Post-code lottery

On the "post code lottery" issue, you may be interested to read this
from Martin Narey at Barnardo's

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/07/martin-narey-barnardos-adoption

I don't entirely agree with Narey in what he says at the start of that article,
as you already know

But this is absolutely true

Quote

.... current post-adoption support provided by local authorities is too much of
a postcode lottery, both in terms of quality and variety. Adoptive parents need
to have better access to ongoing support from mental health, parenting and other
professionals who can provide them with the skills and know how to negotiate
nurturing a damaged child. Adoption is transformational but, if every adoption
is to fulfil its potential, adoptive parents need to be given the support to
negotiate the challenges along what will inevitably be a difficult path.

End quote

I'm not convinced that services provided by Barnardo's are the best or as good
as they could be and one of the reasons why it is such a post-code lottery is
the fees that organisations such as Barnardo's charge to Local Authorities when
those LAs contract such work out to them.

Some LAs such as Liverpool may well be able to provide such services or pay
other organisations like Barnardo's to do so, because they are allocated more
money by central government than most LAs are. These services are needed in all
areas not just those that Blair &Co. declared to be deprived areas.

It also needs to be remembered that adoption is lifelong and that adult post
adoption services also need to be adequately funded across the whole country. But
adult post-adoption services have never been something that Barnardo's in
England & Wales have ever been at all good at. Or indeed services to anyone
who was in its care in the past

One has to wonder what quality of service Barnardos will be offering to those
whose adoptions it arranges today, once they pass the age of 18


Robin Harritt

http://harritt.eu

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