Published: Tuesday, 3rd November 2020

A new regional adoption agency 'Adoption Partnership South East' has launched with a focus on recruiting more new adopters across the South East and accelerating processes.

Adoption Partnership South East has been formed in response to a Government mandate that all local authorities must join a regional adoption agency by April 2020. It brings together knowledge and expertise from London Borough of Bexley, Kent County Council and Medway Council to help find loving parents and families for children with a wide range of profiles and needs waiting for their forever home.

The new partnership will provide prospective adopters across the South East region access to a larger number of children helping to find the right match quickly and speeding up processes.

A range of adoption placement types are offered including an early placement Foster to Adopt option which allows prospective adopters to foster a baby or toddler under the age of two until the courts have decided on their future care, reducing disruption for the child significantly.

Staff will remain employed within their local authority, operating within a robust governance structure under the Head of Service for Adoption Partnership South East.

Quickly placing children with their forever families 

Sarah Skinner, Head of Service for Adoption Partnership South East said: “I am thrilled that our new adoption partnership has launched in the South East bringing together the wealth of experience in the region. By working together, we can recruit a wide and diverse group of adopters and draw on resources across the region to enable us to quickly place more children with their forever families.”

Ensuring every child receives the best start in life

Cllr Martin Potter, Medway Council’s Deputy Lead Member for Children’s Services, said: “We are committed to ensuring every child in Medway receives the best start in life. The new regional adoption agency will help speed up the adoption process and help children find the right family for them. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff involved in setting up the Adoption Partnership South East for their hard work. I would encourage residents who are considering adoption to get in touch.”

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