Martin Narey, the Adoption Czar, delivers a speech to professionals in adoption. He discusses his background working with offenders and at Barnardo's, which led him to understand the link between being in care and criminal behavior later in life. He became convinced that more children needed the permanence of adoption. However, he notes that his views have been misrepresented in the media. He clarifies that he does not oppose kinship care or post-adoption support, and wants to see more research on special guardianship breakdowns. He argues that adoption should be considered for young children when family support is not possible, but fostering is preferable for older children.
This document is an open letter from Martin Narey responding to criticism of his views on adoption. Narey acknowledges that children are sometimes taken into care unnecessarily, but believes that more often children are left in unsafe homes too long. He argues that adoption benefits the minority of children who experience long-term neglect and whose parents will not be able to properly care for them. While encouraging people to pursue cases where they feel their children were wrongly removed, Narey advises against undermining adoption in general and instead focusing on demonstrating errors made in their specific cases.
This document discusses the complexities of adoption and the benefits it provides to both children and adoptive parents. It begins with the story of a little boy who was born addicted to drugs and passed among family members before being adopted by a family who loved him. While adoption involves a lengthy legal process, it ultimately results in children gaining loving families and the stability they need to thrive. It also allows infertile couples to start families of their own. Overall, the document argues that despite the challenges, adoption has great rewards for both adoptees and adoptive parents in providing forever families for children in need.
Numbers in care and neglect (from Times Report on AdoptionSir Martin Narey
The number of children in care in England increased significantly from the 1950s-1980s as cases of child neglect and abuse rose. By 1981 there were over 90,000 children in care, with around 60,000 living in residential homes. However, high costs and abuse scandals led to the closure of large institutions. While reducing numbers in care seemed desirable, the needs of individual children were sometimes not prioritized. Research shows that an overly optimistic view of parents' ability to change can lead to children being returned to neglectful homes, suffering further harm. Leaving children too long in abusive situations can seriously impact their development and future outcomes. Swiftly providing alternative care when needed may better serve children's welfare.
At ProAuPair, founded and run by a host family like you, we know how time consuming and difficult it can be to find the right person to give you peace of mind that your children are loved and receive the best care possible.
13 Do's and Don't to Protect Child Custody and VisitationGoldberg Jones
Child custody and visitation battles are the most harrowing parts of divorce. It's important to take steps to protect your rights as a parent, and here are some tips to do just that.
The document is a research paper on child support reform. It summarizes the history of child support laws and argues they are unfair to non-custodial parents. It provides several examples from interviews of non-custodial parents who are struggling financially and unable to properly support themselves due to high child support payments. It concludes that while the intent of child support laws was good, the current system is flawed and in need of reform to make it fairer to all parties involved.
The document discusses the benefits of adoption for both children and parents. It notes that while nearly 250,000 children were adopted between 1999-2014, over 463,000 remain in foster care. Growing up in institutions is psychologically damaging for children, as they feel uncertain and lack the stable parental love and encouragement found in family homes. Adoption allows infertile couples and same-sex couples to build families, while providing children with safety, protection and opportunities. The document advocates for adoption, arguing it greatly benefits both parents and children by giving children homes rather than forcing them to remain in institutions.
This document is an open letter from Martin Narey responding to criticism of his views on adoption. Narey acknowledges that children are sometimes taken into care unnecessarily, but believes that more often children are left in unsafe homes too long. He argues that adoption benefits the minority of children who experience long-term neglect and whose parents will not be able to properly care for them. While encouraging people to pursue cases where they feel their children were wrongly removed, Narey advises against undermining adoption in general and instead focusing on demonstrating errors made in their specific cases.
This document discusses the complexities of adoption and the benefits it provides to both children and adoptive parents. It begins with the story of a little boy who was born addicted to drugs and passed among family members before being adopted by a family who loved him. While adoption involves a lengthy legal process, it ultimately results in children gaining loving families and the stability they need to thrive. It also allows infertile couples to start families of their own. Overall, the document argues that despite the challenges, adoption has great rewards for both adoptees and adoptive parents in providing forever families for children in need.
Numbers in care and neglect (from Times Report on AdoptionSir Martin Narey
The number of children in care in England increased significantly from the 1950s-1980s as cases of child neglect and abuse rose. By 1981 there were over 90,000 children in care, with around 60,000 living in residential homes. However, high costs and abuse scandals led to the closure of large institutions. While reducing numbers in care seemed desirable, the needs of individual children were sometimes not prioritized. Research shows that an overly optimistic view of parents' ability to change can lead to children being returned to neglectful homes, suffering further harm. Leaving children too long in abusive situations can seriously impact their development and future outcomes. Swiftly providing alternative care when needed may better serve children's welfare.
At ProAuPair, founded and run by a host family like you, we know how time consuming and difficult it can be to find the right person to give you peace of mind that your children are loved and receive the best care possible.
13 Do's and Don't to Protect Child Custody and VisitationGoldberg Jones
Child custody and visitation battles are the most harrowing parts of divorce. It's important to take steps to protect your rights as a parent, and here are some tips to do just that.
The document is a research paper on child support reform. It summarizes the history of child support laws and argues they are unfair to non-custodial parents. It provides several examples from interviews of non-custodial parents who are struggling financially and unable to properly support themselves due to high child support payments. It concludes that while the intent of child support laws was good, the current system is flawed and in need of reform to make it fairer to all parties involved.
The document discusses the benefits of adoption for both children and parents. It notes that while nearly 250,000 children were adopted between 1999-2014, over 463,000 remain in foster care. Growing up in institutions is psychologically damaging for children, as they feel uncertain and lack the stable parental love and encouragement found in family homes. Adoption allows infertile couples and same-sex couples to build families, while providing children with safety, protection and opportunities. The document advocates for adoption, arguing it greatly benefits both parents and children by giving children homes rather than forcing them to remain in institutions.
The document is a presentation by Zahra Dhanani from METRAC on child custody, access, and protection issues for women experiencing domestic violence. It provides an overview of key topics like types of custody, applying for custody, denying access, and involvement from child protection agencies. The presentation aims to give women accessible information to make well-informed decisions regarding their children.
Find out about grandparents rights in New Jersey. Can a grandparent get custody of their grandchild or children? Do they have rights to visitation time with their grandkids? Find out in this presentation on Grandparents Rights in New Jersey.
This document summarizes a court case in New Jersey regarding an open adoption agreement. A birth mother placed her child for adoption with a couple she knew, with the agreement that she would be able to visit the child. However, when the adoption was finalized, the couple cut off contact. The birth mother sued to overturn the adoption. The New Jersey Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the adoptive parents, finding that open adoption agreements are not legally enforceable. The document discusses the issues and complexities surrounding open adoption, including the need for clearer laws and expectations regarding the legal status of such agreements.
There is a need for more licensed foster homes in Washtenaw County, as there are over 200 children in foster care but only a fraction of needed homes. Becoming a foster parent provides children stability and helps their hearts heal from abuse and neglect. It involves training and paperwork but provides support for those who open their homes to children in need on a temporary basis. The document calls readers to confront reality and consider becoming heroes for foster children.
Recorded on September 24, 2013 - This webinar in the Family Law Education for Women (FLEW) series is the second of two discussions about the Children's Aid Society geared toward the rights of young women.
In this discussion, lawyer Seema Jain, of Jain Family Law and Mediation, discusses what teenage mothers should know if the CAS has concerns about the safety of their child(ren), in conversation with METRAC’s Legal Director, Tamar Witelson.
Watch the webinar at:
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/webinar/teenage-mothers-and-childrens-aid-society-what-young-mothers-should-know-about-child-protect
September 23, 2013 at 12:00 E.S.T. - This webinar in the Family Law Education for Women (FLEW) series is the first of two discussions about the Children's Aid Society geared toward the rights of young women. This webinar looks at the child protection process, focussing on youth rights and realities when they are the person that the CAS is concerned may be in need of protection.
In this discussion, lawyer Seema Jain, of Jain Family Law and Mediation, discusses what young people should know about being involved in the child protection process, in conversation with METRAC’s Legal Director, Tamar Witelson.
Watch this webinar at:
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/webinar/when-childrens-aid-society-gets-involved-what-can-childyouth-expect
Nadav Zeimer | What to Know about Fostering to AdoptNadav Zeimer
Fostering to adopt has several advantages over traditional adoption. It is typically free or low-cost since fees are covered by the state. While infants are rare, there are many older children aged 8 years on average in need of adoptive homes. Prospective parents must receive training to understand how trauma impacts children and how to help them heal. There is no guarantee on wait times, as reunification with birth families is the primary goal at first, but fostering offers a chance to expand one's family through adoption.
Domestic Adoption: Now Is the Time to Adopt LocallyJudith Bell
International adoption has begun to plummet at an alarming pace. Because of the increasing popularity of strict new laws and more heavily enforced old ones, foster children in North Korea, Russia, Romania and some African countries have become victims of these new movements to halt US international adoptions.
This document provides information about Leslie Stewart, an attorney who assists with grandparent and relative custody cases in Georgia. It discusses what is considered deprivation, guardianship, and the "Care of a Grandchild Act." It notes that grandparents and relatives can be awarded custody in certain circumstances, such as when a parent is unfit due to issues like drug/alcohol abuse or mental health problems. It explains the best interests of the child standard courts use and options for gaining custody, such as private deprivation actions.
1) When parents divorce, one parent is typically awarded custody while the other is granted visitation rights. Visitation schedules can vary depending on each parent's needs.
2) Judges determine custody and visitation agreements based on the welfare of the child. Recently judges have been equally likely to award custody to fathers and visitation rights to mothers.
3) In some cases, grandparents and step-parents may be granted visitation rights if they had a close bond with the child when married to the child's parent, as long as the judge feels visitation is in the child's best interest.
Kinship Care and Grandparent Kinship Carers: messages from research. Presentation fro the Children in Wales Grandparent & Kinship Carers Conference held in Cardiff March 31st 2011
Over the last 20 years, infant domestic adoption has experienced a fundamental shift in how it is carried out. From closed adoptions, in which neither the birth mother nor the adoptive parents knew much about each other, has sprung open adoptions, which allow the birth mother and parents to learn about each other and even remain in contact over the years.
The document discusses several flaws in the U.S. foster care system. It notes that while foster care was originally intended to care for children in need, potential issues were anticipated but seen as necessary risks. Currently, about 75% of children in foster care have been sexually abused. Some ways to address flaws include more effective screening of social workers and foster families, holding negligent parents accountable, and implementing regular training for social workers based on recurring issues. The document also provides statistics on the large number of children currently in foster care and challenges with placing siblings together.
The Together Fertility Clinic is dedicated to social justice and child welfare. Their policies aim to make assisted reproductive technologies accessible and ensure any resulting children are cared for. Gamete donors are compensated for their time and medical risks, and donor anonymity is not offered to allow potential children access to biological family medical histories if desired. While prenatal testing is provided, clients are not pressured on termination decisions and connect with disability rights groups for support. Designer babies are rejected in favor of medical selection only to promote equality.
Childcare workers have a legal duty of care to keep children safe. This duty originated from a 1932 UK court case where a woman found snails in her ginger beer and sued. The court established the concept of duty of care, where people in positions of responsibility have an obligation to protect those under their care. For childcare workers, this means they must comply with regulations and agreements to care for children appropriately. Breaching this duty, through negligent actions, could result in legal damages if a child is injured as a result. Childcare workers owe the highest duty of care to young children due to their vulnerability.
A child is defined as a human between birth and puberty. The document discusses child rights and protection. It defines child abuse and the various types including physical, emotional, psychological, sexual abuse, neglect, child labor, children in conflict with the law, and children at risk. The effects of child abuse and prevention methods are examined. Child protection programs, agencies, policies, and procedures are also outlined.
Recorded on February 28, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. EST - This webinar in the Family Law Education for Women (FLEW) series is the second of two discussions about the Children's Aid Society. This webinar looks at the child protection process from the point of view of parents who are dealing with the CAS. In this discussion, lawyer Seema Jain of Jain Family Law and Mediation discusses what parents should know before, during, and after a child protection hearing, in conversation with METRAC's Legal Director, Tamar Witelson.
Watch an archived recording of this webinar and download copies of presentation materials at:
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/webinar/dealing-childrens-aid-society-what-parents-should-know
This document discusses reasons why marriages last based on a marriage workshop. It provides 7 reasons by Casey Leins for why people should get married, including economic benefits and children being raised in stable environments. It then discusses the three phases of marriage: rookie (0-5 years), intermediate (6-15 years), and veterans (16+ years). Some questions are provided for couples to discuss about each phase. Overall, the key points made for why marriages last include: taking care of yourself, managing conflicts and communication, being supportive and respectful of your spouse, and maintaining intimacy and fun.
This document summarizes the Children's Aid Society (CAS) process in Ontario from intake to investigation and possible intervention. It outlines what constitutes a "child in need of protection" according to the Child and Family Services Act. It describes the duty to report suspected child abuse or neglect. The CAS preliminary investigation and potential voluntary or involuntary steps are explained. Resources for additional information are also provided.
Brothers and sisters waiting for adoption are often kept together, but separating them can sometimes be beneficial. While sibling relationships are important, keeping abused or neglected siblings together can continue the trauma of their past if they formed a negative bond. The number of families willing to adopt sibling groups is much lower than the number of sibling groups waiting for adoption. Experience from adoptive parents of sibling groups shows that separating siblings in some cases would have been preferable.
The document is a presentation by Zahra Dhanani from METRAC on child custody, access, and protection issues for women experiencing domestic violence. It provides an overview of key topics like types of custody, applying for custody, denying access, and involvement from child protection agencies. The presentation aims to give women accessible information to make well-informed decisions regarding their children.
Find out about grandparents rights in New Jersey. Can a grandparent get custody of their grandchild or children? Do they have rights to visitation time with their grandkids? Find out in this presentation on Grandparents Rights in New Jersey.
This document summarizes a court case in New Jersey regarding an open adoption agreement. A birth mother placed her child for adoption with a couple she knew, with the agreement that she would be able to visit the child. However, when the adoption was finalized, the couple cut off contact. The birth mother sued to overturn the adoption. The New Jersey Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the adoptive parents, finding that open adoption agreements are not legally enforceable. The document discusses the issues and complexities surrounding open adoption, including the need for clearer laws and expectations regarding the legal status of such agreements.
There is a need for more licensed foster homes in Washtenaw County, as there are over 200 children in foster care but only a fraction of needed homes. Becoming a foster parent provides children stability and helps their hearts heal from abuse and neglect. It involves training and paperwork but provides support for those who open their homes to children in need on a temporary basis. The document calls readers to confront reality and consider becoming heroes for foster children.
Recorded on September 24, 2013 - This webinar in the Family Law Education for Women (FLEW) series is the second of two discussions about the Children's Aid Society geared toward the rights of young women.
In this discussion, lawyer Seema Jain, of Jain Family Law and Mediation, discusses what teenage mothers should know if the CAS has concerns about the safety of their child(ren), in conversation with METRAC’s Legal Director, Tamar Witelson.
Watch the webinar at:
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/webinar/teenage-mothers-and-childrens-aid-society-what-young-mothers-should-know-about-child-protect
September 23, 2013 at 12:00 E.S.T. - This webinar in the Family Law Education for Women (FLEW) series is the first of two discussions about the Children's Aid Society geared toward the rights of young women. This webinar looks at the child protection process, focussing on youth rights and realities when they are the person that the CAS is concerned may be in need of protection.
In this discussion, lawyer Seema Jain, of Jain Family Law and Mediation, discusses what young people should know about being involved in the child protection process, in conversation with METRAC’s Legal Director, Tamar Witelson.
Watch this webinar at:
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/webinar/when-childrens-aid-society-gets-involved-what-can-childyouth-expect
Nadav Zeimer | What to Know about Fostering to AdoptNadav Zeimer
Fostering to adopt has several advantages over traditional adoption. It is typically free or low-cost since fees are covered by the state. While infants are rare, there are many older children aged 8 years on average in need of adoptive homes. Prospective parents must receive training to understand how trauma impacts children and how to help them heal. There is no guarantee on wait times, as reunification with birth families is the primary goal at first, but fostering offers a chance to expand one's family through adoption.
Domestic Adoption: Now Is the Time to Adopt LocallyJudith Bell
International adoption has begun to plummet at an alarming pace. Because of the increasing popularity of strict new laws and more heavily enforced old ones, foster children in North Korea, Russia, Romania and some African countries have become victims of these new movements to halt US international adoptions.
This document provides information about Leslie Stewart, an attorney who assists with grandparent and relative custody cases in Georgia. It discusses what is considered deprivation, guardianship, and the "Care of a Grandchild Act." It notes that grandparents and relatives can be awarded custody in certain circumstances, such as when a parent is unfit due to issues like drug/alcohol abuse or mental health problems. It explains the best interests of the child standard courts use and options for gaining custody, such as private deprivation actions.
1) When parents divorce, one parent is typically awarded custody while the other is granted visitation rights. Visitation schedules can vary depending on each parent's needs.
2) Judges determine custody and visitation agreements based on the welfare of the child. Recently judges have been equally likely to award custody to fathers and visitation rights to mothers.
3) In some cases, grandparents and step-parents may be granted visitation rights if they had a close bond with the child when married to the child's parent, as long as the judge feels visitation is in the child's best interest.
Kinship Care and Grandparent Kinship Carers: messages from research. Presentation fro the Children in Wales Grandparent & Kinship Carers Conference held in Cardiff March 31st 2011
Over the last 20 years, infant domestic adoption has experienced a fundamental shift in how it is carried out. From closed adoptions, in which neither the birth mother nor the adoptive parents knew much about each other, has sprung open adoptions, which allow the birth mother and parents to learn about each other and even remain in contact over the years.
The document discusses several flaws in the U.S. foster care system. It notes that while foster care was originally intended to care for children in need, potential issues were anticipated but seen as necessary risks. Currently, about 75% of children in foster care have been sexually abused. Some ways to address flaws include more effective screening of social workers and foster families, holding negligent parents accountable, and implementing regular training for social workers based on recurring issues. The document also provides statistics on the large number of children currently in foster care and challenges with placing siblings together.
The Together Fertility Clinic is dedicated to social justice and child welfare. Their policies aim to make assisted reproductive technologies accessible and ensure any resulting children are cared for. Gamete donors are compensated for their time and medical risks, and donor anonymity is not offered to allow potential children access to biological family medical histories if desired. While prenatal testing is provided, clients are not pressured on termination decisions and connect with disability rights groups for support. Designer babies are rejected in favor of medical selection only to promote equality.
Childcare workers have a legal duty of care to keep children safe. This duty originated from a 1932 UK court case where a woman found snails in her ginger beer and sued. The court established the concept of duty of care, where people in positions of responsibility have an obligation to protect those under their care. For childcare workers, this means they must comply with regulations and agreements to care for children appropriately. Breaching this duty, through negligent actions, could result in legal damages if a child is injured as a result. Childcare workers owe the highest duty of care to young children due to their vulnerability.
A child is defined as a human between birth and puberty. The document discusses child rights and protection. It defines child abuse and the various types including physical, emotional, psychological, sexual abuse, neglect, child labor, children in conflict with the law, and children at risk. The effects of child abuse and prevention methods are examined. Child protection programs, agencies, policies, and procedures are also outlined.
Recorded on February 28, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. EST - This webinar in the Family Law Education for Women (FLEW) series is the second of two discussions about the Children's Aid Society. This webinar looks at the child protection process from the point of view of parents who are dealing with the CAS. In this discussion, lawyer Seema Jain of Jain Family Law and Mediation discusses what parents should know before, during, and after a child protection hearing, in conversation with METRAC's Legal Director, Tamar Witelson.
Watch an archived recording of this webinar and download copies of presentation materials at:
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/webinar/dealing-childrens-aid-society-what-parents-should-know
This document discusses reasons why marriages last based on a marriage workshop. It provides 7 reasons by Casey Leins for why people should get married, including economic benefits and children being raised in stable environments. It then discusses the three phases of marriage: rookie (0-5 years), intermediate (6-15 years), and veterans (16+ years). Some questions are provided for couples to discuss about each phase. Overall, the key points made for why marriages last include: taking care of yourself, managing conflicts and communication, being supportive and respectful of your spouse, and maintaining intimacy and fun.
This document summarizes the Children's Aid Society (CAS) process in Ontario from intake to investigation and possible intervention. It outlines what constitutes a "child in need of protection" according to the Child and Family Services Act. It describes the duty to report suspected child abuse or neglect. The CAS preliminary investigation and potential voluntary or involuntary steps are explained. Resources for additional information are also provided.
Brothers and sisters waiting for adoption are often kept together, but separating them can sometimes be beneficial. While sibling relationships are important, keeping abused or neglected siblings together can continue the trauma of their past if they formed a negative bond. The number of families willing to adopt sibling groups is much lower than the number of sibling groups waiting for adoption. Experience from adoptive parents of sibling groups shows that separating siblings in some cases would have been preferable.
Adoption: Resignation as Chair of the Leadership BoardSir Martin Narey
The author retired from Barnardo's in 2010 but was asked by The Times to write about declining adoption numbers, which led to adoption becoming a major part of their life. After five years of chairing the Adoption Leadership Board, the author has decided to step back slightly but will continue providing ad-hoc advice. While adoption consumed more time than anticipated, the author is proud that thousands of children have found permanence through adoption and improvements have been made to support, though more progress is still needed. The author expresses gratitude to social workers and adoption agencies for their work in children's best interests.
1) In 1966, the author was not popular at his school as the goalkeeper for the school football team that lost its final two games. Additionally, the local professional football team Middlesbrough FC was also struggling and was relegated that season.
2) Around the same time, some games from the 1966 FIFA World Cup were hosted in Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park stadium, as the originally scheduled stadiums in Newcastle lost the rights due to disputes. This led to improvements being made to Ayresome Park.
3) During the World Cup group stage games in Middlesbrough, North Korea shocked Italy by winning 1-0, eliminating the favorites and advancing instead, becoming the first non-European or
1. Adoption numbers increased significantly but will likely decrease as placement orders have plummeted due to misunderstandings following two court cases. However, a recent court ruling emphasized that adoption should still be pursued when in a child's best interests.
2. Plans to regionalize adoption services give local authorities opportunities to design more effective partnership models.
3. A new government subsidy aims to address delays when searching for adopters across local authorities for harder to place children.
1) The author gave a speech to Directors of Children's Services where he suggested that local authority lawyers should be more assertive in pursuing adoption orders when in a child's best interests.
2) A blogger criticized the author's comments, arguing that he told lawyers to "grow a pair". The author responds that he urged social workers and lawyers not to lose nerve in applying for placement orders, especially given a recent fall in numbers.
3) The author believes the fall in placement order applications is concerning and could mean some neglected children's needs are not being met. The President of the Family Division has also expressed similar concerns about not pursuing adoption when it is the best option.
Icpa forget the bogus cures. just make prisons decentSir Martin Narey
A challenge to the notion there are easy cures for offending. We need to treat prisoners with dignity and give them opportunities (education, job training) to change their own lives.
Forget about rehabilitation, concentrate on making prisons decent.Sir Martin Narey
Speech to the ICPA arguing that decent and respectful prisons will allow individual self growth and change. "Doing things" to prisoners in otherwise poor and disrespectful conditions will not.
Barry Prosser was found dead in his cell in Birmingham Prison in 1980 after being brutally beaten by prison officers. Three officers were charged with his murder but were acquitted. Violence against prisoners was common at the time and governors were expected to ignore it. The author joined the prison service after this incident. During their training, the author witnessed disrespectful treatment of visitors and slapping of a mentally ill prisoner. When they raised concerns about the violence, they were laughed at and told they may have made the wrong career choice, as looking the other way was normal. This introduction provides context about the prison environment and culture the author encountered when they first joined the service.
Extracts about HCPC from Narey report on Sw educationSir Martin Narey
HCPC regulates sixteen professions including social work. Its main function is public protection by setting standards for education and training. However, the standards for social workers are criticized as being too general. The 76 standards of proficiency could describe many occupations and few are specific to children's social work. Additionally, the standards of conduct, performance and ethics, and standards of education and training are seen as undemanding and not useful for preparing social workers. The university approval process involves only a brief paper-based review that does not observe teaching or placement quality. As a result, the author questions the value and effectiveness of HCPC in regulating social work.
My report on Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre, commissioned by G4S and sent to the youth Justice Board, copied to the Ministry of Justice and G4S on July 28 2015
The document outlines the UK government's plan to tackle child sexual exploitation in response to reports revealing widespread abuse in Rotherham over many years. Key points of the plan include establishing a national whistleblowing portal to report abuse, a national taskforce to support areas struggling to address the issue, consulting on extending the offence of "wilful neglect" to additional professionals, and conducting multi-agency inspections to better assess joint working between local authorities and other agencies responsible for child protection. The government aims to eliminate cultures of denial, improve accountability, and ensure child sexual abuse is prioritized across all police forces.
Need we panic about the fall in placement orders?Sir Martin Narey
The document discusses the recent fall in adoption numbers in England over the past few months. It notes that after steady increases in 2013-2014, placements and applications for placements have dropped troublingly. However, the author believes myths and misconceptions about recent court rulings led to unnecessary anxieties among adopters. A recent judgment by Sir James Munby aimed to correct these myths. While challenges to adoptions have increased, removal of an adopted child from their home remains extremely rare. The author hopes to see adoption numbers recover in 2015.
Adoption muddle is costing children their futuresSir Martin Narey
Thousands of children in the UK who could have been adopted are now facing remaining in care or living with relatives instead, due to a misunderstanding of recent court rulings on adoption law. The number of court decisions approving adoption plans has halved in the past year. While living with relatives can sometimes be preferable to adoption, there are also cases where more distant relatives cannot provide a stable home. The most senior family court judge clarified the law to prevent this misunderstanding, and local authorities must now urgently put more children up for adoption to transform their lives, as adoption can dramatically change the futures of disadvantaged children.
Local authorities varied widely in how promptly they applied for care orders to remove children from risky home situations. In some cases, children were quickly removed when concerns were recorded, while in other cases children were left at home for years facing significant developmental harm despite recorded risks, before the local authorities made decisive decisions.
The case for adoption in a nutshell from Sir James Munby, December 2014Sir Martin Narey
The document emphasizes that the Re B-S case was not meant to change adoption law and that local authorities should continue seeking care orders, placement orders, and adoption orders when adoption is in the child's best interests, as courts should continue making such orders.
This document summarizes a court ruling regarding a child welfare case. It discusses:
1) The background of the case involving the removal of a 2-year-old girl, ES, from her mother's care due to domestic violence and alcohol abuse by the parents.
2) The family court judge's decision to grant a care order for ES and allow the local authority to pursue adoption, rather than rehabilitation with the mother.
3) The mother's appeal of this ruling, claiming the judge did not properly consider the child's best interests or follow the guidance of a previous related court case.
The document discusses the recent decline in adoption numbers in the UK. It considers the argument that this could be a positive thing if more children were being reunited with families, but casts doubt on this. It notes the large magnitude and suddenness of the drop in adoption orders. There is also no evidence that past decisions to take more children into care or increase adoptions were inappropriate. While adoption may not be the best option for all, research shows it provides the most stability and permanence compared to long-term fostering or kinship care. The sudden drop in adoptions is concerning given the transformative effect it can have on children's lives.
Alb impact of court judgments on adoption - november 2014 (1) (1)Sir Martin Narey
This document seeks to clarify misconceptions about recent court judgments on adoption that have led to declines in adoption rates. It summarizes five common myths: 1) the legal test for adoption has not changed, 2) courts need only consider realistically possible options, not every suggested option, 3) "nothing else will do" does not mean pursuing less permanent options over adoption if adoption better meets the child's needs, 4) early planning for adoption is allowed if other options seem unlikely to work, and 5) the 26 week rule does not apply to placement orders as it does for care and supervision orders. The goal is to reassure local authorities they can still pursue adoption when properly evidenced as the best option to meet a child's
Martin Narey draft article on adoption mythbuster
Over the past three years, adoptions in the UK have increased by 63% due to adoption reforms. However, local authority decisions to pursue adoption have recently dropped 46% and placement order applications have more than halved, risking reversing progress. This seems to stem from misinterpretations of recent court judgements on care and adoption cases. The National Adoption Leadership Board has issued myth-busting guidance for local authorities to clarify what the judgements do and do not say in order to dispel myths that may be preventing some children from being adopted when it is in their best interests.
Press release pupil premium + adop register july2014Sir Martin Narey
The UK government is investing £20 million to provide additional educational support to adopted children through expanded access to Pupil Premium funding. This funding will help close attainment gaps between adopted and non-adopted children. Additionally, the government is piloting allowing approved prospective adopters to search an adoption registry which contains videos and profiles of children waiting to be adopted. This is aimed at expediting the adoption process and matching children in need with suitable families. Experts believe these measures will help more vulnerable children find permanent, loving homes and receive the support they need to thrive.
Practice Educator's view of the Narey report on Children's SW EducationSir Martin Narey
The author has worked in children's social work education for most of their 55-year career. They read a recent report avidly and found that it reflected the same issues they had thought of and provided concrete suggestions for change. The author is passionate about social work practice with children and families but finds that the current workplace pressures, timescales, and bureaucracy are inconsistent with developing students' emotional intelligence and self-awareness, which are key to being a competent practitioner. The author sees some poor decision-making and practices in assessing social work students and hopes the recommendations in the report can create positive change.
- A new report from the University of Bristol found that the failure rate for adoptions is just 3.2%, lower than previous estimates of 10-20%, which will reassure potential adopters.
- However, the report also showed that about a quarter of adopters face major challenges in caring for children who were neglected, and many struggle to access adequate support.
- New legislation and programs aim to address this by informing adopters of available support and allowing them to access individualized budgets for child therapy or other services, but providing sufficient support remains a challenge.
Section 9 of the Children and Families Act does not provide a new route for birth family members to apply for contact with an adopted child. It allows birth family to ask the court for permission to apply for a contact order, but does not change existing law. The only change is that adopted children no longer need court permission to apply for contact or a no-contact order - other birth family still require court permission as before. Adopters can now also apply for no-contact orders between birth family and the adopted child. Applications for contact at or after adoption must be made under the new provisions, not the previous Children Act 1989 Section 8.
ELEVEN THINGS THAT PEOPLE TOLD ME ABOUT MY REPORT (BEFORE THEY’D SEEN IT)Sir Martin Narey
1. The document lists 11 things that people told the author about their report before seeing it that were not true. None of the claims accurately characterized the reports positions or recommendations. The report did not recommend separating children's and adult social work, criticize university social work programs, endorse a particular initiative without reservation, or minimize the impact of poverty. It also did not argue against graduate-level education for social workers or defend transferring regulatory responsibilities without oversight. The report was informed by research and conclusions from various organizations, not just anecdotes.
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The first three habits indeed deal with yourself because it all starts with you. The first three habits move you from dependence from the world to the independence of making your own world.
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Community care live may2012
1. COMMUNITY CARE LIVE
MAY 16 2012
I’m delighted to be here today to speak to you, professionals
involved and interested in adoption and those at the real front line
of the care of children who cannot live with their birth parents: the
adopters, the foster carers and the kinship carers who are here
today.
Some of you will know that I am the, so called, Adoption Czar. A
silly title – and not one which appears anywhere in my contract –
but one loved by the Press. But my interest in adoption did not
start last year when Tim Loughton and Michael Gove asked me to
become their advisor on adoption.
So I want this afternoon, if I may, to speak a little about my history
and why, over the last few years, I have become troubled by the
demise of adoption and convinced of the urgent need for numbers
to increase and for adoptions to be completed more speedily.
I am not,and never have been a Social Worker. But you cannot
work with offenders, and particularly offenders in prison, and for
twenty-three years, without absorbing a great deal about the
reality of disadvantage in the UK and of the consequences of
neglect in early childhood specifically.
So, when I left the Home Office in 2005, after having led the Prison
Service for seven years, I carried with me the reality I faced every
time I visited a prison about the link between being in care and
ending up inside.
My time at Barnardo’s: not perhaps the most important but
certainly the six happiest years of my working life – and where I
worked with five thousand outstanding social workers – led me to
understand: from meeting families; talking to staff; and reading
the research – not least by Julie Selwyn who speaks next - that the
thousands of young people I met in prison had not been propelled
there by their experience of being in care but by the neglect they
2. suffered before care. My time at Barnardo’s led me to understand
that we have a system which has been too optimistic about the
capacity of inadequate parents to become good enough parents;
that we have left children in neglect too long; and we have too
often returned children home from care to suffer further neglect.
These were the factsat the core of my growing conviction at
Barnardo’s that more of those children needed the permanence
that adoption brings and the reason for my dismay at seeing
adoption numbers declining by almost a fifth over the last decade.
A Few Myths
But, I think I shall start today with puncturing a few myths. In the
last few months I have become somewhat resigned to having to
deal with comments and debate in the Press about things I have
neither said, nor believe. I know that my report on adoption for
The Times last year was published behind the so-called pay wall.
But having to pay the princely sum of £1 to access it is not really
any excuse for those who opine so authoritatively, and often so
angrily, about things I have not said.
So, for the record, and just to deal with inaccuracies in the
Guardian alone, I have never suggested that mothers should be
persuaded to go to term and give up babies for adoption. Simply
that adoption should be presented, entirely neutrally, as an option
for a mother.
I am not opposed to the need for post adoption support, as the
Guardian said just a few weeks ago – a particularly ludicrous
claim - and I don’t think that adoptions are all entirely sunny.
Indeed I know just how challenging they can be which is why, of
course, I argued the cost benefit case of adoption support in my
Times report.
I’m particularly irritated by suggestions that I have not listened
and do not listen to Social Workers. My views about care and my
anxiety about the demise of adoption were forged by Social
Workers with whom it was my privilege to work at Barnardo’s
and those I met from local authorities.
3. But most frustrating of all is the suggestion that I am opposed to
Kinship Care. Frankly, that is absurd. It would suggest there must
be a different Martin Narey who, in his Times report, wrote a
chapter on Special Guardianship, which started with the sentence:
Adoption is not the only means of obtaining greater stability for a looked
after child.
andwhich went on to say:
Grandparents, and others, willing to become parents for a second time,
and when their income may be modest should not be penalised for
relieving local authorities of their legal and heavy financial
responsibilities. [The] extent to which this is limiting the effective use of
Guardianship needs to be explored.
That is not to say that I believe that Special Guardianship
arrangements are always the best thing for every child. Very often
they are. But, sometimes, when we are talking about a child
neglected at home – and I’m aware that there are many kinship
care arrangements when there has been no such neglect –special
guardianship may be compromising the interests of a child. In my
report I quoted one Social Worker who, a few months previously,
told Community Care:
An SGO might seem cheaper, easier and more pragmatic. But too often
this decision is made without thinking through the long-term
implications of placing a child back into a dysfunctional environment for
18 years.
There aren’t always enough checks to ensure family and friends,
particularly grandparents, haven’t been pressured into applying for an
SGO, and that children are being kept away from the negative influences
that led to the care application. I expect to see large numbers of children
coming back into care in my authority because of disrupted SGOs.
Because of that view, which I heard not infrequently, I
recommended to Ministers that we needed urgently to
commission research into special guardianship breakdowns – as I
4. recommended the need for further research into adoption
breakdowns.
So, it is right that I am cautious about the extent to which some
special guardianship arrangements might take place when
adoption might be the better option for the child. Additionally, I
continue to be troubled by the way the system consecutively
reviews the eligibility of increasingly unlikely and distant relatives
to assume Special Guardianship. In one case which I heard of
recently in a visit to a local authority, a court required the
authority to commission international social workers to review the
eligibility, as special guardian, of someone living in Somalia. But
that concern should not be mischeviously translated into a
suggestion that I am opposed to – for example – grandparents or
aunts and uncles being considered for guardianship. Indeed, in
one large County I have urged them – and they have agreed – to
stop allowing the birth mother a veto on who is invited to family
group conferences. Because it was clear to me that, as a result of
that misguided policy, grandparents on the father’s side were
being frozen out of early consideration for guardianship.
But, in case of any continued confusion, let me state in the simplest
terms:
I believe that when a child cannot be adequately cared for by his or
her birth parents we should first, see what support might be made
to make birth parenting adequate. If that can’t be done, and in a
reasonable timeframe, then the first place we should look to place
the child permanently should be with a close relative. And such
arrangements should not penalise those relatives financially.
I’m genuinely puzzled why some of those who support Kinship
Care see adoption as being in competition. This is not about
competition, or about which grows faster, special guardianships or
adoptions. It’s simply about what is best for each individual child.
So I am disappointedwhen I see some of those who promote
Kinship care trying to undermine adoption by publishing terribly
exaggerated estimates of adoption disruption. I want to see as
many grandparents as can adequately care for their grandchild
5. assume special guardianship. But I don’t want those who believe
that such a challenge is beyond them, to be frightened by dire and
inaccurate predictions of adoption failure.
Julie Selwyn may say more about this. But it is important that I
stress that suggestions of overall adoption breakdowns in the
region of 20%, 30% or even 50% are fanciful.
When I researched adoption for The Times, Action For Children
and PACT told me their disruption rate was only 3%. BAAF
suggested to me that the overall disruption rate for the over five
group might be around 20% but for those adopted between one
and five might the figure might be nearer to ten percent – and that
age group covers 75% of adoptions in England. For those adopted
under 12 months,BAAF estimated the disruption rate at just three
percent.
Fostering v Adoption
Let me also say something about fostering because, here too, I’m
puzzled as to why a determination to increase adoption numbers
is seen as an attack on fostering. As the Minister has just stressed,
adoption will always only be the right option for a minority of
children in care.
Achieving permanence with new parents is either impossible or
inappropriate for many children in care, particularly those over
the age of 11.Fostering is often the right option for themand
frequently it succeeds where adoption could not. But for younger
children, and where it is very clear that they cannot go home, and
that there is not a relative who can care for them permanently, we
cannot duck the reality from research that adoption offers a
greater likelihood of permanence and one which lasts for ever.
Julie Selwyn’s study of non-infant adoptions found that fostering
breakdowns at 46% were much higher than adoption breakdowns
of 17% and other research has reached similar conclusions.
There are about 65,000 children in care in England. Last year there
were only 3,000 adoptions. Even if adoptions were to increase next
year by 50% there would still be about eleven children in foster
6. placements in England for every child adopted.So why is there
such anxiety about a government determination to reverse a fall in
adoption numbers?
The Reform Programme
Let me turn to the reform programme. A lot has happened. We
now have performance scorecards so that every local authority can
compare its performance with others. I am unapologetic about
scorecards and performance data as a tool to improve
performance. Of course, scorecards can only tell one part of a story
and those who rush to conclusions about an individual local
authority’s management of adoption, based only on last week’s
performance data, would be very unwise. That’s why we use the
term performance indicator. It’s an indicator of performance, a
prompt to take a closer look.
The scorecards need some more work yet but they represent a
significant step forward. One of the things that most pleased me
about the data when I saw it last weekwas that it gave a lie to the
proposition that there has to be a choice between faster adoptions
and successful adoptions. Some of the local authorities I have
visited which have most impressed me, where disruption rates are
extremely low, where post adoption support is visible, and where
adopters speak most highly of their experiences, are amongst the
fastest authorities in concluding adoptions. That’s because the
significance of delay in achieving permanence is not lost on the
best authorities.
The Adoption Action Plan
The performance scorecards were trailed in the Adoption Action
Plan published a few weeks ago. That document also made plain
that the government will do a number of other things, including:
First, compelling swifter use of the national Adoption
Register to ensure that we can find the right adopters for a
child wherever they might live. I still hear of cases where the
right match doesn’t proceed because one local authority
7. doesn’t want to pay another local authority or a voluntary
adoption agency for its adopters.
Second, ensuring that more local authorities seek to place
children with their potential adopters in anticipation of the
court's placement order, something I’ve seen done to great
effect and which takes the principles behind concurrent
planning for babies and applies it to older children as well;
Third, introducing a “fast-track” process for those who have
adopted before, or who are foster carers, wanting to adopt a
child in their care. I am dealing right now with the successful
adopters of four disabled children, who, wanting to adopt
another disabled child, have beenbrusquely turned away
from ten local authorities – because their approval as
adopters has lapsed.
Fourth, no longer allowing an adoption to be delayed in
order to achieve a perfect or near ethnic or cultural or
religious match between adoptive parents and the adoptive
child. Again, in this last week, I have been offering advice to
a Jewish couple, willing to adopt a child of any or no
religion, but who have been turned away from local
authorities because they have no Jewish children waiting for
adoption.
But the most important reform of all will be the radical speeding
up the adopter assessment process. This is not intended, in any
way, to reduce the rigour of assessment. It is certainly not
intended to let unsuitable people adopt. Indeed one of the
attractions of the new system for me is that it will more quickly
identify those who are unsuitablerather than drag them through a
process for months and sometimes years before they are turned
away.
I have visited twenty or so local authorities and voluntary
adoption agencies in the past nine months. No one has yet to
disagree with the proposition that the current process is repetitive
and lacking in analysis. The new system, designed by practitioners
and managers from local authorities and VAAs, will now
8. generally involve two months spent in training and information
gathering – a pre-qualification phase - followed by four months of
preparation and training. There will be some adopters who need
longer – and that’s fine. But too many adopters now are terribly
frustrated by the process and too many of them give up.
We need to build on a new assessment process with much
improved recruitment of adopters. We need to reach out to people
who have never previously thought of adopting. We need to frame
adoption as sometimes an alternative to IVF treatment, not
something which is turned to only after successive failures with
IVF. But, I am also clear, and Ministers are sympathetic to this, that
potentialadopters need to be much more confident than they can
be now about the post adoption support which will be available to
them, if and when they meet difficulties.
The adoption backlog
The need for better and swifter recruitment of adopters is now a
matter of real urgency. That is because, in considerable part, the
argument on adoption has been won and many more children are
now being cleared for adoption.
So, although the Courts might be responsible for some of the delay
in the adoption process (I’m afraid local authorities are sometimes
too quick to use that fact as a justification for not addressing delay
in their processes) we now have a large number of children who
have cleared the court processes – however long that might have
taken – and are awaiting adoption, but with no-one to adopt them.
The number of children on the Adoption Register, at the beginning
of this month was 2,212. That is the highest number ever recorded
by BAAF. The number of adopters on the register, meanwhile, is
just311: the lowest ever recorded. We know that both registers
may be incomplete and because of this, I’m afraid that I believe
that the gap between approved adopters and children with
placement orders may be much larger than the 1900 suggested by
the Register. If Local Authority returns for the recent scorecards
are correct we now have more than four thousand children
approved for adoption. I doubt we have more than six or seven
9. hundred approved adopters. That amounts to a crisis, and that is
why Ministers have responded so vigorously, and made a re-
design of adopter recruitment their first priority. We now need to
move urgently to introduction of the new system.
Conclusion
Let me conclude. Adoption is the right option for only a minority
of children in care. But for a bigger minority than the number who
currently get this new start in life.
Adoption today is not remotely as straightforward as it used to be,
when my adopted nephews and nieces came to live with my older
brothers. Adoption now is much more likely to follow neglect or
abuse at home, sometimes abuse in the womb, and then one or
more episodes of fostering. That makes adoption today much
more challenging. That is why we need new processes which will
more quickly identify those needing adoption and then, more
swiftly, unite them with the people: couples and singles; straight
and gay; and from all ethnic backgrounds, who are willing to step
forward, despite the challenges, to give a neglected child a new
beginning.