Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of introducing transitional or exceptional arrangements to allow adoptive families to continue working with appropriately qualified, non-Ofsted registered therapists in areas where no Ofsted registered provision exists.

Under the Care Standards Act 2000, organisations that undertake work to support adopted children, or children who are being prepared for adoption, need to register with Ofsted as an adoption support agency. This is to ensure that providers are suitable and properly qualified. Successive regulations have, however, increased flexibilities, enabling all those working under contract with an adoption agency or adoption support agency to provide services without registration. This ensures that provision is widened while keeping quality secure. It is not open to the department itself to introduce transitional or exceptional arrangements.