Adoption drive to find homes for waiting children

Two adoption agencies in the South East have seen a drop in the number of people looking to adopt a child.

Adoption Partnership South East (APSE) said it has had its lowest number of enquiries in the first half of 2024 since before the pandemic - dropping to 76 from 117 in the first six months of 2019, data obtained by the BBC showed.

Meanwhile, Adoption South East saw a drop in its registrations of interest in the first six months of 2024, which fell 46.7% compared to the same period in 2021.

Speaking at the start of National Adoption Week, Adoption South East said there had been a "substantial" increase in the number of children hoping to be adopted.

The Department for Education said it was investing £9m to improve the recruitment of adopters, matching children with new families and post adoption support.

Those behind National Adoption Week said they were encouraging people from all walks of life to consider welcoming a child, adding there was no such thing as a "normal" family.

Government figures showed 2,960 children were adopted in England in 2022-23 - a fall of 2% on the previous year.

Adoption South East covers Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, West Sussex and Surrey, while APSE operates in Kent, Medway and Bexley.

Radford Chancellor, who lives in Guildford, Surrey, with his 11-year-old adopted son, said: "I do think that part of it is the cost of living crisis and the current conditions. It’s expensive."

Mr Chancellor, who believes people were having fewer children generally or becoming parents older, said he wanted to see more promotion of adoption and post-adoption support.

Lukas Rains, who lives in Kent with his adopted son and is a member of APSE’s mentoring team, said he wanted the government to "get it out there a bit more".

He said: “I don't think there's any changes that need to be [made] out there.

“I just think more people need to know about adoption. Understand it a bit more.”

Adoption South East service manager, Suzanne Chambers, said: "Adoption agencies work with children’s services to try to ensure we always have enough adopters for the children waiting for families.

"We sometimes go through periods like the current one where there is a gap.

"It’s important to raise awareness that adoptive parents are needed, and to dispel myths about adoption.

"It’s time to increase awareness of adoption again and to highlight that adoptive families are not alone, they have available a community of support around them."

APSE head Amy Coombs said the government could provide more support for the sector.

She said: "We continue to have an increased number of children in care waiting to be adopted and are actively working to recruit more adopters, particularly for those children who typically have to wait longer to be adopted."

Adoption England is a collaboration of regional adoption agencies working to improve adoption practice and to develop support and services to better meet the needs of children and families.

In July, Adoption England and Adoption South East launched a campaign amid a rise in the number of children looking for a family.

Sarah Johal, national adoption strategic lead for Adoption England, said potential parents should not "wait for the perfect time" to adopt.

She said: "With fewer potential adopters coming forward – believed to largely be a result of the cost-of-living crisis - this means that nearly half of all children face delays of over 18 months to be placed with an adoptive family."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Adopters play a hugely important role in the wider children’s social care system.

"We want to see more people come forward to provide a home for children in care."

Adoption South East received 49 registrations of interest in the first half of 2024, down from 57 in the same period the year before.

In comparison, the group received 92 in the first half of 2021.

However, the number of children who had been adopted between January and June increased from 52 in 2023 to 63 in 2024 - the highest total in that period since the group formed in April 2020.

The group also received 54 enquiries in September 2024, the highest number since January 2024, when 68 were made.

In the first half of 2024 in Kent, there was also a small jump with 35 adoptions compared to 32 in the same period the year before.

The 35 adoptions was also the highest number in Kent in the first half of the year since before the pandemic.

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