Vol. 511 No. 2
92 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the number of couples waiting for assessment for foreign adoption in each of the eight health board areas; the number waiting for assessment to adopt a second child; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23925/99]
I have referred in detail in the House to the publication of the report Towards a Standardised Framework on Inter-country Adoption Assessment. This report was commissioned in light of the huge increase in demand and resultant lengthy waiting times for assessment being experienced in all health board areas.
The Government approved the publication of the report; the appointment of an implementation group to prioritise, plan and cost the phased implementation of the report's recommendations; and provided additional funding of £500,000 in 1999 to enable work to commence on implementation. This additional funding was allocated to health boards in respect of inter-country adoption assessment in 1999 on the basis of the waiting lists in December 1998.
The implementation group has had three meetings to date and is updating the waiting list figures in each of the boards. The position in relation to the waiting lists for subsequent assessments will also be clarified. As soon as these figures become available I will have them forwarded to the Deputy. The work of the group includes prioritising training in the standardised framework through the provision of a seminar to all workers in ICA at the end of November; the commissioning of a detailed training manual for all stages of the framework, as well as back-up documentation for prospective adoptive parents.
Based on the increase in staff assigned to assessment and the introduction of the standardised framework model, it is hoped that there will be a significant improvement in the number of assessments being completed in each of the boards during the year 2000.
