Together for Children Adoption Services rated Good by Ofsted following inspection

Thursday 22 December 2022

Together for Children's Adoption Services have maintained their Ofsted rating of Good following a full inspection in November 2022.

Together for Children Adoption Sunderland provides services on behalf of Sunderland City Council, and is also a partner of the Regional Adoption Agency Adopt Coast to Coast.

Inspectors met with adopters, children, social workers and managers, exploring recruitment, training and support.

In their report, Ofsted described the adoption servicevery positively, commenting: "Adoptive families benefit from the wraparound service provided by a long-standing and stable staff team. This is a particular strength of the agency".  They go on to reflect in the inspection outcome that: "The agency recognises the importance of the adopter's family and friends in the preparation and matching stages of the process."

One adopter fed back about 'child appreciation days' and 'bump-into' meetings, saying: "Absolutely invaluable. It has given so many fabulous insights into my child's life from birth to present day."

Another adopter interviewed as part of the inspection commented: "We have felt welcomed and supported. Our whole experience from start to finish was fantastic; we recommended the agency to our friends, who have now been approved to adopt."

Reflecting on the inspection outcome, Jill Colbert, Chief Executive and Director of Children's Services for Together for Children, said: "The Ofsted outcome we have achieved is testament to our staff's continued hard work. I am proud that the Ofsted Inspectors recognise the excellent work the adoption team deliver, identifying the team as 'passionate about [their] role and aspirational about the agency'."

Ofsted also recognised within the inspection that adoptive families benefit from the wraparound service provided by a long-standing and stable staff team and that that this was a particular strength of the agency, from first contact through to post-adoption assistance.

Councillor Louise Farthing, Children's Services Portfolio Holder, said: "Ofsted's report highlights the amazing service that the team deliver through the Adoption Agency model and the successes it is delivering in both identifying families but also supporting them through their journey and beyond. Their positive experience has led to adopters being strong advocates for others interested in adoption."

Another adopter who was interviewed as part of the inspection fed back: "We have felt welcomed and supported. Our whole experience from start to finish was fantastic; we recommended the agency to our friends, who have now been approved to adopt."

Majella McCarthy, Director of Children's Social Care at Together for Children, added: "I welcome the comments of the Inspectors, in particular the feedback they received during the inspection from adopters and professionals who describe the staff as 'going over and beyond to help' and of being 'professional, caring and informative'. We have already started to address the three recommendations made by the Inspector, which will strengthen our work."

In its first year as part of the Adopt Coast to Coast Regional Adoption Agency model, Together for Children has supported finding homes for 120 children and has approved 77 adopters in 2021/22.

Full details, including a link to the Ofsted report, can be found on the Ofsted website.