Ofsted sets 12-month deadline for adoption placements in new inspection framework
Local authorities will only be able to achieve an ‘outstanding’ rating if they ensure that all children identified for adoption are placed within 12 months, Ofsted has said.
The requirement is part of new adoption inspection arrangements published by the regulator. Ofsted pointed to the harmful impact that delays in adoption can have on children’s health, development and ability to make new meaningful attachements.
Under the arrangements, inspectors will also:
- assess whether adoption has been considered as an option for all children in local authority care;
- examine evidence that adoption was considered early in the planning process “and not as a last resort”;
- look at whether children identified for adoption are able to be adopted together with their siblings “wherever this is possible”;
- consider delays in the recruitment and assessment of adopters;
- review the vetting process, how long it takes and the support provided for people adopting.
The regulator has also launched a new inspection framework for fostering and revised the children’s homes framework it introduced in 2011.
The fostering framework will “help to ensure that the number of placements are reduced by looking at how well children’s needs are matched with the foster carers and what support is provided to both the child and carers to make placement a success”, Ofsted said.
The regulator added that the focus of inspection would be on the difference the fostering service has made to children’s lives and how it ensures that outcomes are the best possible for each child.
In relation to children’s home inspections, Ofsted said it would be strengthening the criteria for being judged ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.
To receive an ‘outstanding’ rating, leaders and managers will have to be able to demonstrate “sustained success in achieving exceptional outcomes for the most challenging young people”.
Ofsted said the various frameworks, which will come into force in April, would “place even more emphasis on what makes the most difference and has the greatest impact on the lives of children who are in care”.
John Goldup, Deputy Chief Inspector at Ofsted, said: “Everything we are publishing today is about raising our expectations for our children. Under these frameworks, it will be much harder to get a ‘good’ or an ‘outstanding’ judgement from inspectors.
“It is essential that children in care, often the most vulnerable, get the very best support to have a happy, stable and fulfilling childhood. That is why we want to raise standards further and focus on what real difference is being made to children’s lives.”
Goldup said the regulator’s scrutiny of delays in the adoption would help focus and bring forward a “smooth and quicker” adoption process. “The earlier children are identified for adoption and placed with a family the better the chances that adoption will be successful,” he said.
