This document contains the UK National Minimum Standards (NMS) applicable to the provision of adoption services. The NMS together with the adoption regulations form the basis of the regulatory framework under the Care Standards Act 2000 for the conduct of adoption agencies and adoption support agencies. Minimum standards do not mean standardisation of provision. The standards are designed to be applicable to the variety of different types of adoption agencies and adoption support agencies. They aim to enable, rather than prevent, individual agencies to develop their own particular ethos and approach based on evidence that this is the most appropriate way to meet the child’s needs. Many agencies will aspire to exceed these standards and develop their service in order to achieve excellence.
The standards are issued for use by Ofsted who taken them into account in their inspection of adoption agencies and adoption support agencies. The standards may also be used by agencies and staff in self-assessment of their services. They provide a basis for the induction and training of staff; they can be used by children, birth parents and birth families, prospective/adoptive parents, and adopted adults as a guide to what they should expect as a minimum the agency to provide and to do; and they can provide guidance on what is required when setting up an agency.
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