Decision details

Formation of a Regional Adoption Agency - CYP04(19/20)

Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Children and Young People (Cllr Jacquie Russell)

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

In June 2015 the Department for Education (DfE) published a paper, Regionalising Adoption, which proposed the move to regional adoption agencies in order to:

        Speed up matching between children and adopters

        Improve adopter recruitment and adoption support

        Reduce costs

        Improve the life chances of vulnerable children.

 

Since this time West Sussex County Council, in conjunction with Brighton and Hove City Council, East Sussex and Surrey County Councils has developed a proposal to deliver its adoption services via a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA), Adoption South East (ASE).  In October 2017 local authorities were advised of continued ministerial resolve to complete regionalisation by April 2020.  The Adoption South East arrangement now requires formalising to meet the Government’s expectation that all local authorities become part of a RAA by April 2020.

Decision:

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People has:

 

1.  Approved the establishment of and West Sussex County Council’s participation in a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA), to be known as Adoption South East (ASE), in partnership with Brighton and Hove City Council, and East Sussex and Surrey County Councils as described in this report.

 

2.  Delegated authority to the Director of Children’s Services to take any action necessary or incidental to the above including entering into and signing the Partnership Agreement and any other agreement between the participating Authorities in order for the Regional Adoption arrangement to be implemented by April 2020.

 

3.  Delegated authority to the Director of Children’s Services in consultation with the Director of Finance and Support Services to determine and agree the transfer of the County Council’s contribution to a pooled RAA budget as set out in this report and to settle arrangements for the pooled budget through the Partnership Agreement.

 

Interests and Nature of Interests Declared:

None

Publication date: 17/10/2019

Date of decision: 17/10/2019

Effective from: 29/10/2019

Accompanying Documents: