Adoption

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7317.867

BMJ 2001;323:867 ( 13 October )

Letters

Adoption

Skills of voluntary adoption agencies should be exploited

Women must be helped to consider all their options

Skills of voluntary adoption agencies should be exploited

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ The government's white paper on adoption is ambitious indeed¹ and addresses some of the problems highlighted inMather's editorial.²

Some voluntary agencies in the United Kingdom specialise in adoption work. In 1999 an inspection of voluntary adoption agenciesshowed that local authorities often lacked any strategic planninglinks with them and rarely used the specialist skills of the socialworkers.³ Establishing early links and working in partnershipwith the voluntary agencies can help in finding adoptive parentsfor "hard to place" children. The agencies' skill in recruitingand supporting adoptive parents should be exploited. The reportfound that local authorities often made ad hoc decisions aboutpurchasing or providing services from these agencies, and fewmonitored the cost and quality of adoption services in theirareas.

Adoption gives a child a second chance at acquiring a functional family and provides satisfaction to both parents and childrenin most cases. . . . [Full text of this article]