Regional Adoption Agencies - Find a freedom of information request

I am undertaking a project supported by Prof Beth Neil, and working in partnership with an Ofsted registered Intermediary Agency (Joanna North Associates Ltd), looking at how Regional Adoption Agencies provide information to facilitate contact between adopted adults and their birth relatives.

Specifically, I am looking at requests from intermediary agencies made under The Adoption Information and Intermediary Services (Pre-Commencement Adoptions) Regulations 2005, (known as ISR), which states that adoption agencies must take reasonable steps to provide information to intermediary agencies when requested (ISR12.4). The information that agencies are required to provide is whether a veto exists for the adopted person whose records an agency holds, whether there are any expressed views on contact recorded, what the agency's opinion is of the planned intermediary approach, and other information to allow for tracing and counselling of the subjects involved (ISR12.3).

Could you please provide me with the following information around how ISR12.3 requests are managed in your agency? I would appreciate a response within the 20 working days set out under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

1. What is the annual budget allocated to work with adopted adults?

2. Can you specify how many staff work on this task of responding to requests under ISR 12.3? Is it a specific responsibility for a staff member within their job description? What level are they at? If not, how is this responsibility met?

3. Do you have written guidance on responding to requests from intermediary agencies under ISR12.3 on your staff intranet or anywhere else? If so, please provide us with a copy of it.

4. How many requests did you get for information under ISR 12.3 in the last financial year (or if this information is not available, for the last period that you do have available)?

5. In days from requests to response, how long does it take you to provide the requested information? Please provide the data for the last financial year.

6. Have the pre-2005 adoption files in your care been digitised?

7. Does your agency hold a register of vetoes/no contact wishes? If so, how many vetoes do you have registered and how many 'no contact requests'?

 

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.

1. There is no specific budget for work with adopted adults but there is a part time qualified SW post dedicated to birth records counselling and some additional administrative support within the adoption support team.

2. It is the responsibility of the children and family’s officer in the adoption support team to support this activity alongside other responsibilities.

3. Guidance attached

Should you require the attachment mentioned above please contact customerinformationservice@lincolnshire.gov.uk with the below reference number and this can be provided.

4. For 2021-2022 there were 5 requests from intermediary agencies For 2020-2021 there were 8 requests from intermediary agencies

5. LCC aim to respond within one to two months, sometimes quicker

6. Approximately half the adoption files held pre-1990 were scanned onto a system called Canofile before being shredded and are available digitally (with precious documents such as letters and photos stored at offsite storage). From 2017 onwards adoption files are stored electronically on our main client database and up to 2020 there is also a paper file stored offsite containing key documents. All files held offsite are recorded on a spreadsheet under the birth name and adoptive name and there is a separate database for the Canofiled records which includes the birth name and adoptive surname.

7. Lincolnshire County Council do not hold a separate register. Any vetoes registered are recorded on our main client database which is checked when intermediary enquiries come in. LCC believe there have only been two or three vetoes formally registered.

All the local authorities continue to manage their own arrangements, this response is on behalf of Lincolnshire only and you would need to approach Leicestershire, Leicester City, Northamptonshire and North Lincs for their response to your FOI request.