Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the fall in the number of children being offered for adoption; and whether, in the light of this decrease, they plan to conduct a review of adoption legislation.

Data and intelligence collected by the national Adoption Leadership Board suggests the falls in the number of adoption decisions are a response to particular court judgments, known as Re B and Re B-S.

In November 2014, the national Adoption Leadership Board published guidance on what Re B and Re B-S say and do not say, to ensure that the judgments are not being misunderstood by local authorities.

In December 2014, a new court judgment, Re R, was published. In this the President of the Family Division is absolutely clear that the law on adoption has not changed, and that where adoption is in a child’s best interests, it must be pursued.

We are continuing to monitor trends in adoption decisions very closely. The department will consider whether and what further action is necessary once local decision makers have had the chance to digest the new guidance and most recent judgments.