Who Are The Children That Need Adopting?
Every year around 4,000 children, in England, wait for loving adoptive parents. The children available for adoption are a range of ages and are from a variety of backgrounds. What they all have in common is a difficult start in life and that they can no longer be brought up by their birth families.
Some children needing adoption have been abused, either physically or sexually. Others may have been neglected and not given love and care. Most will have experienced changes and uncertainty. As a result, some children are angry or confused about what is happening to them. Some children never live with their birth parents and are in foster care from birth. They all need a great deal of love and attention to help them adjust to stable family life.
There are children of all ages, ethnicities and abilities waiting to be adopted. We will support you fully in finding a suitable match for your family.
In England there is a particular need for adopters for:
- Children with disabilities
- Sibling groups
- Children from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds
- Older children (over 4 years)
Children with disabilities
One group of children, who can wait a long time for adoptive parents to come forward are those with a disability. There is often a lack of knowledge about different types of disability and what will be required to meet a child’s individual needs. Our team has extensive experience in working with children with disabilities, their families and carers and can support adopters to understand how they could meet the needs of a child with disabilities or developmental uncertainty.
Sibling Groups
Did you know that more than half of all children waiting to be adopted are in sibling groups, who need to be placed together? Adopting a sibling group can have many advantages; you’ll have an instant and complete family with a shared bond, you’ll only go through the adoption process once and they often settle into their new home more quickly.
Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Children
There are currently many more black, Asian and minority ethnic children waiting for adoption than there are adopters coming forward. Last year 15% of children with an adoption plan were black and mixed heritage but only 5% of adopters approved had the same ethnic background. We would love to hear from prospective adopters from all backgrounds and ethnicities.
Older Children (over 4 years old)
Another group of children who can also wait longer for adoptive parents to come forward are children over 4 years old. Sadly, there are hundreds of older children waiting to be adopted all over the UK. There are many benefits to adopting older children such as being matched more quickly and having more information about their health and development.
Get in touch
If you’d like to find out more information or if you have any questions, please get in touch with our friendly enquiries team who will be happy to help. Click here to complete our online enquiry form, email us at contactus@adoptersforadoption.com or call us on 0800 5877 791.
