Oxford West and Abingdon MP Evan Harris recently told the House of Commons debate on the UK adoption landscape that Reading adoption agency Parents And Children Together is "a first class voluntary adoption agency”.

The accolade came as the Children’s Minister announced £13,000 to fund independent support to help Voluntary Adoption Agencies such as PACT (of which there are 36 throughout the UK) further strengthen their business management and marketing skills. VAAs are all charities.

VAAs have been responsible for almost half the total number of children placed via the National Adoption Register during a recent twelve-month period, according to PACT head, Yvette Gayford. “The Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies, the umbrella group which represents all non-Social Services adoption agencies”, she continues, “is responsible for placing some of the country's most vulnerable children: older children, those with special needs, sibling groups and children from a range of cultural backgrounds.”

“The typical staff turnover in a voluntary adoption agency is less frequent than the national average and so we do our work with a disruption rate - to prospective parents and the children so desperately needing a new ‘forever family’ – which is also significantly lower."

"Evan Harris’ comments reflect our aim to be an agency which is energetic in finding the right solutions for prospective parents and children.”