Agenda item

The Board will receive the One Adoption West Yorkshire Annual Performance Report – Kirklees Highlights. and the One Adoption West Yorkshire Annual Report 2022-2023.

Contact:

Michelle Rawlings, Head of One Adoption West Yorkshire.

The Board considered the One Adoption West Yorkshire (OAWY) Annual Report presented by Michelle Rawlings, Head of One Adoption West Yorkshire. Michelle Rawlings provided a summary of the work undertaken with children with an Adoption Order in Kirklees or who had been placed for Adoption and it was highlighted that:

• During 2022/23 there was an ongoing fall in number of children adopted and a fall in those subject to a placement order and had an adoption plan.
• This reflected the ongoing work in Kirklees to keep children with their families through the increase in Special Guardianship Orders.
• There had been an increase in the percentage (87%) of children placed with OAWY approved adopters.
• This was a positive statistic meaning that Kirklees children were kept local and placed with families assessed by OAWY.
• There had been an increase in the Number of children placed via Early Permanence.
• There had also been a slight increase in the percentage of children matched for adoption which were previously in EPPs 13% +4% Number of children at year end with ADM not matched.
• At year end there were 17 children with a placement order but not matched.
• Of the 17 children, 12 have characteristics which make them more difficult to find families for (aged 5 or over, need a family alongside a brother or sister, are from an ethnically diverse background or have a disability), two of whom have more than one characteristic.
• Following active family finding for the 17 children not matched, 8 of those children had now been placed for adoption and 2 had matched identified, 3 of the children’s foster carers were being explored as adoptions.
• A positive highlight was the improvement of timeliness in Kirklees for children in terms of time taken from entering care/placement order to being matched and moving in with a family.
• There had also been increases in File access requests, Applications to the Adoption Support Fund, increased applications for ASF funding for therapeutic interventions and ongoing contact arrangements.

Responding to a question from the Board around increased applications for ASF Funding, Michelle Rawlings advised that ASF funding was secure until 2025, currently OAWY were keeping pace with applications and there was fair access funding available of up to £5000 per year. If funding was exceeded conversations around match-funding would need to take place with the Local Authority. Group bids (therapeutic groups etc…) helped to support families at an earlier stage and in upskilling families early on this would the ambition was to reduce the need for high levels of therapeutic support going forwards.

Responding to a from the Board around the amount of Adoption Panel Members available, Michelle Rawlings reassured the Board that a recent recruitment had been successful. The Board welcomed the response and highlighted the importance of having a diverse pool of panel members, with different levels of knowledge and exsprence was valuable and encouraged any interested individual to get in contact.

RESOLVED: The Board noted the One Adoption West Yorkshire Annual Reportand thanked Michelle Rawlings for the update.