Expanding adoption services from coast to coast

Those looking to adopt in Cumbria, Durham and Sunderland from Thursday 1 April 2021 will benefit from a quicker process thanks to the launch of a new Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) spanning Cumbria, Durham and Sunderland.

Cumbria County Council, Durham County Council and Together for Children have joined forces to launch a RAA known as Adopt Coast to Coast.

The Adopt Coast to Coast partnership means that the three local authorities can more readily work together to speed up the adoption process for prospective adopters and find the best match for the babies and children in their care from a wider pool. Adopt Coast to Coast will be responsible for overseeing the services provided by each partner and for the recruitment of prospective adopters.

Paula Gibbons, Head of Service for Adopt Coast to Coast said: "There has been a lot of careful planning and coordination over the last four years to bring Adopt Coast to Coast to launch and I am delighted to be able to work alongside all three local authority partners to place children and babies with loving and caring families across Cumbria, Durham and Sunderland.  

"As the final Regional Adoption Agency to launch in England we are benefiting from the learning of others, and as our partners all have good Ofsted ratings, we already have a solid foundation to build upon.

"Many people have faced uncertainly during the covid-19 pandemic and have had more time to reflect than ever before so this is an ideal time to consider whether adoption might be a way to add to or start a family.  There are still a lot of misconceptions about how long the adoption process takes and who is eligible to adopt, so for us Adopt Coast to Coast has come at an ideal time to support those looking to start their adoption journey."

Adopt Coast to Coast is the only RAA to stretch the breath of England and has been launched under the Department for Education's Regionalising Adoption Programme which encourages all local authorities to regionalise their adoption services and consider alternative delivery models in order to tackle the UK-wide decline in the number of adopters being approved.

Find out more about adopting with Adopt Coast to Coast at www.adoptcoasttocoast.org.uk or by calling on 0300 026 8268.