Inspectorate praise for adoption services
Adoption services in Scotland are generally performing well, independent watchdogs have concluded. Quality of care is “generally high”, according to the Care Inspectorate which has published its first report on the services.
At the end of September there were 39 adoption services operating in Scotland. Of these, 32 are run by local authorities and seven are run by voluntary or not-for-profit organisations.
The Care Inspectorate, which published its report during National Adoption Week, examined the quality of care and support provided, staffing and the management and leadership within services.
It said 15 adoption services provide a good level of care and support, 19 are ranked as very good and two are excellent. Two provide just an adequate level of care and support and one is ranked as being weak.
The quality of staffing is good in almost all of the adoption services, the report says. Only two are ranked as just adequate, 21 are good, 15 are very good and one is excellent.
In terms of quality of management and leadership, 19 adoption services are good, 15 are very good and one is excellent. The remaining four services are regarded as adequate.
Care Inspectorate chief executive A nnette Bruton said: “Getting a permanent, stable home is a key issue for children in care, and adoption agencies play a huge role in this.
“Adoption in Scotland is generally performing well and improvements are being made where necessary. The quality of care offered is generally high and, in most services, the quality of staffing and leadership is good or very good.”
The report says that “g enerally, services were found to be providing a good-quality service in regard to recruitment, assessing and supporting prospective adoptive parents to meet the increasing demand for placements”.
It found “evidence that prospective adopters and approved adopters felt a valued part of the service, feeling listened to and very well supported”.
Staff in adoption services ” tended to be professional, approachable, knowledgeable and skilled” and management and staff are “usually very dedicated to their work”.
No complaints about adoption services have been upheld in the last three years, the Care Inspectorate said, and it has not had to take any enforcement action to improve services over this period.
The Care Inspectorate will ” continue to carefully and robustly inspect each adoption service in Scotland”, Ms Bruton said.
The organisation had recently established specialist inspection teams, she said.
” We believe this will allow us to better identify further improvements in adoption services across Scotland, minimise the risk of drift and improve outcomes for children in need of adoption.”
