Buckinghamshire Adoption Partnership

Buckinghamshire Council has joined the Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) programme, benefiting from a national network joining up adoption activity across the country.

The council has secured a partnership with PACT to form Buckinghamshire Adoption Partnership.  We are working together to deliver the RAA following the public launch in January 2024.

The RAA will build on the considerable experience and complementary strengths of both organisations with a clear focus on delivering improved outcomes for children and families.

PACT is a long-standing, established charity and has been building and strengthening families since 1911.  As an independent adoption charity, PACT has been rated outstanding by Ofsted three times in a row in 2014, 2017 and 2023. PACT has a long history of providing adoption services and specialist adoption support for life. PACT will continue to operate as separate charity and adoption agency covering London, across the south of England and into the midlands region.

Buckinghamshire Council is ultimately responsible for delivering the RAA. PACT will contribute its commitment to exceptional quality and business expertise to influence practice and drive improvements in performance.

Our key priorities for the first year are –

  •  Improve timeliness for children being placed for adoption – including increased opportunities for early permanence placements.
  • Manage the adopter and adoptee voice in the RAA by establishing a adopter/adopted person forum and by providing focused support groups for adopted children. 
  • Undertake a full review of post order services to ensure they provide the services needed to meet the needs of children and families.
  • Deliver an independent birth relative support offer, to include one to one and group work support.
  • Establish a strong governance structure which will include multi-agency partners and key stakeholders.
  • Develop a robust quality assurance framework to enable us to continue to reflect and learn about the impact of the interventions/services we provide.
  • Explore options to share learning opportunities and training.
  • Complete a phased review of initial RAA practices and processes and make recommendations about where improvements can be made.