New national data shows that in 2023-4 there was a 22 per cent increase in the number of children in England who have a plan for adoption but have not yet been matched with an adoptive family, compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, the numbers of prospective adopters coming forward remains lower than in previous years, probably largely due to the cost of living crisis. This means that there are 780 more children nationally needing to be adopted than there are approved adopters waiting to be matched – with 47 per cent of children facing delays of over 18 months to find their forever home.
Could you be the one to provide that?
The theme for this year’s National Adoption Week – The Journey – will shine a light on adoption journeys of all kinds, not only increasing understanding of what modern adoption and adoptive family life is like, but also showing that the road to a family is not always a traditional one.
In fact, not all families are traditional or fit a set mould, which is why Adopt Coast to Coast welcomes applications from people in all walks of life, including single people and couples – married or cohabiting, applicants from the LGBTQ+ community and those who already have biological children. There is also no upper age limit for adopting as long as you are in good health, you do not have to be employed or own your own home and you can come from any ethnic or religious background.
What you will need, however, is the desire to give children the chance to be in a permanent stable family, filled with the trust, love and care they need.
National Adoption Week 2024 will also highlight the important people who are part of someone’s lifelong adoption journey – from people we know to those we meet along the way, including birth families, foster carers, social workers, friends old and new, and extended family members. Some of these people will be present for the full journey, others for a smaller part – but all of these different people form part of the ‘village’ that supports the lifelong adoption journey and make each family’s experience unique.
Parents themselves go on a journey when they adopt – often challenging their own preconceptions about adoption and learning more about themselves along the way.
Less than a year later, in March 2023, Sean and Kelly had their introduction day with a little girl who is now their much-loved daughter.
“We searched online and found Adopt Coast to Coast,” says Sean. “We read about other people’s experience of adopting with them, which helped us to decide to start the process with them.
“We attended an information event during which there was a lot of information about the process: what to expect and the children in their care. I think if anybody is thinking about adoption, I would suggest you do an information event – it’ll give you an insight into what you’ll be going through for the next year.
“At the very start, before we went to an information event or enquired about anything, we were convinced we wouldn’t be approved. I think if we didn’t have that anxiety at the beginning of it, the journey as a whole we enjoyed… even the bits that sound stressful.”
“When we were eventually told we could be parents, it was like a dream come true. We had lots of information about our daughter before we met her, so we felt like we really knew her, and on our introduction day she took to us quite quickly. By the end of our meeting we were getting cuddles.”
Adopt Coast to Coast will be hosting an information event at 10am on Saturday, October 26, to coincide with the awareness week.
The session is open to anyone who is interested in adoption and wants to find out more about what’s involved. Held online, the information event is very relaxed and informal and will last for approximately one hour.
To enquire about adoption, book onto an information event or find out more about the process, visit adoptcoasttocoast.org.uk or call 03000 268268.
