An investigation into linking and matching in adoption
- Principal investigator(s):
- Team:
- Jennifer Beecham
- Start year:
- 2006
- End year:
- 2009
- Funder:
- DfES (via University of Bristol)
- Partners:
- School for Policy Studies, University at Bristol
Little is known about what makes a good match in adoption or how much it might cost. A national survey will provide a broad picture of linking and matching practices. Innovative as well as more routine approaches will be examined in more detail through a catch-up prospective study of 150 children from 5-10 adoption agencies in the public and voluntary sectors. Sixty of these children will be followed-up for six months into their placement. The survey and detailed study will be accompanied by careful estimation of the costs and an exploration of why these might vary. Guidance on matching will be developed for social workers and policy-makers based on the findings from the study. This study is undertaken in collaboration with researchers at the School for Policy Studies, University at Bristol. The study was due to continue until May 2009.