Tough new adoption targets set by the Government would put an 'impossible strain' on the city's child care services, according to a council report.

And the cash being made available by Whitehall to improve adoption services over the next three years is 'unlikely' to be enough to meet standards laid down by the Government.

A greater emphasis placed by the Government on adoption as an alternative to children being looked after in care means a radical shake-up is likely in the authority's adoption services.

A report by the city council's director of social services Jim Graham, which went before the social services committee today, has highlighted the impact of new national adoption standards and the Government's Adoption Bill.

The Adoption Bill, likely to become law next year, expects local authorities to increase the number of children placed for adoption by 40 per cent within the next three years, and to later increase this to 50 per cent.

Adoption activity has increased in Plymouth, with the number of families approved to adopt a child rising to 28 last year, compared to 12 in the previous 12-month period.

The children approved for placement also increased from 23 to 29, and the number of placements made grew from 15 to 25. But Mr Graham said: "To increase again by 40 per cent would put impossible strain on all sections of the child care services."

The legislation will also require Plymouth, along with other local authorities, to provide post adoption support services. The city does not currently have a comprehensive service according to the report.

The Government is to make available more than £66 million over the next three years to secure improvements in adoption services, in addition to £41 million to support staff wishing to undergo social work training.

But the report pointed out this cash would be shared among all councils, and so was 'unlikely' to be enough to deliver the standards demanded.

It went on: "The current structure of our service delivery for adoption services is likely to require substantial alteration.

"Current staffing levels and financial resources are not adequate to deliver this agenda to the volume and standards described in the National Standards and the Adoption and Children's Bill."

Used courtesy of the Plymouth Evening Herald