The first Midlands Adoption Week 12-16 February 2024 is being supported by Adoption Central England (ACE)...
...with the agency highlighting the need for more people to come forward to consider adopting a child.
ACE is the regional adoption service covering Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire and finds families for more than 100 children every year. It joins other Midlands area adoption services in marking the week, working side by side to specifically draw attention to the needs for adopters for children from a variety of background and ages right here in this area.
Adoption is about offering love, support and a lifelong commitment to children of all ages who cannot stay with their birth families for a variety of reasons. In some adoption cases ACE helps birth families to continue to play an important role in children’s lives through letters, video calls and occasional get togethers.
Sue Markham, Portfolio Holder for Children and Families for Warwickshire County Council, said: “Supporting children to achieve their potential and be as happy and healthy as possible is central to our commitment to promote a child friendly Warwickshire. People who adopt can help us to do this by providing loving homes and the stability that youngsters need.
“Midlands Adoption Week is the perfect opportunity for people to learn more about adopting and find out how they can get involved, so that children across Warwickshire can find the home that’s waiting for them.
“There is a need for more people to come forward and adopt, so I urge anyone who is considering adopting to take the first step and get in touch with the team at Adoption Central England. They will provide you with the support and information you need to start your journey.”
There are currently around 150 children who need adoptive families in the ACE region. To be considered for adoption people need to be aged over 21 years and can be single, married, or unmarried, or in a same sex relationship. ACE is keen to hear from people from all ethnic and religious backgrounds and particularly Black African and Black Caribbean households as these families are currently underrepresented. Adopters can already have children, be homeowners or live in rented accommodation. The main requirement are that people must be prepared to commit to the thorough preparation and assessment process, have an awareness and appreciation of the needs of children who require adoption, and be flexible and willing to accept the ongoing responsibilities involved in being an adoptive parent.
ACE approved adopters Sam and Dan report on their experience. Sam said: “Our experience of the training and assessment process with ACE was positive - we actually quite enjoyed it! Although you can never really be ready for parenthood, the training courses were all really helpful and tailored to our specific situation of wanting to adopt siblings, including a new-born. We have a brilliant social worker who is very easy to talk to, and made the process feel more like free therapy than an assessment of our parenting capabilities.”
Dan added: “I’d tell anyone looking to adopt to go for it, adoption is an amazing thing to do, incredibly rewarding and lots of fun. The process is quite long, but it needs to be, and you will be far more prepared for parenthood at the end of it.”
Brenda Vincent, Head of ACE concluded: “ACE has a good reputation as an adoption agency for the way it prepares and supports people coming forward to adopt. We have a comprehensive training programme and are always at the end of phone to answer any queries or to offer advice. We keep in touch with over 950 adoptive families through our newsletter and we take time to listen to what families have to say. Adopting is a privilege; however, it is not without some challenges along the way and our services are tailored to respond when help is needed.’
To find out more about adopting through ACE visit the ACE website www.aceadoption.com or call to speak to one of the team on 0300 369 0556. You can also follow us on Facebook.