TACT has made a decision to close its Adoption service permanently. TACT had significantly subsidised its adoption service over many years and TACT trustees had been clear since 2016 that the TACT adoption service needed to be financed completely by contractual work for local authorities to ensure sustainability and the incorporation of the adoption service within the Peterborough Voluntary Adoption Agency registration and management structure served this purpose. This partnership sadly ended in October 2019, with the service returning to TACT.
The adoption market has changed significantly over recent years and is continuing to change in a way unfavourable to Voluntary Adoption Agencies. Allied with the downward trend in adoption numbers smaller Adoption agencies are closing as they experience increasing losses. It was thought regionalisation would strengthen the position of Voluntary Adoption Agencies, but this has not proved to be the case as all but the largest or most specialised with the largest reserves have been marginalised in the provision of services.
TACT made approaches to several Voluntary Adoption agencies during December 2019 and January 2020 to take on TACT’s Adoption services. None were willing to do this citing they had no plans to expand their adoption service in a contracting market with uncertain future funding.
Post Peterborough, continuing to provide an adoption service of any description where there is no reasonable expectation that income will be available to meet expenditure is a risk to TACT’s viability and one the organisation cannot go forward with, hence the making of this difficult decision to discontinue TACT’s role as an adoption agency.
The service will be closed from Tuesday 28th April 2020, although due to the staff leaving at different times some existing users may still receive a service after this date. Coronavirus has meant that our office is base is closed now and staff are working remotely. Messages will be picked up on the adoption duty email address until the date above; however, we will be unable to start any new work with adopters or those adopted from now.
The files will continue to be the responsibility of TACT and kept for 100 years in line with legal requirements. We have notified all Local Authorities who have placed children with TACT adopters about the closure. Any future request for access to TACT, IAS, FFC, PFC Family Ties & PHRAS files should be made by approaching the local authority the enquirer lives in. Local Authorities and Regional Adoption Agencies will then be able to request files from TACT.
If you require support ongoing please contact the adoption service of the local authority who placed your child with you (if you adopted less than 3 years ago) or the local authority where you live (if you adopted over 3 years ago). Through them you will be able to access the Adoption Support Fund.
Since 2005 TACT offered adoption services and occupied a specialised place in the market recruiting and placing with adopters and offering homes to children from black and mixed ethnic and sibling groups and those who are older and with significant needs. I would like to thank you for both choosing to adopt and for doing so through TACT. Closing our service has not been an easy decision and we are very proud of the difference you and our team have made in children’s lives.