We have a multi-agency group, chaired by a regional adoption agency leader, that oversees all of the initiatives and ensures they are having a positive impact.
Adoption England brings together multi agency partners to work on a number of initiatives to improve linking and matching within adoption.
National Practice Standards for Matching
The National Matching Practice Standards have been developed to reduce the disparity in matching practice nationally between Local Authorities (LAs) and adoption agencies. They have been co-produced with stakeholders and provide a minimum set of expectations around the core service delivery requirements to consider when placing a child with an adoptive family and encourage a consistent approach.
The Matching Practice Development Group
The Matching Practice Development Group focuses on current practices around family finding, linking, and matching. It consists of representatives from Regional Adoption Agencies (RAA) across England, responsible in overseeing family finding and matching for their areas and also includes Voluntary Adoption Agencies (VAA) and local authorities. Group members come together regularly to share practice experience with an aim to collectively learn, improve and develop matching practices. The National Family Finding Lead from Adoption England chairs this group.
The Matching Practice Development Group acts as a stimulating platform as it works collaboratively towards innovative ways of considering, empowering and delivering change to enhance family finding and matching practices for children and adopters across England. For example, group members along with colleagues across the sector have developed the National Matching Practice Standards and are collectively working towards standardising other matching practices across England, where possible, with an aim to achieve consistency in matching practice.
The group's work aims to reduce delay, improve quality of matching, and create consistency in family finding and matching practise and performance.
Benefits for children
Improved and speedier permanency opportunities through early, consistent, and accurate assessment of matching and placement needs.
Greater placement stability earlier - placement and better understanding of children’s support needs.
Earlier attachments, reducing impacts of trauma and loss and improving life outcomes.
Providing the Best possible permanency opportunity for all children in the system by ensuring those likely to wait longer are identified earlier and family finding plans put in place.
Reducing delay for children by Diversifying the regional pool of adopters.
Benefits for adoptive families
Greater placement stability from tailored, informed adoption support packages secured at the point of placement
Increased equality of opportunity in finding the right match through coordinated national family finding (adds value to regional approaches to matching for children who wait longer).
Confidence to come forward to adopt due to greater transparency within the system
Adopters more more aware of the needs of children waiting and better prepared to meet them.
More Timely matching and placement leading to earlier attachments.
Resources linked to family finding and matching
For helpful resources related to linking and matching click here.