Drive in Central England launches to find adopters for children who wait the longest for a permanent home.
Today, Adoption Central England (ACE) joins a national ‘You Can Adopt’ campaign uniting regional and voluntary adoption agencies across the country to highlight the circle of support important to adopters. The campaign comes as new research reveals that 45% of parents in the West Midlands found support from other parents invaluable when raising their child.
The new campaign aims to reach potential parents for children from certain groups that repeatedly wait longest to be adopted (approximately eight months longer) and sees a series of new films released featuring real life stories from those who have adopted and fostered children, and others who have been adopted themselves. The films spotlight the various means of support available throughout the adoption journey from regional and voluntary adoption agencies, social care workers, charities, employers, friends, relatives, peers, and more.
As part of the campaign, You Can Adopt has united a number of organisations, including John Lewis and Family Fund, to show their support for adopters. A new podcast episode featuring Love Island winner and former children's social worker Sanam Harrinanan in conversation with an adopter about their adoption journey also goes live today.
Latest available data shows there are 1,980 children waiting for adoption in England, with 990 of these (50%) waiting longer than 18 months since entering care. The majority of children waiting for adoption (59%, 1,170 children) come from specific groups repeatedly facing the longest delays in finding a home. These groups include children aged five or over, children with additional and/or complex needs, brother and sister groups, and those from a Black and mixed heritage. Compared to children without these characteristics, children from these groups wait an average of eight months longer from entry into care to adoption, a total of 32 months.
- Children over five wait 16 months longer to be adopted from care than children under five
- Children with a disability wait nine months longer to be adopted from care than children without a disability
- Children in sibling groups wait seven months longer to be adopted from care than single children
Black and mixed heritage children wait two months longer than average to be adopted from care, with delays caused because there are not enough Black and mixed heritage adopters coming forward to adopt children from the same background. This is why, as part of the campaign, a specialised recruitment drive will run to encourage Black and mixed heritage people to consider adoption.
To help find parents for these children, the You Can Adopt campaign aims to encourage potential adopters by acknowledging that, while these groups of children will need additional support, the power of family and a permanent home can be transformational for these children, and a circle of support is available to help adopters on this journey.
To explore parents’ support networks and the diverse meaning of family and community for the wider public, You Can Adopt has published new research showing that support is essential for all parents – not just adopters. The research found that in the West Midlands:
- 86% believe community is important in raising a child
- 66% have people they refer to as family outside of immediate family or blood relatives
- 45% of parents found support from other parents invaluable when raising their child, with 24% finding help from WhatsApp groups (or similar) or online forums
- 45% of parents say their child has non-blood relatives they refer to as aunty or uncle
The You Can Adopt Support Coalition is a brand new group of charities, organisations, and employers, convened to show a widespread commitment to supporting and encouraging prospective adopters looking to adopt children that wait longest. The growing coalition includes dedicated charities such as Family Fund and Fertility Network and employers that offer a range of inclusive rights and benefits for adopters including John Lewis which is the first employer to pledge its support.
Adoption support services are available for families and children at all different ages and stages of the adoption journey, from preparation to adopt to meeting children’s needs for the future. The Adoption Support Fund, set up by the Government, can provide access to therapeutic services for children and their parents, following an assessment of support needs. All adoption agencies also provide ongoing support and advice to all adoptive families they work with.
Services include advice, support groups, training, workshops, family days, and specialised therapy tailored to families’ needs. Regional adoption agencies are working to enhance these services, with a strengthened offer set to launch in September later this year.
On behalf of ACE, Councillor Sue Markham, Portfolio Holder for Children and Families for Warwickshire County Council, said:
“Adoption has the power to change lives – both for the child being adopted and for the family that welcomes their new member. Naturally there are challenges, and having the right support is crucial. ACE is the first and only adoption service to be certified in approaches informed by Dyadic Developmental Practice, which appreciates the impact of childhood developmental trauma. This allows us to support adoptive parents to emotionally connect with their child to help them to build security and trust. If you’re thinking about adoption and wondering if it might be right for you, then please do get in touch for a chat.”
Sarah Johal, the National Adoption Strategic Lead, spoke about children who wait the longest:
“While it may take longer to find the right family for some children, every child deserves the right to a loving, stable, and permanent home, which is why You Can Adopt is encouraging anyone considering adopting siblings, older children, children with complex needs or who are from the Black Community to come forward. This campaign also recognises the importance of community in raising a child and highlights the variety of support available to adopters, from peer support, family days out, training sessions and workshops, therapeutic and financial support for groups of children with those additional needs. Adoption may not always be easy, but support is available at each stage and can positively change the trajectory of a child’s life forever.”
A couple who adopted their two children through ACE, commented on how they have been supported since adopting:
“Over the years, the support from ACE has been invaluable. Just knowing that we have the care and support of our ACE social worker on the end of the phone/e-mail is very reassuring, not only when things wobble, but in the many good times too. We regularly attend local peer-to-peer adoptive parent support groups. As adoptive parents of nearly eight years, we would recommend to all adoptive parents to keep in touch with ACE especially in the good times. So if your family should have a wobble you know ‘when, where and how’ to seek support.”
If you’ve ever considered adopting and want to find out more about the children who wait the longest, find out more at youcanadopt.co.uk. For more information about Adoption Central England, visit their website or call 0300 369 0556.