Adoption services for Cornwall Council and the Isles of Scilly will join the Regional Adoption Agency, Adopt South West, from Monday 1 April 2024.
It means that the region covered by Adopt South West now includes the local authority areas of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Plymouth, Torbay and Somerset.
Adopt South West was established in 2018, following the Government’s introduction of Regional Adoption Agencies, bringing together adoption teams from neighbouring authorities to create a single agency in the South West.
The aim of a Regional Adoption Agency is to improve the recruitment of adopters, to help children move into their permanent families as promptly as possible and to offer robust adoption support across a wider region.
Many of Cornwall Council’s adoption team members have transferred to Adopt South West, which ensures their adoptive families continue to get support from the same familiar faces.
Amanda White, Interim Head of Adopt South West, said:
“I am absolutely delighted to welcome our new colleagues to Adopt South West, and look forward to being able to support children and families in Cornwall in all aspects of adoption.
“We are keen to assure those within their adoption journey that we are working hard to ensure, things carry on as usual for them, the main difference will be that they will now be supported by people who now work for Adopt South West, in some instances by people you may already know.
“Cornwall adoption services joining Adopt South West will give the opportunity to increase our number of regional prospective adopters and enhance the prospect of finding families for children across our region.
“The extension of our Regional Agency will see the pooling of experienced and knowledgeable adoption staff who will offer support in adoption for a wider group people.”
Nicola and Robert, recent Cornwall Adopters, said:
“The Cornwall Adoption Team has been fantastic, guiding and supporting us through the adoption process and the training that was afforded to us was amazing in preparing us to adopt.
“We recently started our adoption journey with Cornwall Council and were matched with a child in the Adopt South West area, this meant that our adoption journey that had we been waiting in Cornwall for a child to adopt was much quicker.
“Adopt South West has been absolutely brilliant from their seamless communication throughout to the ongoing support we are now receiving.”