A Review of the First Scottish Children's Services Plans in Relation to Adoption

Abstract

On 1 April 1996 the nine mainland regional authorities were replaced by 29 unitary authorities which, along with the three island authorities, now form the 32 single-tier administrations for the delivery of public services in Scotland. The Children (Scotland) Act 1995, which was implemented on 1 April 1997, required all Scottish local authorities to publish their first Children's Services Plans by April 1998. Adoption services for children are one example of a service which has traditionally depended on economy of scale, with larger authorities able to employ specialist teams and recruit from diverse and widespread geographical areas. How has adoption fared as a result of local government reorganisation? Irene Clark and Emma McWilliam evaluate the current status given to adoption and where this service features in strategic planning within Children's Services Plans. The findings suggest that adoption has become a low priority in the spectrum of services. The authors make various recommendations at a time when local authorities need to consider how their adoption service will stand up to external inspection by a Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care, as proposed in the White Paper, Aiming for Excellence (Scottish Office, March 1999).