Adoption experts have warned of a ‘concerning’ decline in adoption rates. For the first time in recent years, there are now more children in need of a permanent home than those coming forward to adopt, with a 14 per cent increase in children needing an adoptive family, compared to 2022-23. Latest data, also shows that 15 per cent fewer children were placed with an adoptive family in the last quarter.
This comes as a new survey reveals that six in ten (57 per cent) parents said they ‘never felt truly prepared’ to be a parent, and 72 per cent said there is no such thing as a ‘perfect time’ to start a family. However, 83 per cent now consider it the most rewarding experience of their life
In response, local adoption charity Adoption Matters, who cover North West, North East, Yorkshire & Humber, Stoke, Staffordshire and Isle of Man, is proud to support the latest You Can Adopt campaign, The Journey, to inspire people to take the first step towards growing their family, as for nearly half of the children (46 per cent) needing adoption, it takes over 18 months to find their forever home.
The campaign shows that the path may not always be smooth, but the rewards of giving a child a loving, stable home are unparalleled. For the first time in recent years, there are now more children in need of adoption than those coming forward to adopt. Many people hold back from starting their adoption journeys because they’re waiting for the ‘perfect’ time or circumstances – but for a child in need of a permanent home, the perfect time is now.
The cost-of-living crisis has heightened parental anxieties about finding the ‘perfect’ time and circumstances to start a family, especially for prospective adopters – with 9 in 10 saying it has directly affected their adoption decisions. Like any new parents, many prospective adopters worry about their ability to cope, but experts are highlighting that adoption is a journey that can be navigated with a range of support available at every stage.
While many adopters feel adoption is the most challenging thing they have ever done; this is outweighed by most who consider parenting through adoption as the most rewarding experience of their lives.
After adopting siblings in 2015, Sara and Stu (pictured) decided to adopt a third child, after hearing how many children were in need of forever homes in their local area, they said:
“You don’t need millions of pounds; you don’t need a mansion… It’s a journey, but it’s for the right reason, and the rewards are endless.”
“We are delighted to support this new campaign highlighting the need for more people to consider adoption. As one of the largest and most established voluntary adoption agencies in the country, we are saddened to see that once again, the number of children in need of a permanent home is now greater than those registered to adopt. This is impacting on the time children are spending waiting for their adoptive family.
As the campaign highlights, there is often no ‘perfect time’ to take that first step in your journey. Adoption Matters offers support and guidance from that very first phone call, to your first grand child – we are there every step of the way. We would encourage you to get in touch with our friendly teams to find out more”.
Rachael and Paul adopted their three children through the Early Permanence route of adoption. Rachael says:
“We had always wanted children and just assumed it would happen after we got married. After many years of fertility treatments and painful procedures, we accepted that we couldn’t have birth children. We would never accept that we couldn’t have children though as we knew, one way or another, we would have a family.
Going from zero to three children almost instantly was far more than we had planned! But we were also of the attitude that we’d waited so long and we loved the idea of siblings being able to stay together: so we said yes.”
Adoption Matters clearly value the strength of community and making connections with the social events they offer. We have made some really good friends through the agency who all live locally and we all have similar aged children who are now also friends. We continue to access their support through consultations with their Centre for Fostering and Adoption Support and attending the webinars”.
Find out more about starting your adoption journey with Adoption Matters by downloading an adoption information guide at their website www.adoptionmatters.org
