While many aspects of current government policy on adoption are welcome, there is concern that some key issues in the adoption process are not adequately addressed in the Adoption and Children Bill, 2001, and that the use of quantitative targets will not necessarily support the good practice identified. In this article Margaret Bell, Kate Wilson and Marilyn Crawshaw consider, in particular, two areas of difficulty in the selection and preparation process: managing diversity and delay. Their study highlights the need for practitioners to be flexible and open in their approach to shared assessments, and for agencies to have robust formal and informal communication systems which are transparent and accountable to users.
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