Guidance published by the Department for Education last week says that local authorities must not stop children from being placed with families of different ethnic or cultural backgrounds and that no prospective parents must be turned away on the grounds of race, age or social background.
The guidance says local authorities should be making more use of voluntary adoption agencies with specialist expertise in finding families for difficult-to-place children.
Children's minister Tim Loughton has asked Ofsted to look at the current inspection regime for local authority adoption agencies to see how it can be strengthened and reduce delay in the system.
Mr Loughton said some local authorities were placing just 2 per cent of their children in care for adoption, compared with 16 per cent in other parts of the country.
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