Adoption is a key area of interest for Alma Economics – we want to help improve outcomes for children and adopters by supporting meaningful, evidence-based interventions to address systemic challenges.

Alma Economics was commissioned by the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA) to provide an independent economic evaluation of the Department for Education’s Expansion Grant Programme. With £12.5 million in committed government funding, the Programme ran from April 2014 to July 2016 and sought to increase adopter recruitment and strengthen capacity in the VAA sector.

Our team worked with grant recipients to understand issues around the design and administration of the programme. We conducted both process and impact evaluations using a combination of qualitative and quantitative analytical methods.

Our independent review helped inform policy discussions in England regarding the adoption landscape and measures to support the VAA sector.

➥ The full report is available here.