National Adoption Service to run Wales adoption register after BAAF closure

Relevant staff from BAAF Cymru will transfer to the National Adoption Service, Welsh government says

The adoption register in Wales will be run by the country’s National Adoption Service following the closure of the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), it has been announced.

BAAF, which ran the adoption registers for both England and Wales, went into administration on 31 July. The National Adoption Service brings together councils and independent adoption agencies across Wales to work in regional clusters. The Welsh government said that relevant BAAF Cymru staff would transfer to the NAS to run the register.

Responsibility for the adoption register in England has already been transferred from BAAF to Coram, an adoption charity.

The Welsh government also announced that a new body has been set up by St David’s Children Society in the wake of BAAF’s demise. The organisation, which will be known as the Association for Fostering and Adoption Cymru at St David’s, will offer training, legal advice and an advice line for the public in a bid to strengthen the adoption and fostering services in Wales. The new body will recruit from former BAAF Cymru staff.

Securing adoption and fostering services

Health and social services minister for Wales, Mark Drakeford, said the moves would secure the future of the adoption and fostering services BAAF Cymru had previously provided.

“As soon as we became aware of BAAF’s plans to close, we negotiated with its administrators to ensure services remained stable for an extra six weeks to support vulnerable children and assist people seeking to foster and adopt,” he said.

During this six-week period, BAAF Cymru staff have continued to provide these services to prevent an interruption in services, Drakeford said. 

The minister added that he hoped to make an announcement about the future of the independent review mechanism “very soon”.

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