For the ten Oxfordshire children currently waiting to find new homes, news that adoption laws are being changed to encourage more potential parents to come forward can only be good.

For Oxfordshire County Council's adoption team, though, the new laws may be more problematic - especially now that it has to ensure that 40 per cent more children are adopted every year.

The Government has implemented plans to reform the whole adoption process this year with the aim of reducing time taken to approve an adoption from three years to 12 months. In addition to setting out quotas for the number of adoptions, the Government has said that if a successful match cannot be made between a child and potential parent, then the child should go into a 'regional pool'.

The difficulty for the Oxfordshire team is that it is already extremely successful at finding adoptive homes, with an average of 32 children adopted every year - well above the average.

Oxfordshire has been successful because, while many councils were rejecting prospective adopters on grounds of age, race, weight, sexuality, marital status and fitness, the county team put its efforts into targeting prospective parents and publicising the plight of children in care and targeting the public.

Phil Hodgson, the county council's assistant director for children and families, welcomes most of the changes but is cynical about the quota.

"The problem in Oxfordshire is that the children that remain on the books are often older or with siblings. Understandably, when a potential parent wants to adopt, they want a young child to bring up as their own," Mr Hodgson says.

"Our problem is the status of the children, which is much more difficult and complicated. It is much easier to place a child under five than older children - particularly teenagers. There are just not enough people coming forward for this age group.

"Thankfully, there are still a few people that want to adopt older children, but I cannot see the change in the law improving this.

"The second problem is sibling groups where two, three or four brothers and sisters are up for adoption together, and again it is hard to find them a placement.

"I have to say I think these targets are ambitious, and only time will tell whether they are achievable or not."

"We welcome the reforms with open arms and sharing our resources regionally can only help greatly in terms of increasing the pairing of waiting children and adopting parents. But Oxfordshire already does relatively well in terms of placing children for adoption.

"We are fortunate to have great staff here who work jolly hard to process applications as fast as possible," he adds.

Mr Hodgson says the main sticking point in processing applications quickly will be the courts and he is worried the new legislation does not allow for this.

"If an adoption is being contested by the parents, who do not agree that their child should be adopted, then it takes time to get through the courts, and it is terribly important that this continues," he says.

Another change in the law will allow potential parents, who have been turned down for adoption, to appeal against the decision. In Oxfordshire there has not been a dispute to date.

"It's all about common sense. If there is someone who is not suitable we sit them down and gently explain why not and so far they have understood and withdrawn their application," Mr Hodgson explains.

**For further information on adopting, telephone Oxfordshire County Council Social Services on 01865 375515.