10. Statement by the Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care: Adoption Week

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:45 pm on 16 October 2018.

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Photo of Huw Irranca-Davies Huw Irranca-Davies Labour 6:45, 16 October 2018

Thank you very much, Michelle. If I can start with the first point that you raised there, after your welcome for this celebration this week and promotion of adoption, you laid down the challenge about what the results we were having are. I touched on some of them in my opening remarks, but I'm happy to clarify: more than 300 children were placed last year in a new adoptive home; approximately 300 children had their adoption orders granted; and there are a further 350 children with the legal authority now to be placed, who are waiting to be matched or placed with a new family at the end of the year. What else? We've got more than 500 children with adoption support services in place. The national service has facilitated nearly 3,500 active letter-box contact arrangements. They've provided a service to more than 320 birth parents, and so on. All of those show an improvement in performance, from a national perspective, although, as I touched on previously, one of the issues that we have to do is get consistency right across Wales, in all the regions.

I think you touched as well on the aspect of speeding up the process—was that your point?