Number of children up for adoption halves

In recent years adoption levels had risen to record levels

The number of children put forward for adoption by local councils in England has fallen by almost half in under a year, the latest figures show.

In the three months to June 2014, there were 960 initial decisions to place a child for adoption, compared with 1,830 in the three months to September 2013.

The figures were released by the Adoption Leadership Board (ALB).

The ALB says the drop in adoptions may have been influenced by recent court judgements in care and adoption cases.

The board, which was established by the government as part of a shake-up of the adoption system, said applications for court orders allowing a child to be placed for adoption had fallen by 34%.

There had also been a fall of 54% in the number of placement orders granted by courts, from 1,650 to 750, it said.

In recent years, adoption figures had risen to record levels, with an increase of 63%, the ALB said.

'Sloppy practice'

But last September, the most senior family court judge criticised the "sloppy practice" of social workers when bringing cases for adoption before the courts and said they were not looking closely enough at all the other options.

President of the Family Division, Sir James Munby, also implied that, at a time of tight budgets, adoption may be seen as a cheaper option than helping troubled families or foster carers and warned about "resource issues" affecting local authorities' thinking.

He said there had been four cases during 10 days in July alone in which judges had expressed concerns about inadequate analysis by social services in support of the case for adoption.

ALB chairman, Sir Martin Narey, said these court judgements had been "entirely sensible".

But he warned that they were being misinterpreted by local authorities who thought the law on adoption had changed.

Sir Martin hopes the guidance will help councils make the right decisions for the child

He told the BBC that the recent drop in children being put forward for adoption was primarily due to fewer local authorities deciding adoption was the best option for a child.

"It's then been compounded by the refusal of some applications at the court," he said.

Sir Martin said some councils seemed to have taken some court rulings to mean that if a child could remain in foster care, then "that will do", when in fact the best interests of the child must be pursued.

'Myth-busting guide'

Sir Martin said the drop followed two years of significant progress in finding more adoptive homes for the thousands of children waiting.

The number of children adopted across the UK has risen from 3,100 in 2011 to 5,050 in the last year.

The recent fall in children being put forward for adoption in England has prompted Sir Martin to issue guidance to clarify the meaning of recent court judgements.

"It is clear from my discussions with social workers and managers in local authorities and in voluntary adoption agencies that there is a belief that the law has been fundamentally changed by a number of court judgements.

"So I am pleased to produce this simple myth-busting guide - drafted by a senior queen's counsel - to what those judgements do and do not say.

"I am extremely grateful to Sir James Munby, president of the Family Division, for his advice. He has seen the document and is supportive of its aim of dispelling the myths that have arisen."

Messages included in Sir Martin's guidance reiterated that the legal test for adoption had not changed, and courts must be provided with expert, high quality, evidence-based analysis of all realistic options for a child and the arguments for and against each of these.

Sir Martin said: "The board and I have published this guide to help everyone working for children understand the law around these complex cases, and be confident in making the right decisions for the child."