had recently undergone an inspection and received a good rating.

Cllr Gordon King, Vice-Chairman of Children’s Select Committee, reported that the Children’s Select Committee had considered the year-end report on 5 September 2024 and were happy to endorse the report.

Cllr Adrian Foster endorsed the comments of Cllr King, and raised a concern about a number of children that had been adopted twice. Cllr Foster asked about the percentage of adoptions that fail and become second adoptions and how this compared to other local authorities. The Deputy Leader provided reassurance that support is provided to families that adopt and a written response would be provided to the questions about second adoptions. 

Resolved:

To approve the report and that the contents are considered against the Corporate Parenting Strategic Priorities for children in care to have a loving home, good relationships, and be respected.

Reason for Decision:

Wiltshire Council is an Adoption Agency registered with Ofsted. The 2014 Adoption Minimum Standards (25.6) and 2013 Statutory Guidance (3.93 and 5.39) describe the information that is required to be reported to the executive side of the local authority, on a six-monthly basis, to provide assurance that the adoption agency is complying with the conditions of registration whilst being effective and achieving good outcomes for children. A report to Cabinet is prepared annually.

Adoption West is subject to separate scrutiny arrangements through its own Scrutiny Board.