A north-east adoption agency has been praised by inspectors – but they have also expressed concerns that staff shortages are causing “drift and delay” when it comes to securing children’s futures.
The Care Inspectorate paid a visit to the Aberdeenshire Council service in June and released its findings yesterday.
It rated the local authority as a five out of six – or “very good” – for its quality of care and support, and management and leadership.
Its report into the visit said: “Overall, we found that children who were adopted had experienced safe, nurturing care with adopters who felt confident and were well prepared for the task.”
Staff from the watchdog spoke with a number of people who have adopted children about how they had found the overall process. They also attended a team meeting and sat down with senior staff.
The Care Inspectorate praised the “regular supervision” which was given to those looking to adopt, in addition to lauding a range of “innovative and successful” toddler and support groups held throughout the region.
It added: “From talking to adoptive carers we found that their journey to adoption had been efficient and skilfully carried out by experienced and knowledgeable staff.
“We found that enquiries had been responded to timeously and that the preparation to adopt course had been informative and enjoyable.”
Additionally, staff were commended for their high standards of team work as was the “culture of responsive and forward-looking leadership”.
However, inspectors also outlined a number of areas which required improvement.
Their report highlighted: “Evidence from a wide range of sources told us of drift and delay in securing children’s futures and the concerns and frustrations this had caused.
“There were a number of views as to the underlying cause, but the majority focused on the increased workload within teams, staff turnover and the pressure of low staffing levels within certain geographical areas.”
It added that staff files were not being routinely audited, while second opinions were not always gathered during adoption appraisals.
Overall, the Care Inspectorate said there were “major strengths” as well as “clear evidence of a culture of continuous improvement” without the service.
It did not issue any formal recommendations or requirements for areas of concern.
Leigh Jolly, interim head of Aberdeenshire Council children’s services, said: “We are particularly pleased that a number of adopters have voiced their satisfaction with the services we provide and that inspectors commented on the very high quality of care provided by our adopters to the children in their care.
“We recognise there will always be scope for further development and we are committed to ensuring we listen carefully to the voices of children and families to inform our journey of continuous improvement.”