Communities and Local Government

• Communities and neighbourhoods
• Prime Minister's written memorandum

Communities and neighbourhoods

Prime Minister's written memorandum on the Independent Assessment Process in relation to the Sexual Orientation Regulations and their impact on Faith-Based Adoption and Fostering Agencies

Further to the Prime Minister's Written Ministerial Statement of 24th May 2007, this memorandum sets outs further details of the independent assessment process in relation to the Sexual Orientation Regulations and their impact on faith-based adoption and fostering agencies.

Ms Barbara Hutchinson, Executive Director of the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) will chair the independent assessment process.

Ms Hutchinson will be supported by an assessment team of experts in child welfare and charity issues, including Julie Selwyn, a leading expert and Director of the Hadley Centre for Adoption and Foster Care Studies, University of Bristol; Jonathan Pearce, Director of Adoption UK, a support organisation for adoptive families and prospective adopters; and Peter Thurston, former Deloitte Partner and consultant to the Department for Education and Skills' independent review "Commissioning voluntary adoption agencies". Representatives from the Association of Directors of Children's Services, Association of Directors of Social Work and Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru will provide liaison and information on issues for local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales respectively. The Chair will also have access to views and guidance on HR and legal matters from the Government to help explore options, and this will be provided on request.

The assessment team will monitor and report on progress in the implementation of the regulations during the transition period in the context of how the market is currently operating and wider work on adoption and fostering. In particular they will be asked to consider, in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders:

• How faith-based agencies are adapting to the regulations and what support agencies need during the period of transition.
• How to ensure that the welfare of children and support for families is protected during and after the transition period.
• How to ensure the valuable expertise of faith-based adoption and fostering agencies in finding families for the children, and in providing the full range of adoption support services, is retained and developed.
• What impact implementation of the regulations might have had on the potential pool of prospective adopters/ foster carers and what more could be done to ensure that as wide a range as possible of prospective adopters/ foster carers is maintained.
• Any further recommendations to Government on these issues that they consider to be necessary.
  

They will give their first report to the Prime Minister before the summer followed by regular six-monthly reports.