Transracial Adoption from 2023 to 2024 - Find a freedom of information request

1. The number of transracial adoption placements by your local authority in the financial year 2023/2024.

2. The percentage of white children in care placed for adoption in the financial year 2023/24 and the percentage of black children in care placed for adoption in the financial year 2023/2024, by your local authority.

3. The percentage of white children in care that you have currently with an adoption plan and the percentage of black that you have children in care currently with an adoption plan.

4. The average amount of time in your Local Authority that white children in care with an adoption plan have been waiting for a placement and average amount of time that black children in care with an adoption plan have been waiting for placement.

5. Do you have a policy for requiring an ethnic match for adoption placement? If not, do you have a policy for preference for an ethnic match for adoption placement? Do you have a policy for preference for an ethnic match for adoption placement even if this results in a delay. Please provide a copy of your policy.

Please provide a copy of your guidance and training requirements for prospective adopters.

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. If defining a transracial placement as placing a black child with a white family or placing a white child with a black family; then there have been no transracial placements within Lincolnshire within this timeframe.  

2. In this year 32 children have been placed for adoption, of this number there are no black children. 100% of children placed for adoption in this timeframe are identified as White British, White Other or of Mixed or Multiple Ethnicity. 

3. Currently the percentage of black children with an adoption plan is 0%.

100% of children currently with an adoption plan are White British, White Other or of Mixed or Multiple Ethnicity.

4.  The average amount of time in this year that a white child waits for a placement from point of a placement order being made is 6.1 months.

There is no data available as to the average amount of time that a black child waits for a placement due to not having any children within this cohort.

5. Our statement of purpose explains “Lincolnshire County Council provide links for children, for whom adoption is the plan, with families who can meet their ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic needs, whilst recognising that no child should wait indefinitely for the "ideal" match.” Our most recent statement of purpose is attached. 

6. There is a large amount of guidance and information this can be most easily accessed online.

• Training Hub - https://familyadoptionlinks.org.uk/support/training/
• Guidance for Adopters - https://familyadoptionlinks.org.uk/thinking-of-adoption/

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